Introduced: 1932 (Stn Albans and District)
Chassis: Leyland Cub, 15ft 6in wheel-base,
new: 4.4l petrol engine,
1/39: Perkins Leopard diesel engine from C1
Body: B20F, unknown builder, 24ft 0in long.
It may seem strange that this first of LT's Cubs should be C76,
but on acquisition along with St Albans and District (in November 1933)
it was allocated to Country services,
which did not adopt the Chiswick numbering scheme immediately.
It received its number in 1935,
after the purchase of the Country Area's main batch of Cubs.
Outsider it may have been,
but for once the planners in LT seem not to have followed the LGOC ideas
and recognized a good bus when they operated it!
C76 did not stay at St Albans. After a repaint into green and black it went for service to Northfleet. It moved on to Langley Road in Slough, to be used on the Slough - Windsor services, finally being withdrawn from Windsor (WR) in October 1938.
It was always something of an oddity, with its non-standard body and petrol engine. After withdrawal it yielded its petrol engine to C1, receiving the Perkins Leopard in exchange, before sale in January 1939.
Introduced: June 1934.
Chassis: Leyland Cub, 15ft 6in wheel-base,
new: 4.4l petrol engine,
6/35: Perkins Leopard diesel engine,
1/39: 4.4l petrol engine from C76.
Body: B20F, Chiswick, 24ft 0in long.
C1 was the only Chiswick- bodied Cub.
The new body had a sliding door on the nearside,
and an emergency door at the rear of the offside.
C1 went into Central Area service at Hounslow (AV),
where it operated on the 237 alongside miniature Dennis Darts.
(This route later saw much larger buses, eg AEC Renowns and Leyland Olympians!)
C1 also operated in its early months from Merton (AL), and Barking (BK)
The engine was exchanged for a diesel in June 35,
and the little bus proudly bore a Perkins diesel emblem on the radiator
in addition to its Cub badge. It moved to Merton, to be with other diesel-engined buses,
and worked on the 225 (Raynes Park Stn - Lower Morden).
Two months later it moved to Barking for use on the 252/A/B group of routes.
In November 1935 it was exchanged for Country Area C51,
and went to operate from Slough, Langley Road (SL).
In January 1939 it returned to petrol propulsion,
swapping engines with C76.
As a non-standard prototype, its life with LT was relatively short.
In November 1940 it was withdrawn and stored, like many petrol-engined buses during the war.
It was sold in 1946, and passed through the hands of a number of small
businesses in the London area.
Its LT service days were not over, however,
as the desperate post-war vehicle shortages saw it being hired back by LT.
Chassis: Leyland Cub KPO3, 15ft 6in wheel-base,
Body: B20F, Short Bros, 24ft 0in long.
The first 7 (C2-C8), went to Northfleet (NF) for the North Kent rural services, in mid-April 1935,
followed by an allocation to Dunton Green (DG) for the Sevenoaks, Knockholt and Orpington routes.
Hertford (HG) and St Albans (SA) were next in line, for the northern collection of small-bus routes.
Chelsham (CM), Guildford (GF) and Leatherhead (LH) had a large number for the Surrey Hills and North Downs services,
and Addlestone (WY) and Windsor (WR) for the interface with Aldershot and District.
Watford (WA) and Amerham (MA) were other northern users, and Dorking (DS) had some for use in the Weald.
All were in use by September 1935.
C51 was swapped for C1 whilst still new, in November 1935, and entered Central area service.
It was fitted with a new engine, a Leyland light six diesel of 4.7l,
and as such was the trials bus for the Central Area Cubs to follow.
C51 was coded 1/2C2. It went on service to Barking (BK),
and remained in Central Area service until it was withdrawn in 1944.
Livery when new was two shades of green with black lining and mudguards,
but the light green presently gave way to white.
The area of white around the windows varied from bus to bus.
During the war years the mudgard tips and rear were marked in white to
help during the blackout.
Many Country routes were double-decked to cope with wartime demand, using Central Area buses,
and some of the Country Cubs were loaned to the Central Area in return.
Three went on loan as part of the "We're all in this together" campaign: C16, C52 and C69.
After the war 21 of them were sold for use in Belgium by the Allied Economic Commission.
The others were joined on Country duties by the remainder of the Central Cubs (see below),
so that 66 were still in Country service in 1950.
They continued in use during the early 50's, and LT considered rebodying them.
They eventually had direct replacements in the shape of the 84 members of the
GS class.
That the GS was so similar in form was a compliment to the way that the Cubs
had carried out their duties for some eighteen years.
Many were then sold for non-PSV use in the Home Counties,
whilst a large number went to Ceylon.
The Country Cubs: C2-C75, 2C2, (Total 74)
Introduced: 17th April 1935.
4.4l diesel engine,
The main production run of Cubs was very similar to the Chiswick prototype.
There were differences, the chief of which was the diesel engine,
an unusual feature in small buses at this time (see the article in Classic Bus Yearbook 4),
but in accordance with London Transport policy.
No doubt the order for 74 buses by LT was a large enough incentive for
Leyland to ensure that a diesel version worked!
