My Picture Archive Post 21

It's been quite a long time since there has been a post, but we do have quite a few on the pipeline, including the farewell of the A30/353 (main service). However, the 20th means more archive pictures:

London United VR227 (Route 220), Metroline TA654 (Route 266), Hammersmith, 30/04/11

VR227 is a part of a small batch London United had, initially for AV (Hounslow), but ended up at Fulwell on Route 267 initially, but moved towards Shepherd's Bush (220 mainly) and Stamford Brook (9). The small batch was to compare it to the Dennis Trident, which continued to be ordered until 2003. These buses were different compared to the rest of the fleet, and was disposed by 2012. They moved to Network Warrington, this bus becoming 189 in the fleet.

Route 220 has been there for many years, since Trolleybus replacement in the 1960s. It replaced the 630 route from Harlesden to Croydon. The route was gradually reduced northwards, going to Tooting for much of the time before the Tooting section was replaced by Route 270, thus truncated to Wandsworth.

TA654 is part of a batch of Dennis Tridents that was purchased for Route 266 to convert the route to low floor operation, replacing Volvo Olympians, in line with TfL's 2005 DDA deadline (which included, sadly, the withdrawal of the Routemaster). After Metroline lost the 266 in 2012, the bus stayed at Cricklewood, running on routes such as the 32, 210.

Route 266 is also a Trolleybus replacement, from Route 666 which ran from Edgware to Hammersmith. With the introduction of the 32, split off from the 142, the 266 was reduced from Edgware to Cricklewood in 1970. However, the route gained the short extension to Brent Cross and has kept the same routing since.