I am proud to present…my take on the 1954 Routemaster RM, an iconic bus used for decades in London and around the UK.

This is designed to operate both on regular turf (runways, bridges, flat offload) and on the SimplePlanes Interstate.

The bus shown operates on London Transport Route #9 from Aldwych to Hammersmith Bus Station via Kensington, which still operates the historic Routemaster as depicted here.

Obligatory Wikipedia:
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The first Routemasters entered service with London Transport in February 1956 and the last were withdrawn from regular service in December 2005, although one heritage route is still operated by Routemasters in central London.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 route 2, on 8 February 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, of which 1,280 are still in existence.

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. In the late 2000s work began on a New Routemaster bus inspired by the Routemaster's traditional design. It entered service in February 2012.

Controls:
This is a very simple creation in terms of mechanisms.
1 - headlights
2 - fog light
ROLL - steering
PITCH - acceleration
BRAKE - braking

Notes:
I do not recommend trying to turn when going faster than 45mph. Any more than a tap on the roll key will flip the bus in a slow, painful-to-watch manner.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions for another build or modifications to this one, and of course feel free to make a successor as you like.

Enjoy!