Colindale Running Day

Route 221

 
Route 221 was introduced in 1961 between North Finchley and Farringdon Street, under the trolleybus replacement programme.  In 1966 it was extended to Edgware on Mondays to Saturdays in replacement of the 240A.
 
Finchley's new RM873 stands at North Finchley in the early 1960s.  This bus was one of the batch delivered to Finchley in January 1962 to replace the final batch of trolleybuses.
Photo Ian Armstrong collection
 
Route
EDGWARE STATION via Mill Hill, Page Street, Mill Hill East to NORTH FINCHLEY.  One journey will be extended to WOOD GREEN.  Short workings to MILL HILL BROADWAY will continue to COLINDALE RAF Museum
 

Timetable

The 221 (in conjunction with the 240 and 240A) will operate every 10-20 minutes between Edgware and Mill Hill East, less frequently on other sections. 

 

Main boarding points

Edgware Station Road bus stop A

Mill Hill, The Hale Hale Lane bus stop B (towards Mill Hill Broadway), bus stop J (towards Edgware)

Mill Hill Broadway bus stop F (towards Mill Hill East) and bus stop D (towards Edgware)

Mill Hill East Station bus stop B (towards North Finchley) and bus stop A (towards Edgware)

North Finchley Kingsway bus stop T

 

Note that buses will not serve Edgware Bus Station.

 

Route history
Route 221 was introduced on 8 November 1961 as part of stage 12 of the trolleybus replacement programme, replacing routes 521 and 621 between North Finchley and Farringdon Street.  For the first two months, until stage 13, Finchley depot (FY) ran both buses and trolleybuses, and during this period Wood Green garage (WN) provided a minority of buses on Saturdays for the route.  For stage 12, both garages received new Routemasters that had been in store. 
 
After a short period of FY-only operation, a WN allocation was reintroduced in March 1962, on Sundays only until 1966, when the balance of allocation began to shift in WN's favour.
 
RM1207 works from WN in the late 1960s.  This bus was scrapped in 1983.
Photo © Paul Redmond
 
In 1966 the route was extended to Edgware on Mondays to Saturdays via the 125 from Finchley to Mill Hill East and in replacement of the 240A which was withdrawn on those days.
 
The route was largely RM-operated until conversion to one-man operation (with DMSs) in 1973.  For a short period from December 1966 to September 1968, one RT was scheduled from FY at the weekend; in 1970 and 1971, RMLs also worked at weekends from WN.
 
In 1980 and 1981 respectively, FY and WN replaced DMSs with Metrobuses.  Finchley withdrew from the route in 1986.  In 1992 (apart from one early journey, which continued until 1996), the route was cut back to Turnpike Lane Station, the present terminus.  Metrobuses were replaced by low-floor double-deckers in 1999.