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RM 1563 & Mortlake Garage

Several of Mortlake`s Leyland RM`s found new uses overseas though none fared quite as well as RM 1670.

 

Exported to New Zealand in 1984, it passed through a few different owners and by 2010 was in poor condition until Hasslefree Tours in Christchurch bought it and then spent a vast amount of money on fully refurbishing it to an exceptional standard as is evident here on 28 January 2011. In what had to be one of the most terrain challenging routes ever for an RM, the Christchurch City Tour took in the significant ascent of the Port Hills to the viewpoint overlooking Lyttelton Harbour. Less than four weeks after I took this picture, the infrastructure and city of Christchurch was massively damaged in an earthquake thus bringing to an end this remarkable bus tour whilst the initial struggle of daily survival gave way to longer term repairs.

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Uploaded on July 12, 2018
Taken on January 28, 2011