An advert in the latest edition of Model Collector states that a Green AEC Routemaster RML on route 409 Red RML on route 5C to Bloomsbury has been commissioned for the next open Day at the London Transport Museum's Depot in Acton (3 & 4 March). The event will have the theme of London's Transport in miniature and will include guest professional and amateur modellers displaying their working model layouts. These range from five to twenty feet in length and from ‘00’ gauge to ‘0’ gauge. They cover all modes of London travel from Underground trains and trams to cycling and walking. The weekend will also feature rides aboard the Museum's own miniature railway, plus craft activities for all the family. This will be the final open day at the Depot before the main museum in Covent Garden re-opens in the Autumn of this year.
More details can be found on the museum's web site at www.ltmuseum.co.uk.

    The Museum is also involved an event to mark the 75th Anniversary of London's Victoria Coach Station, this will take place over the weekend of 10 & 11 March. The museum have commissioned some as yet un-defined 'specialist' merchandise for the event. Further event detail are available on the Classic Buses Website.
Thanks are extend to Phillip Stephenson for bringing both of these items to my attention.

        By courtesy of Tony Price I'm able to produce some of his photographs featured on the www.worldwidemodelbuses.com site. It should be noted that the items shown below are either early pre-production examples or in the case of the RLH model a large scale mock up and thus may not accurately represent the final production models.

New RLH double deck bus (Large resin mock up)


1:24th MCW Metrobus mark I in single & dual door versions


The pre-production re-tooled RT and new Pre-war RT

PCVs 99105 1:24th DMS - Metrobus of Orpington 29303 Leyland Olympian - Stagecoach Swindon >> 26619 Plaxton Paramount - JetLink (Speedlink Airport Services) 29201 Single Door Leyland Titan - Glenvale Travel (GTL) 26320 Guy Arab II Utility - Southdown Motor Services 11904 Harrington Cavalier - Southend Transport xxxxx Melbourne W6 Class Tramcar xxxxx W6 Class Pullman Restaurant Tramcar Trucks 32801 Ford Thames Trader Short Tipper Truck - W.F. Button & Sons 3xx01 Bedford TK Short Dropside British Railways (yellow) 32901 Ford Thames Trader Dropside Truck - Southdown

        The following models are expected to be released during the week ending the 10th February.
27620  Volvo Wright Renown Single Deck Bus - Tanslink
27311  Leyland Titan TD1 Double Deck Bus - Cork City Services
29614  Leyland Olympian Double Deck Bus - East Yorkshire

        Unfortunately I've not been able to personally visit this weeks Toy & Hobby Fair at the London Excel Centre, however a brief report covering some of the model bus related exhibits has now been posted on the Worldwide Model Buses site.
It appears EFE are planning to produce some 1:76th scale Australian Tramcar models.

STOP PRESS: Pictures of an early resin mock up of the forthcoming RLH model have also been posted on the above site.

        The following models have now been released and should be available from all the normal outlets.
16528       MCW Leyland Atlantean - Portsmouth Corporation
20009DL  Leyland PD2 MCW Orion - Manchester City Corporartion
32501       ERF KV 2 Axle Flatbed Truck - Comber Transport

        The latest EFE Subscribers newsletter arrived on my doormat today. The two subscriber's models have proved popular with the Devon General VRT, 20432A, now completely sold out and only a few of the London Transport STL buses, 27811A, remain available.

The newsletter also contains an order form for the Mercedes Benz Minibus, 24815 in Surfside Buslines livery, commissioned by Trax. These are being made available to subscribers and prices start from £17.00 inc p&p.

The London Transport Museum have now taken delivery of their latest EFE bus set. Set No.14 Dartford 1963, 99930, contains a red RT on route 96 and an AEC Renown demonstrator on route 480. It seems likely these will start to be dispatched to customers by the Museum very shortly.

The British Toy and Hobby Fair is taking place in London this week and EFE are to exhibit some of their forthcoming products including the re-tooled RT, new RT2 and the low bridge RLH. For the truck range there is the new short tipper body, and new truck variants plus the new articulated and rigid tankers.
So far I haven't received any reports, regarding new products, from the Toy Fair which opened to trade visitors yesterday, if or when I do I'll post details here.

        The 34th annual Cobham Bus Museum, Bus & Coach Gathering takes place on Sunday the 1st April, two EFE Routemaster models have been commission by the Museum and will be available at the event. This years event will be held at a new venue , the Longcross Test Track facility near Chobham, Surrey (not Cobham!). The Museum building in Redhill Road Cobham will not be open during this years event however.
Further details can be found on the museum's website - http://www.lbpt.org.

It not been confirmed whether the RML model will be produced using the original or re-tooled casting yet.
xxxxx London Transport RML2700 (SMK700F) Route 207A Chelsea - Cobham 2007 adverts
3170x London Transport Green Line RMC1461 (461 CLT) Route 715 Guildford (Replica of the Museum's preserved bus)

        The two EFE subscriber models has now been released and are being posted out to those who placed orders.

20432A Devon General - Bristol VRT Series 3
27811A London Transport (route 25A )- AEC STL

        The following models have been announced by EFE and are all currently expected to be released during March.

        The following models are expected to be released during the week ending the 27th January.
16528       MCW Leyland Atlantean - Portsmouth Corporation
20009DL  Leyland PD2 MCW Orion - Manchester City Corporartion
32501       ERF KV 2 Axle Flatbed Truck - Comber Transport

        The following models should now be available from all the normal outlets.
27103  Weymann BET Single Deck Bus - Aldershot & District
29613  Leyland Olympian - Eastern Counties
28605  GM Standard Atlantean - North Birmingham Busways

        The free A4 sized 2007 calendar is now available to download in PDF format.

Clicking the image below should download the file straight to your browser ready for printing. If this doesn't work, right click over the image below and select the Save target as option.
The Adobe PDF file viewer can be download for free from the Adobe website if required.

        Ian Isaacs have contacted me to say that he has received his Cavendish Coaches RML (31903) from Ian Allan Publishing today. I'm hoping to post pictures of this model tomorrow.

        The following models are expected to be released during the week ending the 13th January.
27103  Weymann BET Single Deck Bus - Aldershot & District
29613  Leyland Olympian - Eastern Counties
28605  GM Standard Atlantean - North Birmingham Busways

        Another EFE based model has been announced for the Trax Trux range in Australia. Details have been posted on their website for a Mercedes Benz Minibus in Surfside Gold Coast livery
I presume like earlier Trax models this one will also be offered to EFE subscribers at some point in the future, this has yet to been confirmed by EFE however.