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1970
RT4679 on route
157 shares the Carshalton Wrythe Green stand with RT4054 on
route 77. When route 157 was extended beyond Wallington to
Crystal Palace in March 1959 (in part replacement for trolleybus
route 654) the service operated in two overlapping sections -
Raynes Park to Wrythe Green and Morden Stn to Crystal Palace.
The 77 however had just the occasional scheduled short working
to this point, taking it a little way off its line of route from
Nightingale Road. The 77 is showing the "via" blind for the
Tooting Mitre - Euston section of the route.
Picture Copyright © The John Parkin Collection |
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1970
RF88 on Green
Line route 725 bound for its traditional Windsor terminus makes
a tight left turn from Acre Lane into Park Lane in Carshalton,
to follow a diversion. London Transport had a comprehensive
Green Line network, primarily linking towns across London.
However the 725 was a southern orbital route running from
Gravesend to Windsor and in 2008 is still represented in part by
the limited stop express route X26 between East Croydon and
Heathrow Airport.
Picture Copyright © The John Parkin Collection |
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1975
London Transport's
T219, an AEC Regal 7T7 coach, is depicted on Green Line route J
(in the days before they were renumbered into the 700 series)
which ran from Watford to Reigate by way of Sutton. The vehicle
was from the London Transport Museum (then displayed in what was
Clapham Bus Garage) and is seen whilst on loan to the British
Transport Collection at Syon Park in 1975. It has been repainted
into the ‘lighter green’ Green Line livery dating from before
1939.
From the Sutton Local Studies
Collection |
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1970 - 18th April
In this shot Woodcote Green still has its Post Office and the
relatively new Wallington High School for Girls is seen
opposite. The 234 would pass through Purley on its way to
Selsdon. Just out of view is the roadside clock for the
conductor to maintain time.
Picture Copyright © The John Parkin Collection |
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1970 - prior to
18th April
RT3932 stands in Belmont Road in Wallington and will return to
its home garage at South Croydon, designated by the code TC.
Prior to the lowering of the road underneath the station bridge
in Wallington, the 234 turned from the south in Beddington
Gardens. The 234 had also been extended to Hackbridge, to
augment single deck route 234A.
Picture Copyright © The John Parkin Collection |
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1971 - 1st January
Route 115 provided a somewhat circuitous route from Wallington
to Purley via Mitcham and Norbury, with peak extensions from
Purley to Whyteleafe. Bus crews at this time were always willing
to have their photograph taken - here we have the crew working
RT1831, which was to be the last Wallington - Whyteleafe bus
before One-Person-Operation conversion. It is winter and the
driver has his full length coat whilst waiting in Belmont Road
on New Year's Day, 1st January 1971.
Picture Copyright © The John Parkin Collection |
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1971 - 1st January
RT2602 is the last 115 crew operated RT bus to work through to
Purley on 1st January 1971 and is very well blinded. The driver
told me that he had driven trams out of Thornton Heath Depot,
which would have been some thirty years earlier. Of special
interest is the reflective white arm band on the driver's coat -
this was only sewn into the right sleeve and was used for hand
signals.
Picture Copyright © The John Parkin Collection |
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1971 - 1st January
The via points on RT1946 make the route taken quite clear and
here we have the last RT at Wallington Belmont Road on 1st
January 1971 bound for "Croydon Airport", a destination shown
for very many more years, even though the last aircraft had
taken off many years previously!! This is clearly a typical bus
crew, from Thornton Heath Garage, who could enjoy a chat at the
terminus - from tomorrow it would be one man.
Picture Copyright © The John Parkin Collection |
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1971 - Whitsun (?)
An eight-car formation led by a 4-Cep unit in the then-corporate blue and
grey livery of British Rail entering Sutton on a Sunday in 1971
- the train is travelling to Portsmouth, and would normally have
arrived via the line through Hackbridge and Carshalton, but
owing to engineering works on its normal route is seen here
having been diverted at Streatham Junction to travel via Wallington and
Carshalton Beeches.
Picture Copyright © The Mike Morant Collection |
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1971 - Whitsun (?)
Just east of Sutton station, another diverted Portsmouth train
heads towards the Kings Lane bridge and onwards to pass through
Carshalton Beeches.
Picture Copyright © The Mike Morant Collection |
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1971 - Whitsun (?)
