Picture Archive Post 48

Metroline TE988 on Route E2, Brentford, 19/06/10 (© Aubrey)

After another post about Ealing prefixed routes, here is yet another one.
Route E2 was one of the first of the routes to leave Centrewest, along with E8 to Armchair. It started out as Route 97, running between Brentford and Ruislip via Ealing. However, the 97 started out very similar to the E2 currently, running between Brentford (Half Acre) and Greenford via Northfields. In 1952, the route was extended from Greenford to Ruislip Station (Lido on Summer Sundays). Eventually, the Ruislip section was moved to Route 211 on weekdays.

Then, on 30th November 1968, the 97 was renumbered E2, and the Ruislip end was replaced by Route 273. The E2 was initially run by Merlins, before double decking in 1975 with Daimler Fleetlines (DMSs). MCW Metrobuses replaced the DMSs in 1981. In June 1984, the E2 replaced the 273. Sectorisation brought the route to Centrewest. In April 1990, the E7 replaced the E2 to Ruislip except on Sundays. The route also had a Sunday extension to Syon Park until 1991. On 11th November 1990, Renault breadvans took over the route, and was marketed under "E-Line". In 1993, Hanwell Garage closed, and the route moved to Greenford Garage.

24th May 1997 brought the E2 to Armchair, with new Dennis Dart SLFs, joint with E8. It was also extended from Brentford Half Acre to Brentford Commerce Road. Darts were replaced by more Darts in 2002. In 2004, a Metroline decided to buy out Armchair. Despite on acquisition wanting to keep the Armchair name, it disappeared by 2007. In 2009, the route got so busy, it was re-converted back to double deckers, with these Enviro 400s. They moved fairly quickly, being replaced by slightly newer Volvo B9TLs to standardise the fleet at Brentford by 2011. Those B9TLs are now here to stay, and the recent consultation about the E8 to Hounslow did have some saying that the E2 should be extended instead. Now the E8 has been extended to Hounslow not via West Middlesex Hospital and E2's terminal changing into a primary school (eventually), the E2 might have to terminate elsewhere.

TE988 meanwhile moved to Cricklewood. On this post about the 266, it is shown on the route prior to it moving to First London. On 14th May 2013, the bus moved to Edgware Garage, where it now runs on routes like the N5, N98, N113, 113, 240 etc, as seen in this photo below:


Metroline TE988 on Route 204, Burnt Oak (CC Aubrey)

Yup. Not much on this bus. It's just a standard ADL Enviro 400 with Metroline.