London Transport
Central Area Routes 130–133

Last updated 12-04-08.

Route 130 ran daily between Croydon (Barclay Road) and New Addington (Central Parade) via East Croydon, Shirley and Addington. In 1951 it was extended in New Addington from Central Parade to Salcot Crescent, and further extended the following year to Homestead Way. In 1952 it was extended on Mondays to Saturdays from Croydon to Streatham Common via Thornton Heath Pond and Streatham Vale, replacing part of route 166. In 1953 the Sunday service was similarly extended. In 1954 the route was diverted in Croydon via George Street instead of Katharine Street. In 1955 an express service was introduced during Monday to Friday rush hours and Saturday shopping hours between East Croydon Station and New Addington, although the Saturday express operation was withdrawn in 1956. In 1957 the Streatham terminus was changed to Streatham Garage. In 1963 the express service was extended from East Croydon to West Croydon. In 1970 the express service was withdrawn and replaced by new routes C1 and C3. In 1982 the Monday to Saturday service was withdrawn between Thornton Heath Garage and Streatham, and further withdrawn between West Croydon and Thornton Heath Garage during peak hours, but on Sundays the service was extended from Streatham Garage to Brixton Garage. An express service was reintroduced between West Croydon and New Addington during Monday to Friday peak hours, replacing route C3. In 1987 the express service was withdrawn and the main service was withdrawn between West Croydon and Thornton Heath/Brixton Garage. There were also routeing changes in New Addington with a service introduced to Vulcan Way although this was withdrawn in 1993. In 2000 the evening and Sunday service was withdrawn with the opening of Tramlink. In 2003 the route was diverted at Shirley Park to run to Norwood Junction via Woodside and a Sunday service was introduced. The route was also taken over by Metrobus.

Routes 130A and 130B are described below.
Route 130 map
Route 130 in 1970.
Adapted from The Greater London Bus Map.
130
 130 - 130A SAT.-SUN.
This “E” plate could have come from anywhere between Thornton Heath Pond and the junction of Lodge Lane and Headly Drive in New Addington, likely during the mid- to late-1970s. (Note the omission of the full-stops.)		 130 - 130B
This “E” plate could have come from anywhere between West Croydon and New Addington after 1975 (when the 130B became a daily service), but likely after 1978 when the 130A was withdrawn.
130A SATURDAY & SUNDAY
This “E” plate likely dates from the years 1964 to 1967, as both the Saturday and Sunday elements are red.		 130A SAT.-SUN.
This “E” plate likely dates from 1970 to 1978, the second period when the 130A ran only on the weekend.		 130A SAT.-SUN. - 130B MON.-FRI.
This “E” plate likely dates from 1970 to 1978, the second period when the 130A ran only on the weekend.
Route 130A map

Route 130A was introduced in 1954, running daily between New Addington (Salcot Crescent) and Croydon (Park Lane) via Addington and Shirley, extended on Mondays to Saturdays to Thornton Heath (High Street) via Thornton Heath Pond. The Sunday service was extended to Thornton Heath (High Street) in 1956. The Monday to Friday service was withdrawn in 1964. The Sunday service was rerouted in New Addington in 1967 and renumbered 130C leaving the route on Saturdays only. The Sunday service was restored in 1970, but the entire route was withdrawn in 1978.

Route 130A in 1970. Adapted from The Greater London Bus Map.

Route 130B was introduced in 1964 running on Mondays to Fridays between New Addington (Vulcan Way) and West Croydon (Bus Station) via Addington and Shirley, extended during peak hours to Thornton Heath (High Street) via Waddon, Purley Way and Thornton Heath Pond. The journeys to Vulcan Way became peak hours only in 1970, with buses terminating at Salcot Crescent at other times. A Saturday and Sunday service was introduced in 1975 between New Addinton (Salcot Crescent) and West Croydon. The route was withdrawn in 1987.

