Central Area single-deck routes

The South-west

^{Page last updated 21 September 2013}

The archetypal Kingston route and the last home of red RFs, route 218. Here in red livery, former Green Line 1/7T7/1 coach T273 stands at the Staines West terminus in the late 40s. When based at Leatherhead Garage, this was one of the country buses painted grey for wartime service on the 462 to Weybridge Vickers Works, now the site of the London Bus Museum.

Photo © WJ Haynes

The single-deck routes operated in the south west of London at any time between October 1934 and the introduction of RF operation on the relevant routes are summarised in the table below the map. Minor re-routings are not shown; in some cases, vehicle allocations (especially at Kingston) varied during the period.

Low bridges south-west of Kingston were, and are, the primary reason for so many single-deck routes being concentrated in the area. The area also has a couple of routes, 216 and 237, where the need for single-deck operation is not fully understood, but may simply be low demand.

An approximation of the routes operated is shown on the following map (click on the map for a larger version) - note that not all routes operated at the same time. Routes operated only before or during the war are shown in orange, both during and after the war in red and purple are post-war introductions. See the table for more detail.

Map based on 1949 bus map © London Transport

Single-deck routes in south-west London, October 1934 to RF conversion

Route

Destinations (daily unless shown)

Garage(s)

Bus types

Dates of operation (pre-RF) and notes

201

Kingston Bus Station and Lampton Black Horse

LTL

LTL/T

Renumbered from 105

3 Oct 34 to 26 May 36

Double-deck section

Hounslow Garage and Hanworth (journeys)

ST (M-Sa)

STL (Su)

4 Mar 36 (Su from 8 Apr 36) to 26 May 36

Kingston Bus Station and Hampton Court Station

LTL/T

27 May 36 to 5 Oct 37

Partly replaced by route 255 (Teddington and Hanworth) and route 110 (Hanworth and Lampton)

Kingston Bus Station and Feltham Red Lion (Station from 22 Jul 42)

Q/LTL/T,

TD (mid 49)

2 Aug 36 (Su), 6 Oct 37 (M-Sa) to 26 Jun 51

Kingston Bus Station and Hampton Court Station

TD or T

27 Jun 51 to RF conversion

203

Epsom and Chessington Zoo (Su)

T (1941),

LTL (1942)

Replaced summer Su Country Area route 418^B

11 Apr 41 to 26 Oct 41,

1 to 8 Apr 42

Route withdrawn

206

Claygate Causeway and Esher Windsor Arms

DA (OMO),

CR/C (OMO, late 39)

New route

27 May 36 to 29 Dec 42

Claygate Causeway and Lower Green (peaks)

CR/C (OMO)

25 Mar 42 to 13 May 42

Claygate Causeway and Imber Court

C (OMO)

30 Dec 42 to 10 Sep 46

Claygate Causeway (Holroyd Road from 12 Jul 50) and Hampton Court Station

14T12,

TD/T (mid-54)

11 Sep 46 to RF conversion

214

Kingston Bus Station and Chertsey Windsor Street

LTL

Renumbered from 171

3 Oct 34 to 5 Oct 37

Kingston Bus Station and Weybridge Station (journeys to Vickers Works)

LTL

6 Oct 37 to 5 Dec 39

Kingston Bus Station and Walton-on-Thames

Q/LTL

6 Dec 39 to 29 Oct 41

Double-deck section

Kingston Bus Station and West Molesey First Avenue

14 May 41 to 29 Oct 41.

Entire route double-decked as 131

215

Kingston Bus Station and Guildford (M-F)

T/LTL

Renumbered from 115

3 Oct 34 to 5 Dec 39

Kingston Bus Station and Ripley

T/LTL/Q,

TD (early 53)

6 Dec 39 to RF conversion

215^A

Kingston Bus Station and Downside (M-S)

30 Jun 54 to RF conversion

216

Kingston Bus Station (Railway Station from Jan 47) and Staines (via Sunbury)

(various times from May 52)

DA (OMO),

CR/C (OMO, late 39 to late 42),

T (Jan 41)/LTL,

TD (mid 49)

TD (Su)

Renumbered from 198

3 Oct 34 to RF conversion

217

Kingston Bus Station and Staines (via Chertsey)

Renumbered from 61

3 Oct 34 to 5 Oct 37

Replaced Walton and Staines by Country Area route 461, Kingston and Walton by increased service on 218

218

Kingston Bus Station and Staines (via Laleham)

WB (to late 39)

TD (early 53)

Renumbered from 62

3 Oct 34 to RF conversion

219

Kingston Bus Station and Woking Station

T/LTL

Renumbered from 79

3 Oct 34 to 5 Oct 37

Replaced Weybridge and Woking by Country Area routes 437/^A and 456

Kingston Bus Station and Weybridge Station (journeys to Vickers Works)

WB (to late 39)

T/LTL/Q,

TD (early 53)

6 Oct 37 to RF conversion

219^A

Weybridge Grotto Road and Weybridge Station (journeys to Vickers Works)

WB (to late 39)

From 219

6 Oct 37 to 11 Feb 41

Route withdrawn

237

Hounslow Garage and Chertsey Station

DA (OMO),

CR/C (OMO, late 39),

LTL (18 Nov 42)

Renumbered from 137

3 Oct 34 to RF conversion

255

Feltham Red Lion and Teddington Clarence Hotel (daily to 28 Jul 36, then Mon-Sat)

27 May 36 to 5 Oct 37

Replaced by 201

264

Sunbury French Street and Hersham Green

New route

3 May 50 to 26 Jun 51

Kingston Station and Hersham Green

TD (early 55)

27 Jun 51 to RF conversion

Note on routings: see the map for an outline; in several cases, detailed changes took place but are not shown.

Note on bus types: in many cases, allocations were mixed or changed too frequently over time to list above; in both cases, all classes are shown but did not all work throughout the relevant period. CR/C includes the changeover during the war when the CRs were placed into store. LTL is used for LT single-deckers ('Scooters'), 14T12 is used where the allocation was specifically for the 35-seat postwar Ts.

T30, dating from 1929 but refurbished after the war by Marshalls of Cambridge, was one of a group of 1T1s that remained in use at Kingston for the 218 and 264, due to a weak bridge at Walton. So here it is in Cromwell Street, Kingston on the 213.

Photo AEC Society, David Simpson Collection

Garage codes: see list of RF garages, others that do not appear are:

WB Weybridge

Comments welcome.