London Transport RM/RF To & From Advertising Slips (42)

This is a set of 42 different 'to & from slips' as once used on London's Routemasters of RF vehicles. They were pasted onto slip boards which were positioned next to the driver above the bonnet on RMs, or on a board on the nearside on RFs, and were a way of advertising important places or special events along the route. They ceased being used in the 70s, but at some garages much earlier than that.

They are approx. 7.5 inches deep by 24 inches wide and screen or letterpress printed onto poster paper. They have never been used and have been in store for around 35 years. The are mostly of two types – yellow lettering on a black background (6), and black lettering on a yellow background (35), and there is also one special. The pictures below are only a guide and are not representative of this set. Not every slip displayed is included as many are no longer available.

They are generally in excellent condition, but they are very old and inevitably some have slight yellowing of the paper, and a couple have marks on the edges, corners or reverse. This set comprises 42 slips.

Yellow lettering on black slips (6):

• To and From Geffrye Museum,
• To and From The Old Vic,
• To and From Piccadilly,
• To and From Tower of London,
• Near Tower of London
• Near White City.
  

Special colour slips (1):

• Via St. Thomas' Hospital (white lettering on black background – used on route 159).

Black lettering on yellow slips (35):

• To and From Chessington Zoo,
• To and From Cutty Sark & Gipsy Moth IV Greenwich Pier,
• To and From Fairfield Halls, Croydon,
• To and From Greenwich Park,
• To and From Heathrow Airport Roof Gardens and Observation Platforms,
• To and From The Horse Guards,
• To and From Kensington High Street,
• To and From Kensington Town Hall for Kensington Antiques Fair,
• To and From Kew Gardens,
• Near Manchester Square for the Wallace Collection,
• To and From National Maritime Museum Greenwich,
• To and From The National Portrait Gallery,
• Near Northwick Park Hospital Alight at Watford Road Railway Bridge
  
• To and From Olympia,
• Near Olympia,
• To and From Orient Football Ground,
• To and From The Oval,
• To and From Oxford Street,
• To and From Regent Street,
  
• To and From Richmond Park,
• To and From The Royal Academy for the Chinese Exhibition,
• To and From Royal Albert Hall,
  
• To and From Royal Festival Hall,
• To and From St. Paul's,
• To and From Southwark Cathedral and The Monument,
• To and From Tate Gallery,
• Near Tate Gallery Alight at Millbank,
• To and From Tottenham Hotspur Football Ground,
• To and From Trafalgar Square,
• To and From Wellington Museum,
  
• To and From West Ham Football Ground,
• To and From Westminster Abbey,
  
• To and From Whipps Cross Lido,
• To and From White City
• To and From The Zoo.

As can be seen, there is an interesting range of destinations. There are many famous places included, and some well known football grounds. They are a lovely piece of nostalgia from a distant era - there are not many chances to buy material like this nowadays! These sets always sell very quickly and are great for putting on preserved buses or just general display. This set contains one copy of every slip that I still have available. Many of the destinations are now running out, so there will be less different names in any future sets that I can put together.

Please see my other auctions for a wide range of transport-related items. Thanks for looking.