 130B MON.-FRI.
130B MON.-FRI.
 130B MON-FRI
Note that this “E” plate lacks full-stops after the words MON and FRI, but the other ones do not omit them.		 130B MON.-FRI. RUSH HOURS
130C SUNDAY

Route 130C was a short-lived (September 1967–April 1970) service. It operated between New Addington (Salcot Crescent) and West Croydon Bus Station via Gascoigne Road, Goldcrest Way, Headley Drive, Merrow Way, Field Way, Lodge Lane, Addington, Shirley and East Croydon. On Sundays it was extended to Thornton Heath (High Street) via London Road, Thornton Heath Garage and Brigstock Road. Weekday journeys all ran express. It was replaced by routes C2 (Monday to Friday), C4 (Saturday) and C3 (Sunday).

This plate will have come from a stop between West Croydon and Thornton Heath.

Route 130C. Adapted from The Greater London Bus Map.
Route 130C map
Route 131 timetable

Route 131 ran daily between Kingston (Bus Station) and Walton-on-Thames (Manor Road) via Hampton Court, East Molesey, West Molesey and Walton Road. In 1961 it was extended on Sundays to Hersham Station via Bowes Road, Ambleside Avenue and Rydens Road. In 1962 it was extended from Kingston to Wimbledon Station via Norbiton, New Malden and Raynes Park replacing trolleybus route 604. In 1964 it was extended on Sundays from Wimbledon to Clapham Common (Old Town) via South Wimbledon, Tooting Broadway and Balham, but this Sunday extension was cut back after a few months. In 1966 the Sunday service was withdrawn and replaced by route 155. In 1971 the 131 was withdrawn between West Molesey and Walton-on-Thames and replaced by new route 211. In 1973 the 131 was reintroduced on Sundays between West Molesey and Clapham Common, with early morning journeys extended to the Victoria Embankment loop via Stockwell, Kennington, and then Westminster or Blackfriars. In 1984 the early morning journeys were rerouted at Kennington to Aldwych via Elephant & Castle, Westminster Bridge Road and Waterloo. In 1986 the Sunday service was withdrawn between Clapham Common and Aldwych, and also between Hampton Court and West Molesey. In 1987 it was transferred to London & Country under the LRT tendering system, and later moved to Westlink. In 1994 it was withdrawn between Kingston and West Molesey and replaced by new route 411. It is now operated by London United.

This timetable panel dated 4.6.73 for route 131 to Wimbledon came from the point A eastbound bus stop in Wood Street, Kingston, when the route was operated by DMS buses.

131
 131 WEEKDAY
 131 SUNDAY
131 SUNDAY 131 SUNDAY FARE STAGE 131 SUNDAY FARE STAGE
These Sunday “E” plates could date from the 1960s when there were Sunday workings to Clapham and Hersham and the route was in the hands of RTs and then RMs, or possibly from the 1970s when the Sunday service to Clapham and Victoria Embankment was introduced, operated by DMSs.
132 WEEKDAY
This plate is rather old, as the term WEEKDAY was the earlier wording generally used to mean Monday to Saturday. It became ambiguous as more people no longer had to work on Saturdays, and “Weekday” could also have been taken to mean Monday to Friday, which was why London Transport later spelt out the days as either MON-FRI or MON-SAT.		 132 MON-FRI RUSH HOURS
This “E” plate could have only come from one of a couple of bus stops between Woolwich and Victoria Way, between 1964 and 1970, and is thus rather unusual.		 132 MON.-SAT. FARE STAGE

