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London Bus Routes - 1960s/70s/80s


Pete 75C
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Is there a website that shows bus routes that pass a particular area/station in London, perhaps in the form of a map?

At the moment, if I want to find out what buses passed (for example) Kings Cross station in the 1970s, a search on Google Images is all I can think of, but wouldn't give me a definitive list and the resullts would obviously be a bit hit and miss.

I'm also assuming that routes have changed over the years, as have the operators? I'm purely thinking London buses pre-deregulation.

 

Edit: ...the thought occurs to me that I may have placed this in the wrong section. "Prototype Questions" might have been more suitable?

Edited by Pete 75C
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Have you tried http://www.londonbuses.co.uk/menus/rl001-100.html ? First hit on a simple Google search. It looks a bit cumbersome, but if you know the current routes serving your station, and TfL will tell you that, you can at least search each route's history to see whether it was doing the same in the years you are interested in. Without looking through every route, however, I don't know if you would find all the services, as there is a possibility of a route number either not being in current use, or having its route significantly altered over the years. There are hundreds of routes listed, and they even come with a spoken commentary, but what would be most useful, maps, are dealt with on a separate site, and require payment.

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Don't know how I missed that one Nick. All I could see was londonbusroutes.net which isn't anywhere near as useful or user-friendly. Many thanks.

 

Edit: For some reason, when I search for "London Bus Routes" on Google, the website in Nick's link is buried at the bottom of Page 2 of the results, which I think is why I missed it. Now bookmarked. Thanks again.

Edited by Pete 75C
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Have you tried http://www.londonbuses.co.uk/menus/rl001-100.html ? First hit on a simple Google search. It looks a bit cumbersome, but if you know the current routes serving your station, and TfL will tell you that, you can at least search each route's history to see whether it was doing the same in the years you are interested in. Without looking through every route, however, I don't know if you would find all the services, as there is a possibility of a route number either not being in current use, or having its route significantly altered over the years. There are hundreds of routes listed, and they even come with a spoken commentary, but what would be most useful, maps, are dealt with on a separate site, and require payment.

If you click on the route it will give details not only of the route itself but of the types of bus operated and from what dates.

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Careful of the first website it looks as if it is based more on present routes than historic. Just looked up the 440. It shows as a tfl south London route not the old country route of Salfords to Woldingham.

 

Keith

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If you click on the route it will give details not only of the route itself but of the types of bus operated and from what dates.

 

Yes - I was looking at Route 77 in particular and the dates, stops and type operated at certain dates was exactly what I was looking for.

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I find London very confusing these days with constantly changing bus routes. I can cope with the creation of red bus routes in the 300/400 series to replace former suffix letters. What really confuses me is when they use an old route number on a completely different new route.

 

Somewhere, I have quite a collection of old LT (1940 - 1980) maps as Dad would always collect a few when passing one of the LT Information Offices. Happy to help out with info if I can find them.

Edited by Joseph_Pestell
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Somewhere, I have quite a collection of old LT (1940 - 1980) maps as Dad would always collect a few when passing one of the LT Information Offices. Happy to help out with info if I can find them.

 

Personally, what I'm after is any route number that passed though the Kings Cross / St Pancras area prior to deregulation (I agree - it then gets confusing) and back to perhaps 1965. Using the link that Nick provided, I'm slowly working my way through, hence my "77" comment above. If you do find the maps, have a quick look for me, but don't put yourself out in any way!

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For a couple of quid you can download the 1970 version of the London Bus Map as a pdf. Google Greater London Bus Map Shop.

 

Aha! Perfect.

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There's a website run by Ian Armstrong which lists the history of every London bus route from the early days through to the present day! I can't remember the name of the website but was talking to Ian last Saturday. Google Ian Armstrong Bus routes, that should find it.

 

As well as all the route variations and changes over the years, he also lists all the vehicle types used, garage allocations M-f, Sat and Sun, dates operated, the lot.

 

From memory at KX you had the 14, RM operated from about 66; 45, RTW until 1965; 73, RT/RTL/RM, 30 RT/RTW/RM; RTs and RM were by far the commonest buses in the 1960s around KX. Remember too the Thomas Tilling bus station just off Pentonville Road which was the home of the Tilling private hire fleet and terminus for the Eastern National express services to East Anglia, Southend, Chelmsford.

 

Edited to add the website is londonbuses.co.uk  You'll need a lot of time to look through as it's a mine of useful information. For vehicle history, you need Ian's Bus Stop site, a different Ian! This lists every LT bus, reg number, entry into service, body & chassis changes, garage allocations, disposals, preservation, the lot!

