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Route 290

RF538 appears to have just set down an elderly gentleman who is going to cross the six lanes of the Lower Richmond Road, fortunately less busy that it is now.  The date is 24 Feb 73, and the bus was overhauled at Aldenham four months earlier, presumably gaining the non-underlined fleetnames there.

Service along the main road between Richmond and Hammersmith was provided by the 111 until 1951, when the fairly new 71 was extended to take over.  In turn, the roads were covered by the 90^C from 1958 (Sundays, when it continued from Richmond to Staines) and 1967 (daily).

The Sunday Staines workings were transferred to the 90 and 90^A in September 1968, the main section being converted to OMO using RFs and renumbered 290. 

This rather grainy picture is the only one I have showing a Twickenham-based RF working the 290.  RF455 is loading at Butterwick for departure to Richmond; the bus was repainted at Aldenham in December 1969, so the picture dates from the last few months of operation at Twickenham.

Photo Ian Armstrong collection

The 90 group had seen Twickenham garage (AV) involvement since 1928 and virtually exclusive operation since 1939.  The 290 therefore also operated from Twickenham, their first and only (at least since the war) single-deck operation, the garage having otherwise operated solely RTs since the SRTs were replaced on the 90 group in 1953/4.  However, the garage closed on 18 Apr 70 and, unlike the 90 group which went to Fulwell, the 290 became the only single-deck route operated by Hammersmith Riverside (R).

RF412 demonstrates the restricted space at Richmond Bus Station.  This RF was also overhauled in 1972, but has the underlined fleetname; note also the later 'open roundel' on the RM behind.

Photo © JA Gascoine, Peter Gomm collection

RFs continued in use until 8 May 76, the period when the RF was being replaced wholesale.  It is possible that they lasted this long because Swifts were too long for the difficult layout at R; be that as it may, they were replaced by BLs which had the same dimensions.

The BLs lasted until September 1982, when the route was extended to Staines, replacing the 90 and in effect recreating the Sunday version of the 90^C.  This much longer route was double-decked with Metrobuses, and the whole route moved to the 90's home garage of Fulwell.

The Hammersmith to Richmond section was lost in 1991 (except for Sundays, which were lost in 1995) to new route 190, which is today's successor to the 111.  The 290 still runs to Staines, but lost the Richmond to Twickenham section in 2001.

In the all-over red livery received in late 1979, BL20 loads at the same point as RF455 ten years earlier.

Photo © Paul Redmond