A superb shot of a once-traditional railway signal gantry. One
of the second batch of 4-Cig units, which were introduced in 1970 for the
London to Portsmouth services, it is seen from the Kings Lane bridge
just east of Sutton station leaving the camera on its way to
passing through Carshalton Beeches to terminate at Victoria
station.
Picture Copyright © The Mike Morant Collection |
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1971 - Whitsun (?)
Due once again to the Sunday engineering works, this 4-Sub unit
has just arrived at Sutton, and being unable to continue its
normal journey onwards has moved northwards to cross over and
re-enter Sutton station to return south to Epsom from whence it
came.
Picture Copyright © The Mike
Morant Collection |
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1972 - 27th December
London Transport purchased 50 Leyland Atlantean buses and some
of them operated for a number of years on the "C" Express routes
linking Croydon with New Addington. They could also be used on
route 234 and we see here XA10 on the Elm Road stand in
Hackbridge shortly after Christmas on 27th December 1972. After
service with LT most of them were sold for further service in
Hong Kong. Red Bus Rovers were being advertised at this time.
Picture Copyright © The John Parkin Collection |
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1973 - 14th April
DMS490 picks up passengers outside Christ Church in Stafford
Road, Wallington on 14th April 1973 on the Saturday 233A local
service linking Wallington with the Roundshaw Estate which is in
the London Borough of Sutton. The "Face the Future with Pearl
Assurance" advert on the side of the bus survived for many
years, whilst the car showroom opposite changed from Geyfords to
Godfreys - but using the same letters!!
Picture Copyright © The John Parkin Collection |
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1973 - 29th April
RF483 operates a rail replacement service in North Street,
Carshalton, passing the wall of the Grove Park on 29th April
1973. Rail replacement bus services are nothing new!! The old
car in the picture adds to the interest.
Picture Copyright © The John Parkin Collection |
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1974 - 4th January
The roundabout at Rose Hill sees RT2007 on the 280 bound for
Tooting Broadway on 4th January 1974. Route 280 had replaced
route 80 for the link from Sutton to Tooting Broadway in March
1969. The "Rose" pub is out of sight to the left of the picture.
Picture Copyright © The John Parkin Collection |
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1974 - 28th
September
This photograph of DMS1274 on route 280, followed by DMS599,
was taken on 28th September 1974, when they were carrying out
extensive work on the Angel Hill cutting. The bus hasn't far to
go as it is terminating at Sutton Garage in nearby Bushey Road.
Picture Copyright © The John Parkin Collection |
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1976 - 26th June
Remember the long hot summer of 1976? It was on 26th June of
that year that the RF buses, which had been introduced to London
in 1952, were to run for the last time on routes 80 and 80A. The
bus terminal at Belmont, opposite the station is long
established.
Picture Copyright © The John Parkin Collection |
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1976 - 26th June
London Country Buses had an acute shortage of serviceable
vehicles in the seventies and hired a number of vehicles from
seaside resorts, including Bournemouth. Number 196 in the
Bournemouth fleet provides free adverts for holidays in that
resort as the bus picks up passengers on the 470 for Dorking in
Cheam Road in Sutton, a road which was later to become one way.
The date is 26th June 1976 and a conventional LCBS bus is
behind. The bus stop with its route-numbered "E" plates was
typical of the period.
Picture Copyright © The John Parkin Collection |
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1976 - 26th June
On the last day of RF operation, 26th June 1976 (the long hot
summer), RF545 picks up passengers in Bushey Road at Sutton
Green on its route 80A journey to Morden Underground station.
The 80/80A had run to Tooting Broadway, but with one man
operation was diverted to Morden, the Tooting section being
taken over by new routes 280/A.
Picture Copyright © The John Parkin Collection |
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1976 - 21st November
BL23 is in Sutton High Street working on route 80
through to Lower Kingswood, and would turn at Rookery Way. As
the years have gone by the traditional red London buses no
longer go out to Kingswood, with route 80 (in 2008) running
between Belmont, High Down Prison and Hackbridge via Morden. Of
particular note is the former Post Office, opposite “The Grapes”
pub. The section of road looking north from the Post Office was
subsequently pedestrianised.
