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The AEC Routemaster is a double-decker bus designed by London Transport and built by the Associated Equipment Company (AEC) and Park Royal Vehicles. The first prototype was completed in September 1954 and the last one was delivered in 1968. The layout of the vehicle was traditional for the time, with a half-cab, front-mounted engine and open rear platform, although the coach version was fitted with rear platform doors. Forward entrance vehicles with platform doors were also produced as was a unique front-entrance prototype with the engine mounted transversely at the rear. The first Routemasters entered service with London Transport in February 1956 and the last were withdrawn from regular service in December 2005, although one heritage route is still operated by Routemasters in central London. The first London bus route to be operated by the Routemaster was the 2, on February 8, 1956, with RM1. The same bus, with a revised front end, appeared at the Lord Mayor's Show in November 1956. Most Routemasters were built for London Transport, although small numbers were built for British European Airways and the Northern General Transport Company. A total of 2,876 Routemasters were built with 1,280 still in existence.〔(History ) Routemaster Association〕 A pioneering design, the Routemaster outlasted several of its replacement types in London, survived the privatisation of the former London Transport bus operators and was used by other operators around the UK. In modern UK public transport bus operation, the old-fashioned features of the standard Routemaster were both praised and criticised. The open platform, while exposed to the elements, allowed boarding and alighting in places other than official stops; and the presence of a conductor allowed minimal boarding time and optimal security, but with greater labour costs. Despite the retirement of the original version, the Routemaster has retained iconic status, and is considered a British cultural icon.〔("Bacon butties, roast dinners and a cuppa: 50 things we love best about Britain show we're a nation of food lovers" ). ''Daily Mail'' (London). Retrieved 9 November 2012〕 In the late 2000s work began on a New Routemaster bus inspired by the Routemaster's traditional design. It entered service in February 2012. ==Design== The Routemaster was developed between 1947 and 1956 by a team directed by AAM Durrant and Colin Curtis, with vehicle styling by Douglas Scott.〔(Swan song for the Big Red Bus ) ''The Independent'' (London) 22 September 1994〕〔(Colin Curtis obituary ) ''The Daily Telegraph'' (London) 5 October 2012〕 The design brief was to produce a vehicle that was lighter (hence more fuel-efficient), easier to operate and that could be maintained by the existing maintenance practices at the recently opened Aldenham Works, but with easier and lower-cost servicing procedures. The resulting vehicle seated 64 passengers despite being three-quarters of a ton lighter than buses in the RT family, which seated 56. The first task on delivery to service was to replace London's trolleybuses, which had themselves replaced trams, and to begin to replace the older types of diesel bus. The Routemaster was designed by London Transport and constructed at Park Royal Vehicles, with the running units provided by its sister company AEC. Both companies were owned by Associated Commercial Vehicles, which was taken over by Leyland Motors in 1962.〔(About AEC ) AEC Southhall〕 It was an innovative design and used lightweight aluminium along with techniques developed in aircraft production during World War II.〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=Londonbooks.co.uk )〕 As well as a novel, weight-saving integral design, it also introduced for the first time on a bus independent front suspension, power steering, a fully automatic gearbox and power-hydraulic braking.〔 This surprised some early drivers, who found the chassis unexpectedly light and nimble compared with older designs, especially as depicted on film on tests at the Chiswick Works skid pan. Footage of RM200 undergoing the skid test at Chiswick was included in the 1971 film ''On the Buses''.〔(On the Buses (1972, Reg Varney) ) Buses on Screen〕 The Routemaster was a departure from the traditional chassis/body construction method. It was one of the first "integral" buses,〔 with a combination of an "A" steel sub-frame (including engine, steering and front suspension) and a rear "B" steel sub-frame (carrying rear axle and suspension), connected by an aluminium body. The gearbox was mounted on the underside of the body structure with shafts to the engine and back axle. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Routemaster」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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