RT2688 has been in the same private ownership for over 40 years out of a total lifetime of more than 70 years. David and Malcolm seen here in Hyde Park, London in 2016.
Photograph ©Paul Van der Hulks
Between 1981 and 1989, I compiled a scrapbook of photos and other information about the bus. When it became full up, I intended to start a second book, but never actually did. This was firstly because it took a long time to find a new, similar book and then because it just became one the many tasks on life's 'to-do-list' filed in the 'good intentions' section.
In 2016, I finally decided to collect together all of the parts of the story including details and facts from our failing personal memories, randomly stored old photographs, assorted scanable items and more recent digital images.
Malcolm Padbury: 1945-2019
Sadly, my dear friend and former co-owner, Malcolm, passed away at the end of April 2019. Unfortunately, he was too poorly to attend the RT80 event in Barking but we made sure that he had a copy of 'Bus and Coach Preservation' magazine on his final journey because RT2688 featured on the front cover of the June issue.
I hope that you have enjoyed looking at my pages and would welcome any comments, new information or pedantic corrections! You can contact me here: david@rt2688.uk