The last route to receive brand new RFs in 1953, the 241 was one of those busy routes targeted to receive double-deckers as soon as physical restrictions were removed.

1 Mar 53 to 25 Nov 58

(total 5 years 9 months, all crew operation)

 

WELLING STATION and SIDCUP GARAGE

 

SP    Sidcup

 

The 228 and 241 were single-deck operated due to a low railway bridge at Sidcup Station.  The road was lowered under the bridge in 1958, allowing both routes to be double-decked in their entirety.  These were the first RF routes to

 

Introduced on 12 Oct 38 between Welling Station and Sidcup Garage in Foots Cray, the new 241 was originally one-man operated with 18-seat DA-class Dennis Darts.  The route's success soon led to the need for larger buses, so they were replaced by elderly 29-seat crew-operated 1T1s in January 1939, and these in turn by 37-seat 5Q5s in March 1940.

 

In May 1939, half of the service Mon-Sat was diverted in Foots Cray via St Mary Cray and Orpington to Green Street Green, with Sunday evening journeys added in November 1940.  At the start of 1941, the Mon-Fri evening peak service between Sidcup Station and Sidcup Garage was supplemented by double-deck workings using one ST off route 161, becoming an LT from June that year.  These journeys were replaced by an extension to the 161 in January 1943.  Increased traffic to the factories along Sevenoaks Way between St Mary Cray and Orpington led the Foots Cray to Green Street Green section to be transferred as a bifurcation of double-deck route 51 in October 1941(becoming new route 51^A in December 1942).

 

As traffic continued to build and frequencies increased, the Q allocation of 17 (up from 11 in 1941) was supplemented by petrol-engined 1T1s between 1943 and 1948, at which time another dozen Qs became available to allow the Ts to be removed.  For their last winter, presumably as the Qs became time-expired, three of the allocation of 29 Qs were replaced by Ts again. 

 

RF operation arrived in March 1953 (the first 9 starting on 1 March), using the last red RFs to be delivered, and the very last five were licensed on 25 March.  On that day, the final Qs were withdrawn.  The level of passenger demand can be seen from the peak allocation of 29 buses (replaced by 28 larger RFs) to a route that took 23 minutes from end to end. 

 

By the time the road was lowered under the bridge at Sidcup in 1958, allowing the route to be double-decked, the Monday to Friday allocation dropped from 25 RFs to 15 RTs.  The weekend workings were withdrawn and covered by adjustments to RT route 51.  The 228 and 241 were the first RF routes to lose their RFs, and the availability of this sizable batch allowed conversion to RF of the last two routes operating post-war 14T12s, the 211 and 222, together with the TD-operated 236.

 

Extended from Welling to Woolwich in May 1963, the 241 replaced the 126 between Welling and Plumstead Common and 54 from there to Woolwich.  The route, still Monday to Friday only, was shortened in Woolwich and renumbered 51^B in July 1964.