London Transport
Green Line Coach Routes 706–708

Last updated 03-06-08.

Route 706 ran between Westerham and Aylesbury via Tatsfield, Botley Hill, Chelsham, Sanderstead, Selsdon, South Croydon, West Croydon, Norbury, Streatham, Brixton, Stockwell, Vauxhall, Victoria, Hyde Park Corner, Marble Arch, Kilburn, Cricklewood, Colindale, Edgware, Stanmore, Bushey, Watford, Kings Langley, Two Waters, Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Tring and Aston Clinton. During the summer months some journeys were extended from Westerham to Chartwell (Winston Churchill’s country house). In 1969 the southern end beyond Chelsham was reduced to summer journeys only. The route was withdrawn in 1975 when the Green Line network was being revamped, the northern end to Aylesbury being replaced by an extended 708 (which is described below), with the southern section not surviving much longer.

Timetable and fares booklet for route 706 (Aylesbury – Westerham) from 15th February 1969; the last one issued before the route was withdrawn beyond Chelsham.

Route 706 timetable booklet
706 VICTORIA WATFORD AYLESBURY
 706 EDGWARE WATFORD AYLESBURY
 706 WATFORD TRING AYLESBURY
Examples of this “E” plate were posted between Maida Vale and Stanmore.
706 KINGS LANDING TRING AYLESBURY
This plate dates from the late 1960s and came from a northbound stop near Watford.		 706 AYLESBURY
 706 VICTORIA CROYDON EAST GRINSTEAD
I believe this “E” plate is an error and should have been for route 708, as the 706 never ran to East Grinstead. The correct version is to the right.
706 VICTORIA CROYDON CHELSHAM
This plate came from a southbound stop north of central London. It dates from approximately 15.2.69 when most of the service was terminated at Chelsham.		 706 CROYDON SELSDON CHELSHAM
 706 CHELSHAM - 708 EAST GRINSTEAD
This split plate was likely used between 1975 (when the southern end of the 706 beyond Chelsham was reduced to summer journeys only) and 1978, when the section of the 708 south of London was replaced. It quickly sold on ebay for a mere £500.
707 OXTED VIA CHELSHAM

Route 707 was introduced on 26th June 1946 and ran between Oxted and Aylesbury via Chelsham, Croydon, Victoria, Edgware, Watford, Boxmoor, Berkhampstead and Tring. It ran unchanged until 14th February 1969. Unusually, it shared it’s entire route (apart from the southern terminus) with route 706.

With only the single intermediate point of CHELSHAM, my guess is that this “E” plate likely came from Croydon bus station.

Routes 707 and 717 were introduced in 1977 to replace the northern end of routes 712 and 713, and ran daily providing a limited stop fast service between Victoria and Luton Airport. The 707 ran via Baker Street, Golders Green, Barnet, London Colney, St. Albans and Harpenden, while the 717 diverged between Golders Green and London Colney via Brent Cross, Hendon, Mill Hill, Borehamwood and Shenley.

The 707 and 717 are not easy routes to find on “E” plates as London Country had stopped using them in their area, so they were only made for important stops where London Country was willing to pay for their manufacture. “New” “E” plates were made by using self-adhesive numbers on the backs of withdrawn central area plates for many Green Line stops in the London area.

As the 707 and 717 were limited stop services, there were much fewer plates for them than was the case with the traditional Green Line routes. The first plate cannot be from the older route 707 running between Oxted and Aylesbury which used “E” plates with cream numbers. The split plate is paricularly scarce.

 707707-717
708
 708
 708
This “double vertical” (as they were commonly known; technically “E2”) plate likely came from either East Grinstead or Godstone, as they were normally only found at termini or major interchange points.
708 HEMEL HEMPSTEAD VIA VICTORIA
This is a nice three-line example showing the word VIA, and would probably have come from a stop in south-east London. It also exists with cream lettering.		 708 VICTORIA WATFORD HEMEL HEMPSTEAD
708 EDGEWARE WATFORD HEMEL HEMPSTEAD
On this “E” plate the figure “8” is more angular than usual where the strokes cross in the middle. Also, note the incorrect spelling of Edgware!		 708 WATFORD HEMEL HEMPSTEAD
 708 VICTORIA CROYDON EAST GRINSTEAD
This “E” plate also exists with cream numbers and lettering.
708-710
 ← Routes 708 and 710 ran in parallel between Purley and Brixton, and this plate could have come from any stop between those points. This is, however, a rare route pairing on an “E” plate. The usual practice was the pairing of routes with much longer parallel sections such as 701/702, 704/705, 706/707, 709/710 and 712/713. It dates from about 1960.

Route 708 ran between East Grinstead and Hemel Hempstead via Felbridge, Lingfield, Godstone, Caterham, Whyteleafe, Purley, Croydon, Norbury, Streatham, Brixton, Stockwell, Vauxhall, Victoria, Hyde Park Corner, Marble Arch, Kilburn, Cricklewood, Colindale, Edgware, Stanmore, Bushey, Watford, Kings Langley and Two Waters. In 1975 the route was extended to Aylesbury to replace the withdrawn 706. The section south of London was replaced by route 719 in 1978. The remainder of the route was withdrawn in the early eighties.

Route 710 ran from Crawley to Baker Street via Gatwick Airport, Horley, Earlswood, Redhill, Merstham, Hooley, Coulsdon, Purley, Croydon, Streatham, Brixton, Kennington, Trafalgar Square and Oxford Circus. It was extended in 1947 to Amersham Garage via Shepherd’s Bush, Acton, Ealing, Hanwell, Southall, Hayes End, Uxbridge, Denham, Gerrards Cross and Chalfont St. Peter. By November 1968 the route was curtailed to Amersham–Baker Street only, and its last day of operation was 13 October 1972.

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