Edited by roythebus
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I have had this site bookmarked for some years. It is updated from time to time and a very useful site, although my old country bus route, the 426/426A is missing from the lists.

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I have had this site bookmarked for some years. It is updated from time to time and a very useful site, although my old country bus route, the 426/426A is missing from the lists.

I have yet to discover an equivalent site for the former Country Area routes, so my 414 is equally missing. But here in Sherry’s flat we have a 414 enamel plate from a bus-stop, as well as a photo of a 414 at Dorking bus-station, destination Capel, where Sherry continued to be educated for a couple of years after her family moved to Dorking. Nostalgia takes many forms!

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  • 10 months later...

I'm not sure if this is of use to anyone, but on one page of a train spotters notebook I purchased as a job lot at auction, there is a list of the buses seen at Morden depot on Saturday 20th June 1953.

 

I have listed them here as they are written in the book

 

RTL 1461 - NLE735

STL 1541 - CXX240

RLH 76 - MXX276

D 269 - HGF946

D 191 - HGF868

D 203 - HGF880

D 63 - GYE52

D 237 - HGF914

D 192 

RT 1131 - JXN159

RT 4284 - NLE 948

RT 4290 - NLE954

RT 4292 - NLE956

RT 4286 - NLE950

RT 4289 - NLE953

RT 2971 - MXX60

RT 4271 - NLE957

RT 4293 - NLE957

RT 4287 - NLE951

RT 2989 - NLE760

RT 4270 - NLE934

RT 3736 - NLE843

RT 2951 - MXX39

RT 4279 - NLE943

RF 463 - MXX440

RT 4278 - NLE942

RT 4273 - NLE937

RT 4280 - NLE944

RT 3718 - NLE825

RT 3740 - NLE847

RT 4298 - NLE962

RT 2964 - MXX53

STL 1581 - CXX292

TF 20 - ROUTE 712

RT 3697 - NLE804

RT 4274 - NLE938

RT 4281 - NLE945

RT 3737 - NLE844

RT 4294 - NLE958

RT 4272 - NLE936

RT 4285 - NLE949

RT 2960 - MXX49

RT 2992 - NLE763

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

I have a photocopy of an old LT Bus Map, not brilliant, unfortunately not dated but says on cover "Bus Map, Central Area including Trolleybuses" (when did they finish?)    I have tried to upload the image of the map but it just tells me it is queued, so it has not worked. So here are a list of routes detailed for the Kings Cross area.  Euston Road 14, 14a,18, 18a, 30, 63, 77, 77a, 196, then lots of trolleybus routes, 513,613,615,639 in Pancras Road, 517, 521, 617, 621, 659 in Caledonia Road. Details for route 77 given as   KINGS CROSS STN,Southampton Row, Kingsway, Aldwych, Strand, Charing Cross, Trafalgar Sq, Whitehall, Westminster, Lambeth Bdg, Vauxhall  Clapham Junc, Wandsworth, Earlsfield, Tooting, Mitcham, Carshalton, WALLINGTON, Works in two sections. Interchange point at Tooting Broadway. (No service Kings Cross to Aldwych Mon - Fri Evenings).  The route 63 also terminated at Kings Cross.  Hope this country boy has been able to help.

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12 hours ago, Malc2085 said:

I have a photocopy of an old LT Bus Map, not brilliant, unfortunately not dated but says on cover "Bus Map, Central Area including Trolleybuses" (when did they finish?)    I have tried to upload the image of the map but it just tells me it is queued, so it has not worked. So here are a list of routes detailed for the Kings Cross area.  Euston Road 14, 14a,18, 18a, 30, 63, 77, 77a, 196, then lots of trolleybus routes, 513,613,615,639 in Pancras Road, 517, 521, 617, 621, 659 in Caledonia Road. Details for route 77 given as   KINGS CROSS STN,Southampton Row, Kingsway, Aldwych, Strand, Charing Cross, Trafalgar Sq, Whitehall, Westminster, Lambeth Bdg, Vauxhall  Clapham Junc, Wandsworth, Earlsfield, Tooting, Mitcham, Carshalton, WALLINGTON, Works in two sections. Interchange point at Tooting Broadway. (No service Kings Cross to Aldwych Mon - Fri Evenings).  The route 63 also terminated at Kings Cross.  Hope this country boy has been able to help.

IIRC the trolleybus routes mentioned ceased in 1960/61.

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