Picture Copyright © The John
Parkin Collection |
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1977 - 14th January
RT4004 is on route 164A at Sutton Green nicely and correctly
blinded all round for its journey from Morden to Tattenham
Corner on 14th January 1977 on what was to be the
last day of RT buses on the 164 and 164A. Note especially the
Shell petrol station which was once located here and the Green
Shield Stamps offer (remember those?). 2008 sees this site
occupied by Burger King.
Picture Copyright © The John
Parkin Collection |
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1977 - 22nd January
If the background to
a picture of a bus can be described as just as interesting, then
here is a case in point. On 22nd January 1977 RF460 passes
Wallington Station for Purley Old Lodge Lane. Fast forward to
2008 and the green Southern Region station sign has been
replaced by the the name of an estate agent; the shops and
offices beyond the bridge have been demolished and even the
Canon building subsequently built is now vacated; Charringtons
coal is no longer there and the Wallis supermarket is now the
"Whispering Moon" Wetherspoons pub.
Picture Copyright © The John
Parkin Collection |
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1978 - 15th April
DMS532 has served the Wallington Public hall stop for route
233A on 15th April 1978 and will terminate in Belmont Road,
beyond Wallington Station. The main 233 route linked Roundshaw
with West Croydon, but the Saturday 233A enabled Roundshaw
residents to visit the shops in Wallington.
Picture Copyright © The John Parkin Collection |
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1978 - 30th April
As BL84 passes "The Grapes" pub on its journey to Lower
Kingswood on 30th April 1978, part of the old Sutton will
disappear for ever. Clifford's furniture store and the shoe
repairs once did good trade, but in 2008 they have disappeared
without trace.
Picture Copyright © The John Parkin Collection |
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1978 - 16th July
RM67 is bound for Epsom Station on route 164 and has just
passed James Walker, the jeweller, in Sutton High Street on 16th
July 1978. It is clearly a Sunday, as people are parking their
cars on the single yellow line, but the man on his tricycle is
surely of greater interest.
Picture Copyright © The John Parkin Collection |
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1978 - 16th July
On its journey out into the country at Tattenham Corner, we
again see RM67 on Sunday, 16th July 1978. It would not be long
before the High Street was pedestrianised and buses were
banished to the parallel St. Nicholas Way and Throwley Way.
Remember Burtons the Tailors?
Picture Copyright © The John Parkin Collection |
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1978 - 22nd July
Sutton High Street was once bustling with all traffic, including
buses and crowds of passengers boarding them outside the shops.
Subsequently the High Street was closed to all traffic, but on
22nd July 1978, RM1536 works in service to Sutton Garage on
route 93 - in "London Transport" days it was the general
practice for buses to run to and from the garage in service,
carrying passengers.
Picture Copyright © The John Parkin Collection |
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1978 - 19th
November
This part of Sutton High Street, outside the Crown Pub is now
one way southbound. On 19th November 1978, BL84 runs to Morden.
The BL class replaced the RF buses but lasted for comparatively
few years between 1976 and 1980. Cigarette advertising was still
very evident.
Picture Copyright © The John Parkin Collection |
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1978 - 23rd
December
There was a time that London Country's Leatherhead Bus Garage
was so short of staff that they had to hire the services of
Father Christmas, this being the case on 23rd December 1978!!
The 470 was a long established route through Croydon to Dorking
and Santa is driving his sleigh (sorry bus) in Carshalton High
Street. Now what really happened? The driver was finishing
driving work and would spend a while in the canteen before full
retirement and they brought his wife, a former clippie, out of
retirement for the day. I do recall his wife saying "Now
remember Father Christmas doesn't swear!!
Picture Copyright © The John Parkin Collection |
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1979 - 23rd
January
RM208 can struggle no further and the driver has left his cab,
with another Routemaster close behind. The photographer recalls
that he was travelling to Kingston to meet up with a friend to
photograph RF buses and finally got there, some three hours
after leaving Sutton on a 213 on 23rd January 1979.
Picture Copyright © The John Parkin Collection |
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1979 - 8th
December
On 8th December 1979, DMS2246 passes the United Reformed Church
in Wallington, on the corner of Holmwood Gardens. Route 154 was
introduced in March 1959 to replace trolleybus route 654 which
also passed along Stanley Park Road. The bus had clearly been
transferred from a garage in the Romford area, as it still has a
"multiride" sticker attached.
Picture Copyright © The John Parkin Collection |