One significant feature of the engine chosen was its ability to cold-start
under almost any conditions. It came with a deeper radiator too.
Oddly, these sported the Cub insignia, whereas London Transport usually
removed or covered all trace of manufacturers' radiator marks.
The bodies had small differences from C1, the largest being the placing of the
emergency door behind the driver instead of at the rear offside, plus
changes in the interior trimming that became the norm for LT.
As Chiswick was fully occupied with other building programmes
(with a maximum annual build laid down by law) the bodies were built by
Short Brothers at Rochester. This was LTs only contract with them,
but LT was familiar with their bus work in some of the STs inherited from some
of the Country Area's previous companies.
They were better-known for their manufacture of aircraft, in particular flying boats,
and the increased preparations as the thirties progressed meant that they
were unable to tackle the repeat order.
They settled down to unremarkable service on the periphery of the London area,
maintaining links to villages that really were deep in the countryside in those days.
Chassis: Leyland Cub KPO3, 15ft 6in wheel-base,
Body: B20F, Weymann, 24ft 0in long.
The Cubs for the Central Area had the larger, 4.7 litre engine,
and were bodied by Weymann to a design virtually indistinguishable
from the Short Bros bodies on the Country Cubs.
They did however have route stencil holders above the doorway and on the offside,
in line with Central practice.
(In the Country Area buses changed frequently between routes on a day's duties,
so route stencils were NOT used).
Another obvious change was the lack of a front bumper bar.
These had come into vogue during 1934-35, appearing on the early Cubs and
on the 9T9s and LTCs, but just as suddenly had gone back out of fashion.
The Central Cubs were to replace the small buses already operating around
the Central Area, apart from the Darts. (The Darts still had duties to perform
during the week, and more on Saturdays, so they were retained for the time being).
All the Cubs went into service in April and May 1936, at Mortlake (M),
Hanwell (HW), Enfield (E), Barking (BK) and Harrow Weald (HD).
In the north-east and north-west areas the Cubs and Darts were on rural
routes similar to those in the Country Area,
whilst there were still a few developmental routes in other parts where
small buses could be used to build the business.
C94 was rescued from a farm, still wearing its 480 blinds, and is in preservation.
Its future was further secured when it was acquired by the London Transport Museum.
The Central Cubs: C77-C98, CLE 105-126, 1/2C2/1 (Total 22)
Introduced: April 1936.
4.7l diesel engine,
But the pace of development was such that small buses were being squeezed
out by lack of capacity (a problem faced afresh during the 1980's minibus "revolution").
Twenty seaters, even one-man operated, could not compete with 56 seaters where business was buoyant.
Things came to a head during the war, when bus capacity had to increase dramatically to cope.
The Central Area Cubs were delicensed, or transferred to the Country Area, and
the Central Area ceased one man operation totally.
At the end of the war nine were sold for service with the Allied Economic Mission for use in Belgium,
whilst others were sold for other uses, or remained in use in the Country Area until 1953-4.
Chassis: Leyland Cub SKPZ2, 15ft 6in wheel-base,
Body:Park Royal, 24ft 0in long.
The remaining eight Cub buses were some of London's oddest.
They were required for the takeover of the night-time service between the
major London Railway termini, that was operated until October 1936 by P.Hearn.
The traffic was not large, but select, with significant luggage
- rather like early airline traffic.
The solution was like that adopted by LT for BEA after the war:
a semi-decker coach, with a large luggage hold at the rear, with seating above.
The first, C106, was delivered in April 1936, and was thoroughly road-tested between
Chiswick and Park Royal until September, when it was licensed.
The others, delivered to Old Kent Road (P) in May, were licensed for operations in October.
BEA hired them for a while in 1951: a foretaste of the
BEA RFs to come, but a different generation.
C107 was sold to London Fire Brigade for use as a control unit,
while C111 was used by them as a personnel vehicle until 1961.
C111 is preserved in excellent condition, and has occasionally been seen at rallies.
The Interstation Cubs: C106-C113, CLX 543-550, 3C3 (Total 8)
Introduced: April / October 1936.
4.7l petrol engine,
Park Royal built the bodies, which were turned out in an eye-catching
primrose and powder blue livery, with InterstatioN fleetnames and black roofs.
It was a shame that they operated mainly under cover of darkness!
Petrol engines were specified, a strange reversal of policy.
Perhaps the quietness of the petrol engines was deemed suitable for their nocturnal
traverses of the sleeping city?
C111, now preserved, spent much of its working life in the dim interiors of main line stations.
Photo by Ian Smith.
Click on image for larger version.
The war disrupted this service,
and the coaches were used by ENSA during the rest of the war.
Their large luggage lockers were ideal for theatrical movements.
The service was resumed towards the end of the war using ST164, ST454 and ST470,
in the special livery, and the Cubs took over after their return to Old Kent Road.
They continued in use until the service was taken over by RTs (in normal red) in November 1950.
Individual bus histories.
There WERE London Transport Cubs numbered C99L-C105L, and also C114L. But these were lorries in the service fleet, not buses.
Ian's Bus Stop
top of text.
Cub histories
photo refs
GS
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