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London SRT class page (by Shane Conway)

Last updated 28 January 2024

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Another wistful look back at a wonderful class of vehicle from the past. This time it's another London bus, the SRT class AEC Regent. I use the word wonderful advisedly, as the underpowered stopgap creation wasn't always regarded that way by L.T. staff. How they came about is a tale in itself, as in the late 1940s London Transport was in the process of expanding their famous and long lived RT class fleet. Five body makers were involved in this process, and even bringing Leyland in to supply extra chassis (RTL and RTW), supply of bodies outstripped the rate at which chassis were arriving -- after all, operators all over the British Isles had to be catered for in their fleet renewal plans too. A plan was drawn up by London to counteract this, involving scrapping or cascading bodies from no less than 300 prewar STL class AEC Regents and placing new Park Royal bodies on the chassis.

Each chassis was overhauled and modified to receive the new body, including new body mountings and moving the fuel tank to the left side of the chassis. Known as the SRT class, the first one arrived in February 1949, with deliveries continuing until January 1950, the planned 300 being almost halved to 160. The first 125 of these were drawn from the 132 buses wth FJJ and FXT reg numbers (dating from 1939), the remainder being buses new in 1937 and 1938. As the new Park Royal product was half a ton heavier than the prewar body, the smaller 7.7 litre engine struggled to move the new vehicles about, especially on hills. Braking ability on down hill sections was also less than wonderful too. It wasn't long before they were restricted to routes which were flatter. Despite these shortcomings, all managed to put in three or four years service, by which time the chassis were approaching 15 or 17 years old. Their replacement was also a novel approach, with all 160 bodies finally being fitted to proper RT chassis in the mid 1950s.

As RTs, they went through the complicated overhaul system used by London, eventually ending up with a mix of Saunders, Weymann and Park Royal bodies, with their original bodies being dispersed throughout the fleet over time. What follows is an attempt to list each bus in their various incarnations. Despite the entirely random order of conversions, hopefully the data is as correct as it can be, but, as with other lists on this site, this page may be incomplete and contain mistakes. In order to make it as accurate a reference as possible, I would of course welcome any additions or corrections. This list is in three parts, listing the SRTs first, followed by the RTs as originally turned out, and finally where the former SRT bodies ended up.

EGO 426 is preserved as a reminder of how all the SRT class would have looked in their original design. New as STL2377 in November 1937, it remained in London service until March 1954, following which it served with Mulley, Ixworth until 1961, and later entering preservation. All 160 of the STLs chosen to become SRTs would have looked like this originally.

DYL 819 was new in September 1937 as STL2177, becoming SRT129 in December 1949, and its body later going onto RT4513 in May 1954. RT4513 ended its days with a Weymann body from RT3944, that combination going for scrap in February 1972. The Park Royal body seen in the above photo was carried by RT4047 from December 1966, later being sold for scrap in April 1975.

SRT82 (FXT 90) was new as STL2640 in September 1939, ten years before it started its almost five year career as an SRT. Becoming RT4534 in July 1954, it received the body off another ex SRT (SRT66, RT4480) in February 1969, and went for scrap in May 1971. The body in the photo went onto RT3996 in June 1967 and lasted ten years more, before going for scrap.

SRT84 started out as STL2522 in June 1939, becoming an SRT in October 1949 and then RT4536 in July 1954. RT4536 got a 1951 Park Royal body from RT2086 in February 1967, which went for scrap five years later. SRT84's body meanwhile found its way onto RT4033 in October 1968, and that vehicle was sold to a West German buyter in May 1977.

FXT 71 (originally STL2623 from August 1939, re-entered service as SRT60 in June 1949. Its body was transferred to RT4411 in November 1953. Its final overhaul in Aldenham saw it get a 1952 Park Royal body from Leyland RTL1376, and the bus passed to a breaker in January 1977. The body in the above photo ended up on RT3046, where it stayed until withdrawal in December 1978, therafter passing to a scrap dealer in 1979.

Part 1 - the SRT series.

AEC Regent chassis with Park Royal H30/26R bodies.

The former RTL1355 became Barton 1088 in October 1967, at which point it was carrying the body formerly fitted to RT4441 and SRT9 before that. MXX 78 went for scrap in August 1971.

Before sale to Ledgard of Leeds, RT4485 had been fitted with a 1947 Park Royal body from early example RT234. Ledgard only bought ex London buses with the roof dome mounted route number box (which they discarded), and modified the two window destination display to the reduced version seen in the photo. This bus was sold to a Belgian buyer in September 1968.

Part 2 - the RT4397 - 4556 series (entries in bold denote the replacement body was from within the ex-SRT batch).

AEC Regent III chassis with Park Royal H30/26R bodies.

U.K. based chassis survivors - RT4421, 4424, 4442, 4494, 4540, 4548 -- all with replacement bodies - total 6.

RT4494 originally received the body from SRT92, and later the Weymann body from RT4744, which it still has. After withdrawal in July 1972 it was sold for preservation and restored to green livery, as seen here at the AEC rally in Nottingham in 1993. Its original body went onto RT4484 and that bus went for scrap in August 1971.

Part 3 - where the RT4397 - 4556 series original bodies ended up (entries in bold denote the original body stayed within the ex-SRT batch).

AEC Regent III chassis with Park Royal H30/26R bodies.

U.K. based original body survivors from RT4429, 4465, 4512 and 4530 - total 4.

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