Post by riverside on Nov 18, 2020 16:52:38 GMT
The old trolleybuses had some good runs. Although most were originally replicated by their replacement bus routes, many of these were subsequently cut back and/or rerouted, and in some cases no longer exist.
557 Chingford Mount to Liverpool Street via Lea Bridge Road, replaced by bus 257 which was withdrawn in 1968 when the Victoria Line opened
607 Uxbridge to Shepherd's Bush
609 Barnet (Church) to Moorgate, became the 104 bus which started its slow decline in 1970 when the 263 was introduced and finally fizzled out in 1985.
625 Woodford to Enfield Town via Tottenham Hale and Turnpike Lane, replaced by the 275 bus (since much altered)
627 Waltham Cross to Tottenham Court Road, replaced by the 127 bus which only lasted until 1968
629 Enfield Town to Tottenham Court Road, replaced the 269 bus which has also disappeared
630 West Croydon to College Park (near Harlesden), replaced by the 220 bus - this was London's longest trolleybus route and one of the longest in the UK.
645 Barnet (Church) to Canons Park, Stanmore Circus via Golders Green, Cricklewood & Edgware, replaced by the 245 bus
649 Waltham Cross to Liverpool Street, replaced by the 149 bus
655 Acton Vale and Clapham Junction - which may not sound far, but it ran via Hanwell, Brentford and Hammersmith! Replaced by the 255 bus which no longer runs.
659 Waltham Cross to Holborn Circus, replaced by the 259 bus
660 Barnet (Church) to Hammersmith, replaced by the 260 bus
663 Aldgate to Chadwell Heath, not directly replaced although parallel bus routes such as the 25 and 86 were increased in frequency
664 Edgware to Paddington Green via Cricklewood and Harlesden, withdrawn in 1959 due to service cuts and not replaced
665 Bloomsbury to Barking via Old Street, Aldgate and Canning Town, replaced by the 5 bus
666 Edgware to Hammersmith, replaced by the 266 bus
679 Waltham Cross to Smithfield, replaced by the 279 bus
And some fairly lengthy routes that you can still do most or all of today:
555 Bloomsbury to Leyton Green, covered by today's route 55 - the 555 had projections beyond Leyton Green but Downsell Road was only reached at peak times and Woodford journeys only operated on Summer Sundays.
641 Moorgate and Winchmore Hill, covered by today's 141 as far as Palmers Green
657 Shepherd's Bush to Hounslow, covered by today's 237
662 Sudbury to Paddington Green, covered by today's 18
667 Hammersmith to Hampton Court, covered by today's 267 as far as Fulwell.
The 630 is often quoted as London's longest trolleybus route and really deserves the accolade being 14.65 miles long and running daily throughout the day between 'Near Willesden Junction' to West Croydon. As length must be the deciding factor then the 655 sneaked ahead of the 630. In July 1946 a small extension was made to the 655 from Acton (Market Place) to Acton Vale (Bromyard Avenue). This made the full length of the route from Clapham Junction to Acton Vale via Brentford and Hanwell come in at 14.8 miles. Only a handful of through journeys were made in the peaks along the whole length of the route but they did exist.
The 660 was only ever North Finchley to Hammersmith. In trolleybus days the 645 ran between Canons Park and Barnet. In January 1962 the replacement bus services switched terminals and the 245 became Stanmore Station to North Finchley and the 260 Barnet to Hammersmith. I am not sure if there were any through journeys on the 260, if so they were few and far between. The 260 only reached Hammersmith during Monday-Friday rush hours and all day Saturday and buses ran between Hammersmith and North Finchley. Depending on the time of day and day of week Barnet buses travelled as far south as Willesden Garage/Harlesden-Willesden Junction or Acton Vale.