RM 1414: A Mancunian Routemaster

Okay I might not be a huge fan of seeing red Routemasters outside London but it would be churlish of me not to enjoy seeing former RM 1414 in Manchester as it was on loan here when new. If orders had been obtained I'm not sure if I would have preferred them to proper Manchester half-cabs but by the time they would have arrived Atlanteans and Fleetlines were the order of the day and so I concede they might have been nicer for us enthusiasts, but no doubt as well as cost that was one of the reasons why they did not gain widespread support. But fate was to play tricks for as a gimmick following Deregulation s a small number did take to the Manchester streets as fast loading and a cheerful clippy made them a 'trump card' on the cut-throat bus congested streets. I might be wrong but one might even expect to see 414 CLT out and about on Event Days such as this at Heaton Park for if I'm not mistaken this bus is now part of the transport museum collection.