Route 132 was originally a circular service from Eltham (Well Hall Station) via Blackfen, Blendon, Danson Road, Crook Log, Bexleyheath, Gravel Hill, Bourne Road and Bexley then back to Eltham running in both directions around the loop. Buses also ran to Bexley Hospital on Sunday afternoons. In 1959 it ceased being a circular route and ran from Eltham to Bexleyheath Garage, extended on Mondays to Fridays and Saturday mornings to Erith. In 1964 it was extended at all times on Mondays to Saturdays from Erith to Woolwich (Parsons Hill) via Belvedere, Abbey Wood and Plumstead, and further extended during Monday to Friday peak hours to Woolwich Road (Victoria Way). In 1970 it was withdrawn between Bexleyheath and Woolwich, and diverted instead on Mondays to Fridays to Slade Green Station via Colyers Lane. In 1975 the Saturday service was extended from Bexleyheath to Slade Green. In 1979 it once again became a circular service as above from Eltham via Bexleyheath and Bexley back to Eltham. In 1988 the circular operation ceased once again and the route ran from Eltham Station to Bexleyheath (Market Place) via Blackfen, Blendon and Bexley. Upon tendering, the route was operated by Boroline Maidstone, Kentish Bus, Harris Bus and is now operated by East Thames Buses.

Route 133 ran from South Croydon (Red Deer) to Liverpool Street (Finsbury Circus) via Croydon, West Croydon, Whitehorse Road, Thornton Heath High Street, Melfort Road, Streatham, Brixton, Kennington, Elephant & Castle, Borough, London Bridge, Monument, Bank and Moorgate. In 1954 it was withdrawn in South Croydon between the bus garage and the Red Deer. In 1958 it was extended on Sundays from Moorgate to Hendon Central Station via City Road, Islington, Highbury, Holloway, Archway, East Finchley, Finchley and The Burroughs, replacing the 43 and 143 on this day. In 1964 it was withdrawn on Mondays to Fridays between Thornton Heath (Clock Tower) and South Croydon and replaced by new route 133A. In 1966 it was extended during Monday to Friday rush hours from Thornton Heath to South Croydon. In 1968 it was extended all day on Mondays to Fridays from Thornton Heath to Croydon (Katharine Street), and withdrawn between Croydon and South Croydon, running there only at weekends. Later in 1968 it was withdrawn between Archway Station and Hendon Central and replaced by the reintroduction of the 143 on Sundays. In 1969 route 133 was cut back to Liverpool Street on Sundays, and also withdrawn between Thornton Heath (High Street) and South Croydon on Sundays. In 1971 it was revised to run daily between Liverpool Street and Streatham Garage. In 1984 the Streatham terminus was changed to Streatham High Road (Green Lane). In 1985 it was diverted at Streatham to run to Tooting Broadway via Southcroft Road. In 2003 it was withdrawn between Streatham (St. Leonard’s Church) and Tooting Broadway and replaced by new route 333.
133
This is one of the very early post-war plates without the black lines at the top and bottom. These plates were fitted into the older flat bus stop flags which also had horizontal cross bars and thus the top and bottom edges were hidden. However, they required a great deal of dismantling to change plates and hence the modern style was devised with the black top and bottom edging which could simply be dropped into the runners.		 133
 133
It seems that every“E” plate for the 133 has a different amount of space between the 1 and the 3!
133 MON-FRI STREATHAM
For some reason the plate-maker felt it necessary to space the words more widely than normal.		 133 SATURDAY & SUNDAY
This “E” plate probably came from a stop in South Croydon and most likely dates from the period of Saturday and Sunday operation south of Katherine Street in 1968 and 1969. In later years only the Sunday element was red. It was purchased in 1978.		 133 SUNDAY
This aluminum “E” plate probably came from a stop in North London and dates from the period of Sunday-only operation north of Moorgate between 1958 and 1968.
133A MON.-FRI. RUSH HOURS

Route 133A was introduced in 1964 and ran on Mondays to Fridays between South Croydon Garage and Kennington Church via Croydon, West Croydon, Whitehorse Road, Thornton Heath, Melfort Road, Streatham and Brixton. During rush hours it was extended to Victoria Embankment (Horse Guards Avenue) via Kennington Road, Lambeth Bridge and Millbank. In 1966 it was rerouted at Brixton to run to Stockwell Station. The route was withdrawn in 1968.

This plate will have been very short-lived as it would have come from the short rush hour section between Kennington Church and Embankment between 1964 and 1966, and is likely to be a very difficult route to find on an “E” plate.
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