Carshalton 2007

RT4173 as 154 in Boundary RoadRoute 154

 
The original RT route ran as follows: CRYSTAL PALACE, Anerley, Norwood Junction, WEST CROYDON, Waddon, Stafford Road, Wallington Stanley Park Road, Stanley Park Road, Boundary Road, Park Lane, Ruskin Road, Carshalton Windsor Castle, Carshalton Road, Ringstead Road, Westmead Road, Benhill Avenue, SUTTON GREEN, St Helier, MORDEN STATION
 
On 15 April 2007, the free service will follow the original routing, but operate mainly between Wallington and Sutton Garage, passing the site of the former Carshalton depot in Westmead Road, Sutton.  See the timetable here.
 
RT4173 turns from Boundary Road into Stanley Park Road at Boundary Corner, site in 654 days of a trolleybus turning circle.          Photo © John Parkin
 
Main boarding points
Wallington Stanley Park Road, Carshalton Windsor Castle, Carshalton Depot, Sutton Green
 
Route history
A trolleybus conversion route, the 154 replaced trolleybus 654 in phase I, March 1959.  The 654 ran from Crystal Palace to Sutton Green along the original tram route; on conversion to motor buses, the route was extended to Morden on Mondays to Saturdays and was operated by RTs based at the former trolleybus depot at Carshalton (CN).  When CN closed in January 1964, the main allocation moved to Sutton (A), with substantial support from Thornton Heath (TH) at weekends.
 
In January 1966, the Sunday workings were withdrawn, and at the end of that year, the Sutton allocation was withdrawn on Saturday, leaving the route working solely from TH on that day.  The final change to the RT operation was in September 1968, when the service was withdrawn between Sutton Green and Morden on M-F evenings - this section anyway being covered by the 164 and 164A.
 
RT working ended on 11 May 1973, the last journey being worked by RT1110, a bus which had worked the route from CN for three years in the early 60s.  The following day, one-man operation by DMSs commenced, with A and TH being supplemented by a Croydon (TC) allocation from 1974. 
 
On 23 April 1977, the route was diverted between Stanley Park Road and Carshalton Windsor Castle, to serve Carshalton Beeches Stn, moving away significantly from the original tram tracks for the first time.  The route was further altered in 1981, when it was cut back to West Croydon and diverted to serve Roundshaw, replacing the 233.  From this date, Sutton garage took sole ownership of the route, a position which remains today.