Chiswick staff buses

^{Page last updated 19 December 2023}

Alan Cross has very kindly provided an extract from some pencil notes by the late John Gillham, who worked at Chiswick.  Alan comments that he has not previously seen any reference to Chiswick staff buses during the war and asks whether anyone can cast any light on the duration of operation (perhaps until Aldenham opened, or longer??), the garages involved and indeed any further information.

I don't have a wartime Chiswick photo, so this 1979 shot of RT4779 as a trainer leaving Chiswick will have to do.  The bus still carries its HD code but is now allocated to Mortlake. 

Photo © John Herting

It will be noted that the list includes the Reigate to Chiswick route, which has a longer history, stretching back to the transfer of overhaul work from the former East Surrey works at Reigate.  See article below.

If anyone can offer any information at all, please get in touch.

Chiswick Staff Buses: notes by John Gillham

Services starting on 6 November 1940, except as noted.

No.5       Hendon, Kingsbury, Queensbury, Edgware

No.7       Wimbledon, Merton, Tooting, Balham, Streatham, Norbury, Croydon, Crystal Palace, Dulwich

No.8       Morden and Sutton (started September 1940)

No.9       Reigate (non-stop) (started February 1935)

No.10     Kensal Rise, Willesden, Cricklewood

No.11     North Kensington, Paddington, Camden Town, Highgate, Wood Green, Palmers Green

No.12     Holloway, Finsbury Park, Harringay, Manor House, Stoke Newington, Tottenham, Edmonton

No.13     South Kensington, Victoria, Elephant, Liverpool St, Hackney, Mile End, Stepney, East Ham, Ilford, Romford

No.14      Camberwell, Peckham, New Cross, Lewisham, Catford

No.15      Wandsworth, Battersea, Stockwell, Brixton, Kennington

No.17     Osterley, Cranford

No.22     Highbury, Islington, Dalston, Manor Park, Leyton, Walthamstow

Reigate to Chiswick staff buses

Two of the three 1973-76 Reigate to Chiswick staff buses (RFs 471 and 314) sit at Chiswick alongside an RT trainer.

Photo Peter Osborn collection

In February 1935, the overhaul of Country Area buses and Green Line coaches moved from Reigate garage (RG) - the headquarters of the LT Country Area, formerly East Surrey and LGCS - to Chiswick Works.  The resulting transfer of engineering staff resulted in a need for staff buses from the Reigate area to Chiswick, a service which continued up to the closure of Chiswick.  These buses were driven by works staff living close to RG, with the buses being stabled at RG.  Immediately before the Country Area was divested on 1 Jan 70, the then staff buses (GSs) were transferred to Central Area stock.  (It has been suggested that there was also at that time a GS-operated staff bus from Reigate to Aldenham, but Brian Watkinson confirms there has never been such a service).  A list of buses know to be used on the run is set out at the foot of the page. 

The operation was taken over by RFs in October/November 1973, when RFs 314 (apparently on 11 Oct 73, although not official until 8 Nov 73), 471 (8 Nov) and 486 (15 Nov) went to Reigate.  Uniquely among the RF fleet, they were fitted with second fog-lamps, and although the reason for this has never been established, the lack of records suggests that it was a local initiative by Works staff.  After 2½ years, there was a little-known change.  On 9 May 76, the day after the RFs finished on the 290 and at the time when a batch of buses were to be re-certified for use at Kingston, rather than reconditioning the Riverside buses, three RFs (462, 488 and 538) went from there to replace 314, 471 and 486, which departed to be re-certified.  The ex-Riverside buses remained only nominally attached to Riverside.

At some time, possibly during the period of RF allocation, the number of buses in use each day was reduced from three to two, although three buses were retained (presumably as, being LT buses, it would have been too complicated to borrow a bus from London Country).

It is frequently opined that the best buses were selected for the Chiswick runs - certainly 538 has the reputation of being a good bus - as it did in the mid-60s when it was RF500 at MH, as described by Stuart Perry.

The route used, as described by Rod Lucas in his book Shades of Green and Red, was via Woodhatch, then Reigate Hill and A217 to Sutton By-pass, Cheam, Worcester Park, A3 to Roehampton, Barnes Common, Hammersmith Bridge, then A4 and back roads to reach Chiswick High Road and the works.  The bus left Reigate at around 0600 to reach Chiswick at 0710 in time for breakfast.  The return departed at 1610.  Geoff Smith adds that in the mid-70s, the return buses passed through Worcester Park at about 1700, and that at North Cheam, after crossing the Queen Victoria junction, one went down Church Hill Road and the other towards Cheam.  He suggests that the former probably dropped someone off in the Priory Road area before joining the Sutton By-Pass.

A rare picture of the Reigate to Chiswick staff run, returning home in the afternoon.  Clive Fairchild mentions that these 1978 shots were taken at about 5 pm when on his way home from work.  This is RF462 on the Sutton By-pass; the other shot, showing RF538 in Cheam still bearing the R garage code, is here.  Unlike the earlier three, the later batch were not modified with the extra fog-lamp.

Photo © Clive Fairchild

At the time Rod describes, 1983, the staff bus was RMA36, later accompanied or replaced by RMA44 until the closure of Chiswick [see Keith Wood's picture here]. 

Buses known to have been allocated to this operation are as follows: