Leyton (L or LY or TM)
Located in Ruckholt Road.
Kentish Bus were awarded new route P14 stating 19th November 1988, it was operated from a new site in Ruckholt Road, Leyton - it was treated as an outstation of Victoria (VE).
Initially the P14 was operated with short MCW Metroriders loaned from sister company Northumbria, the intended long Metroriders were delivered the following month in a dedicated red based livery because it was funded by the London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC).
From 31st December 1989 the operations at Victoria (42 and P4) moved to Southwark.
Kentish Bus had been successful when bidding for routes in Hackney, they took over the 22A from 20th January 1990 using Olympians based at Leyton, the Sunday operation of the 42 moved to Leyton from 21st January allowing Southwark to be closed on this day.
Presumably this was when Leyton stopped being an outstation.
Not enough of the intended allocations had arrived so single doored 504-507, 509 and 510 were loaned from Dartford, these returned after two weeks.
The 22B and 55 followed from 24th February, again Olympians were loaned from Dartford - 501, 502, 504-508, 510-512, these had returned by 12th March.
The final allocation for the 22A, 22B and 55 was dual doored 514-556.
The Saturday operation of the 42 moved to Leyton from 24th February.
At the end of the year Kentish Bus moved out of Southwark, however before then part of the Mon-Fri operation of the 42 moved to Leyton and Southwark took back part of the Saturday operation from 17th November.
Short Metroriders introduced to release the long ones from the P14 for the 42.
The LDDC ceased to sponsor the P14 effective 1st December, from this date the route was shortened.
The whole of the 42 moved to Leyton from 16th December, it was converted to long Metrorider from the P14, three of the Nationals spare from the 42 - SNB 439, 445, 483 and 489, were selected for Greenway conversion for the 227.
In 1991 the S10 and S11 were transferred from Northfleet to Leyton on 19th January - they were operated with short Metroriders.
A strike by London Forest resulted in Kentish Bus being awarded a temporary contract by LRT to operate a curtailed route 56 starting 12th July using loaned AN, it was withdrawn after operation on 28th July.
In 1992 from 8th February the P14 was transferred to East London under route tendering.
New route S12 was introduced on Tuesday 24th March, the S10 was withdrawn after operation on 27th March and the S11 was changed from 30th March.
The contract for the all day weekend and Mon-Fri evening operation of the D8 as well as the Mon-Sat evening and all day Sunday operation of the D9 was awarded to Kentish Bus from 5th December, officially the D8 was scheduled for Olympian Mon-Sat and Metrorider on Sundays and the D9 used Metrorider Mon-Sat and Olympians on Sundays.
In 1993 the S12 was withdrawn after operation on 12th March.
The contract for the 19 was awarded to Kentish Bus starting 24th April, famously this saw RMLs receiving Kentish Bus livery, however these were scheduled Mon-Sat, on Sundays it remained OPO but now with Olympians from Leyton, obviously with the operation of the D8 and D9 something had to go and in this case the Sunday operation of the D9 moved to the former Boro’line Maidstone garage at Crayford.
When Crayford closed the allocation moved to Dartford from 25th September.
In 1994 from Sunday 10th April the Metroriders were exchanged for Northern Counties bodied Darts 120-127 from Lewisham.
The 22A, 22B, 42, 55, S11, Sunday operation of the 19 along with the parts of the D8 and D9 operated by Kentish Bus, moved to Cambridge Heath (CH) from 8th May and Leyton was closed, Cambridge Heath was better known as Ash Grove (AG), a garage which closed in November 1991 along with Walthamstow following the strike by London Forest.
In 2007 the Leyton site was incorporated into the all-new Lea Interchange (LI), which replaced Hackney - closed because the site was required for the Olympic Park.
Source - various newsletters from the London Omnibus Traction Society (LOTS).
Elmers enD.
16 окт 2024
