Central London route changes Part Four

On Saturday 24th November, RATP-dev London United's Route 10 became the first Central London bus route to be cut in its entirety in conjunction with the Oxford Street and Central London bus consultations by TfL. With the aim of removing "excess" bus routes [capacity] off London's flagship shopping street, it was decided that Routes 10 and 23 would be merged at Marble Arch to form a new route running between Westbourne Park and Hammersmith. The former sections of each route, the 23 from Marble Arch to Aldwych and the 10 from Marble Arch to King's Cross, would be withdrawn and no longer served. Marble Arch to Aldwych is still be achievable on one bus by using Route 6, or with a short walk to use Route 139. Marble Arch to King's Cross would still be achievable on Route 390.

These route changes leaves the British Museum unserved by London's famous red buses, and plenty of ordinary punters out in the cold at Marble Arch when their bus from Westbourne Park or Hammersmith fails to find Oxford Street. This was in fact the second recent iteration of Route 23, having only been withdrawn between Liverpool Street and Aldwych in late 2017.


The final London United Route 10 was LT166 in the early hours of November 24th, followed by DN33784 on the first new Tower Transit 23.

TT DN33777 on the 23 to Liverpool Street at Ludgate Circus in June 2017, prior to being cut back to Aldwych.
© Tommy Cooling

TT VNW32416 on the 23 to Aldwych on Oxford Street in October 2017, after being cut back from Liverpool Street.
© Tommy Cooling

TT DNH39126 on the 23 passes RATP London United LT83 on the 10 along Oxford Street, a scene no longer possible.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/127662272@N07/30821636057/in/album-72157664460961351/
© Tommy Cooling

RATP London United LT85 under the Oxford Street lights, in the last few days on Route 10.

© Tommy Cooling

RATP London United LT80 passes the British Museum, now no longer served by a red London bus.
© Tommy Cooling



RATP London United LT163 with Russell Square in the background, on Bedford Place no longer served by a TfL bus route.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/127662272@N07/45755943451/in/album-72157665247070991/
© Tommy Cooling

The new route, which now runs from Westbourne Park to Hammersmith kept the 23 route number, and stayed with the 23s operator, Tower Transit, at Westbourne Park (X), as well as keeping its previous E40H DNH allocation. London United's Route 10 was withdrawn in its entirety, and its allocation swapped to Route 27 causing further fleet reshuffles inside London United.

TT DNH39118 on the 23 at Paddington, heading for its new home at Hammersmith.
© Tommy Cooling

The previous 27 allocation.
RATP ADH[450]36 on the 27 at Notting Hill Gate.
© Tommy Cooling

The new 27 allocation using the former Route 10 LTs.
RATP LT81 on the 27 opposite St. Mary's Hospital, Paddington.
© Tommy Cooling

Post by Tommy Cooling
Some of these images and more can be found on my Flickr page:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127662272@N07/

Please do not reproduce any of my images without permission

Routemasters make special November appearances

Iconic red London Routemaster buses returned to the streets of London during November marking a string of special events.

On Friday 9th November RML903, owned and maintained by Metroline, undertook a series of trips over Metroline's Route 24 between Hampstead Heath and Pimlico, raising money for the Royal British Legion charity on Poppy Day. This event raised £360 for the charity.

RML903 at Pimlico on the 24.
© Tommy Cooling

RML903 at Hampstead Heath.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/127662272@N07/45118867124/in/photostream/
© Tommy Cooling

A similar event took place the following Friday on November 16th for Children in Need, with Metroline's RML903 working special trips over Route 4 between Archway and Waterloo, raising £500 for the Children in Need charity. This occasion was also likely to be the last time RML903 would run to Waterloo on the 4 with its impending cutback to Blackfriars Station, due in 2019 as a result of TfL's Central London bus consultation.


RML903 at Waterloo on the 4, for the last time?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/127662272@N07/45857560492/in/photostream/
© Tommy Cooling

A day out with Pudsey on RML903.
© Tommy Cooling



Pudsey even came along to help out!
© Tommy Cooling

Finchley bus garage (FY) closed on November 25th 1993, and on Sunday 25th November 2018, a special event was organised to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the closure of the garage in North Finchley. The site is now a B&Q store, which retains a original wall from the former bus garage. Finchley garage was home to the early "RML" series, also known as "ERs", Extended Routemasters. Nine of the former allocated RMLs were brought together to run trips over the old 104 and 104A routes; Route 104 operating between Moorgate - Archway (via Islington Angel) - North Finchley - Barnet, and Route 104A operating Golders Green - North Finchley - Barnet. In the event, RMLs from Ensign, The London Bus Company and Metroline were used; ER880, ER882, RML893, RML897, RML898, RML899, RML900, RML902 & RML903.

Ensignbus ER882 at North Finchley.
© Tommy Cooling

RML900 in North Finchley.
© Tommy Cooling

RML902 in Whetstone.
© Tommy Cooling

London Bus Company's RML893 in Whetstone.
© Tommy Cooling

Metroline's RML903 in Barnet.
© Tommy Cooling

RML903 in Archway.
© Tommy Cooling

RML903 at Moorgate Finsbury Square.
© Tommy Cooling

Post by Tommy Cooling
Some of these images and more can be found on my Flickr page:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127662272@N07/

Please do not reproduce any of my images without permission

Picture Archive Post 77

Tower Transit VNW32374 on Route 23, St Paul's, 13/06/2016
© Aubrey Morandarte

Route 23 started as a route to replace the western end of Route 15 as part of the major Central London changes in 1992. Ironically, most of the route was covered by a previous iteration of Route 23 from 1981 to 1985. Running between Westbourne Park (Mon-Sat)/Ladbroke Grove (Sun) and Aldwych (weekends)/Liverpool Street (weekdays), it used Routemasters from Westbourne Park (X) in the Centrewest sector. Sundays were one person operated with MCW Metrobuses. The one person operated part was increased to evenings too in 1993, and converted to low-floor operation in 1999 when the 18 was converted to low-floor with Dennis Trident/Plaxton Presidents. 15th January 2003 saw the route converted to full low-floor operation with Transbus Trident/ALX400s, with the whole route being operated daily. The night service was integrated into the 23 in 2004. 2008 saw new Enviro 400s introduced to the route, although they were soon off in 2012 by newer Enviro 400s and hybrid Enviro 400Hs, as the older buses became part of the allocation of the 607.
22nd June 2013 saw the route transfer to Tower Transit as this part of First Centrewest was sold to Transit Systems.

30th September 2017 saw the route withdrawn between Aldwych and Liverpool Street due to the first stage of Central London cuts. 24th November 2018 will see the route withdrawn further to Marble Arch, instead rerouted to "replace" the western end of Route 10. However, as the western end of the 10 is mostly paralleled by the 9, it has led to the 23 being relegated to a linking route, as the 27 and 295 covers a more direct routing of where the 23 goes. This means it is an awkward C shaped route which only covers shorter links, and being the link to Marble Arch to Kensington & Hammersmith.

VNW32374 was ordered for the 28, 31 and 328 as part of their double decker conversion in 2004, allocated to Westbourne Park (X). It moved to Atlas Road (AS) in 2011 along with the routes due to the temporary shrinking of Westbourne Park for Crossrail works. It returned back to Westbourne Park in May and June 2016 for its final days in London service. The bus was then retired from London service, moving within the Transit Systems group to Whippet in Cambridgeshire.

Post by Aubrey Morandarte

All rights reserved © WLTMTB 2018

Released: 31/12/2018