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Destinations

KINGSTON to LEATHERHEAD (Sundays, 2 Jan 71 to 10 Mar 72)

RICHMOND to LEATHERHEAD (Sundays, 11 Mar 72 to 25 Sep 76)

Route operated Mondays to Saturdays by RTs

RF314 displays the wrong blind to Kingston, having terminated at Leatherhead Garage.

Note the second foglight - a legacy of staff bus operation, as for RF486.

Photo © DC Wilkinson, Peter Gomm collection

Introduced as the first new route in 1950, the 71 was up to 1990 a double-deck route covering the back roads between Kingston and Richmond, with a range of extensions either end at different times.  For most of that period, the 65 covered the main road, extending on southwards to the Country Area garage at Leatherhead.  Both were (in the main) RT routes.

 

In November 1968, the southern section of the 65 from Kingston to Leatherhead was switched to the 71, which gained a Sunday service (over that section only) for the first time since 1958.  Just over two years later, in January 1971, one-man operation was introduced on Sundays, using Kingston's RFs.

 

The Sunday service was extended in 1971 over the full length of the route, providing Sunday buses to the Ham Estate and the Tudor Estate for the first time.  RFs ran down to the London Country garage until September 1976, when Kingston's first BLs arrived to run the 216, also replacing RFs on the 71.

 

The RTs lasted until March 1978, just over a year before their final run on the 62, with Routemasters operating a truncated route until 1985.  The route still operates with double-deckers, now only from Kingston to Chessington Zoo (sorry, 'World of Adventures'), with the Leatherhead section now covered by the 465 and most of the Ham section by the 371.

 

RF route in detail, with timing points

KINGSTON STATION (southbound) Clarence St, Fairfield W, Fairfield S, (northbound) Hawks Rd, Albert Rd, London Rd, Clarence St, Wood St; Villiers Road, Lingfield Ave, Beaufort Rd, Claremont Rd, Surbiton Stn, Victoria Rd, Upper Brighton Rd, Hook Rd, Hook Ace of Spades, Hook Rd Chessington, Leatherhead Rd, Chessington Zoo, Leatherhead Rd, Malden Rushett, Leatherhead Rd, Kingston Rd Oxshott Rd, Bull Hill, North St; (southbound only) High St, The Crescent, Church St; Bridge St, Guildford Rd, LEATHERHEAD LT Garage (Suns, 2 Jan 71 to 10 Mar 72)

 

RICHMOND Dee Road , Lower Mortlake Rd, Kew Rd, Richmond Stn, The Quadrant; (southbound) Eton St, Paradise Rd, Red Lion St, (northbound) George St; Hill St, Petersham Rd,  Petersham Dysart Arms, Sandy La, Ham Estate: Ham St, Riverside Dr (N section), Ashburnham Rd (W section), Broughton Ave, Dukes Ave; Ham Hawker Siddeley Wks, Tudor Estate: Tudor Dr, Park Rd, Kings Rd Park Rd, Kings Rd; Richmond Rd, Kingston Granada (southbound) Clarence St, Fairfield W, Fairfield S, Kingston Station (northbound) Hawks Rd, Albert Rd, London Rd, Clarence St, Wood St; Villiers Road, Lingfield Ave, Beaufort Rd, Claremont Rd, Surbiton Stn, Victoria Rd, Upper Brighton Rd, Hook Rd, Hook Ace of Spades, Hook Rd Chessington, Leatherhead Rd, Chessington Zoo, Leatherhead Rd, Malden Rushett, Leatherhead Rd, Kingston Rd Oxshott Rd, Bull Hill, North St; (southbound only) High St, The Crescent, Church St; Bridge St, Guildford Rd, LEATHERHEAD LT Garage (Suns, 11 Mar 72 to 25 Sep 76)

 

K      Kingston

 

PVR 1971: Sun 4