Notes About This Vehicle

In October 1929 the London General Omnibus Company (LGOC) introduced its ST type, built on AEC’s new Regent chassis. Regulations at that time restricted 2-axle double-deck buses to a maximum body length of 25ft.

In 1932 the regulations were relaxed to allow a 26ft length body and higher gross weight. In response to this AEC lengthened the Regent chassis and the next generation of bus, the STL, was born. London Transport (LT) was formed on 1st July 1933 though the first batches of chassis were ordered by the LGOC, with bodies designed by themselves and built at its Chiswick Works, only some of which were in service by LT days. As with preceding models, STLs went through many changes, with the earliest quite dissimilar to the last and eventually reaching STL2701.

LT coded design variants of its buses with the class name surrounded by the chassis and body type numbers. When new, the majority of the batch of STLs from 453 to 608 formed those classified 7STL3/2. The ‘nose-up’ attitude of these, and the earlier vehicles from STL203 onwards, attracted the nickname ‘leaning back STLs’.

The rather elegant pre-war Central Area red livery with off-white window surrounds, black horizontal piping and black relief band between decks, and silver roof gradually gave way to a succession of other, less elaborate, schemes. An 'all-red' livery was introduced in November 1945, initially with a cream band between the decks and above the upper deck windows. At first a brown roof, as applied during the war, continued, but was soon replaced by red. This livery continued until May 1946, but before then, in March, the earliest STLs up to STL608, reverted to the previous red and white style, retaining a brown roof.

According to the rather fine and informative website Ian’s Bus Stop, STL413 was new and ran in the Central Area from May 1934, with body number 14224 and the LT class code 7STL3. It would have had the then standard livery noted above. As with the rest of this batch it received a diesel engine replacing its original petrol unit in 1939 and was thus classified 2/16STL18.

The bus was painted in Country Area green in February 1945 and returned to Chiswick Works for overhaul in 1948, remaining in green. Swapping bodies was the norm and this bus last carried no.14449, which was originally fitted to STL563 and thus was of the later type 7STL3/2.

The horizontal bead below the upper deck windows used to align the adverts varied in length over the years. The LGOC, and later LT, standardized side adverts at 17ft 6ins long and 21½ins high. That said they were sometimes painted and sometimes printed on paper in sections. It was not unusual for these side adverts to be longer or shorter. The photographic evidence from which the Jeyes advert has been portrayed, without question shows it a lot longer.

With all manner of materials in short supply during the Second World War, London’s buses commonly ran with ‘restricted blinds’ fitted instead. Though sometimes blanked with metal panelling, full height glass was sometimes masked and painted in the body colour, as shown here. Many LT buses saw out their lives in this condition. STL413 was withdrawn in July 1953 and sold the following month.

Notes About This Drawing

The drawing is based on about ninety close-up and general photographs of STL469 taken at the London Transport Museum Depot at Acton, followed by extensive measuring of the vehicle.

I have inferred as much contemporary detail as possible of adverts likely to have been carried on this class of bus in the late 1940s.

It should be understood that all four elevations are seen here as one would see each part of the vehicle at a truly perpendicular angle. In real life this is of course impossible.