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In 1956, Kingston Road in West Ewell was
single-carriageway. RT3607 was at
Leatherhead until 1960.
Photo © Vic
Youel
RT3720 pauses at Farm Lane, Ashtead, on a
gloomy day in the mid-1960s. It was
only much later that I found out the
significance of 'via Preston Cross', which related
to the direction of the terminal loop at
Bookham Station.
Photo ©
Peter Osborn
In the early London Country days, after the
Country Area was divested by London
Transport to the National Bus Company in
January 1970. RT4742 is reasonably
smart, apart from the use of an under-canopy
blind in the route number box. The
bus passes Kingston Bus Station, where RF492
loads for a 218 short-working to
Walton-on-Thames.
Photo © Eamonn
Kentell
For many years the traditional stand in
Kingston, RT4722 waits beside Kingston
railway station The bus is rather unusual
in that the canopy blind has been altered to
406A - usually this remained set at 406 all
day.
Photo ©
Richard Cripps
One of those workings that doesn't really fit
any route number, RT2777 sits at the
(single-deck) 419 terminus at Brettgrave,
displaying destination Epsom Wells Estate
(served by single-deck route 481 and a late
evening journey on the 418), the 481 'lazy' blind in the via box
and route number 418A.
This school journey for LH10 (otherwise a
peak hours only working on the 406A
Express) was introduced in 1968, running from
LH to Brettgrave as a 418A, then to
Wells Estate as a 481, then from there to
Tattenham Corner as a 406, to take up the
Express working. At each point, only
three minutes was given to change seven
blinds on the RT - no wonder they aren't
right.
The 418A otherwise existed only as
an early morning positioning journey that
omitted Ashtead Pond, presumably for scheduling
reasons as the 'main road' route
through Ashtead was amply served by 406 garage
journeys, 408 and 470. But it still
had its own blinds and faretable.
Photo Peter Osborn collection
A nice pair at Kingston Station in the early
1970s. Sutton's RT370 on the 213A is
rather better presented than Leatherhead's
RT3256.
Photo ©
John Parkin
RT4735 operates the peak hours Express service
on the 406A in 1968. Thanks to
Graham Burnell for identifying the northbound
Ewell Green Man stop and for more
detail on some of the other photos. The
bus will now stop only at Stoneleigh Park
Road, Ruxley Lane, Toby Jug and Red Lion,
Tolworth and Surbiton Telephone
Exchange before reaching Kingston in
21 minutes.
Photo ©
Gerry Mead
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A feast of blinds at Kingston Station.
The 418 to Bookham will
run via Preston Cross clockwise round the loop
to terminate
outside the station, departing direct towards
Great Bookham.
The 406A carries the wrong rear
blind in the via box; 'via
Epsom Road' was used for assorted short
workings. The
ultimate 'via Merland Rise' saved the earlier
practice of
providing different via blinds for the two
routes. The canopy
blind is (of course) set to 406. A queue
awaits the next 216,
while a 4SUB in Southern green livery sits in
the station.
Photo ©
Geoff Rixon
Derby Day 1971. Guildford's RT4755 has
been equipped with
the bare minimum of blinds and the conductor
helps the driver
find what he's looking for. There were no
through 406
workings, the bus will actually be on 406E or
406F heading
back to Epsom. But within a fortnight the
bus will go for
overhaul and will return to Reigate and operate
the 406.
Photo ©
Richard Cripps
Reigate's RT3900 carries the wrong via blind on
a peak hour
short-working from the Reigate direction to
Tattenham Corner.
Photo © Peter
Esposito
Loading in surroundings that have now totally
changed, Brook
Street in Kingston, RT3309 was at Leatherhead
from 1964 until
withdrawal in 1972.
Photo Jeff Lloyd collection
Reigate's RT4501 works along
Epsom Lane, Tattenham (the so-
called ups-and-downs), scene
of Colin Curtis's story of the
Reliance brake test. It
is 1966, and the RT is displaying 406A,
despite this being the
section not covered by that route.
Photo © Peter Esposito
Another Leatherhead stalwart,
RT1008 stands at Kingston
Station, probably when newly
overhauled in 1960.
Photo Peter Osborn
collection
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The 418 was the first route in the southern
Country Area to receive RTs, and these
were delivered with restricted blind displays
and cream upper-deck window surrounds.
RT1078 is in Fairfield West by Kingston Cattle
Market.
Photo ©
Alan Lambert
Very early 1960s, and RT1035 loads under the
trolleybus wires at the Tolworth Red
Lion stop on the
406A.
Photo Jeff
Lloyd collection
One of the brand new RTs received in 1950 for
the 408 and 470, Leatherhead's
RT3169 has not yet received its adverts.
Alongside on the 216 is Kingston's
T738.
Photo ©
JH Aston
Joyfully driven, perhaps in an attempt to beat
the Austin Seven off the lights at
Kingston Station, RT4494 works a
406A in 1968 or 1969.
Photo ©
Eric Simpson
RT3251 (which unfortunately missed the fun on
route 11 on 2 November 2014 due to
faulty brakes) weaves its way through race day
traffic past a line up of Southdown
coaches and open-top Queen Marys. The
young policeman looks worried.
Photo © John
Parkin
Another view of the Kingston Station
stand. RT3256 displays the large-number rear
blinds that was introduced on RTs in the late
1960 (thus increasing the number of
different blinds on an RT from 6 to 7).
Photo © John
Parkin
In this 1975 photo, RT4755 crosses Epsom Downs
(the Grandstand is behind the
photographer). Now with a yellow band,
but still in Lincoln green, the bus
nonetheless looks a little tired.
Photo © John
Parkin
In June 1970, the 418, already single-deck
operated on Sundays, lost its RTs in
favour of new SMs. Here SM112 and SM107
stand at Leatherhead garage between
RTs on the 406 and 408.
Photo © Peter
Esposito
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