London Transport
Green Line Coach Routes 725–799

Last updated 05-03-08.

725
 725 CROYDON BROMLEY GRAVESEND
This “E” plate came from an eastbound stop somewhere in the west half of the route.		 725 GRAVESEND VIA LONDON
This “E” plate is an error—it probably should have been numbered for route 701.
725 CROYDON HAMPTON COURT WINDSOR
 725 WINDSOR VIA KINGSTON
 725 KINGSTON HAMPTON COURT WINDSOR FARE STAGE
This is a very rare five-line version of an “E” plate. It sold for £480 on ebay in February 2007.
725 726
 HEAD STOP← This “gem” illustrates just how far things sank during the 1980s. Some rather crude self-adhesive vinyl numbers—hardly resembling London Transport’s famous Johnston font—were stuck onto the back of an HEAD STOP “E” plate, somewhere along the combined 725-726 routes.
A route 725 fare table. →
725 leaflet

Route 725 was the first orbital Green Line route introduced in about 1953 (unlike most coach routes which ran though central London), and ran between Gravesend and Windsor via Swanscombe, Northfleet, Dartford, Crayford, Bexley, Sidcup, Chislehurst, Bromley, Beckenham, Addiscombe, Croydon, Wallington, Sutton, North Cheam, New Malden, Worcester Park, Kingston, Hampton Court, Sunbury, Ashford, Staines, Egham and Englefield Green. In later years a sister route was introduced between Gravesend and Heathrow Airport numbered 726, which gradually replaced the 725 (which was eventually withdrawn).

Route 726 was originally a summer-only route which ran between Romford and Whipsnade Zoo via Chadwell Heath, Ilford, Stratford, Aldgate, Baker Street, Finchley, Golders Green, Barnet and St. Albans. In the early ’60s it was extended in the east to Harold Hill Estate for a few summers. By 1964 it had become a limited-stop service runing via the M1 and Edgware instead of St. Albans and Barnet, but nonetheless could not compete with the private motorcar and disappeared before the end of the decade.

Normally ALIGHTING POINT ONLY plates are found at terminals, but the 726 was an exception. Passengers were only conveyed from Whipsnade Zoo, so all the southbound intermediate stops right through to Romford would have been posted as APO. The route ran for the last time on 6 September 1968, which raises the question: with summer-only routes, were the plates taken down for each winter?

 726 ALIGHTING POINT ONLY
726

The 726 was re-introduced in the late ’70s as part of the 725 rerouted via Heathrow Airport. It ran from Gravesend to Windsor with route 725 via Northfleet, Dartford, Bexley, Sidcup, Chislehurst, Bromley, Beckenham, Croydon, Wallington, Sutton, Cheam, Worcester Park, Kingston and Hampton Court, then diverted via Feltham, Heathrow Airport and Slough. The 726 (and its predecessor 725) can still be traced today between Croydon and Ashford under London Buses’ route X26.

“E” plates for the newer 726 (with white instead of cream numbers) are rather uncommon, as the route was re-introduced at a time when “E” plates were being phased out. This explains why this otherwise-unremarkable undestinated “E” plate sold for £409.99 on ebay in January 2008.

During the revamp of the network in the ’70s and ’80s route 726 was proposed for withdrawal. However, the majority of the route—now withdrawn between Dartford and Gravesend and between Heathrow Airport and Windsor—ran within Greater London, and London Transport decided to put the route out to tender and retain its operation within the London area, still retaining the established “Green Line” marketing name. It became operated by Luton & District and ran daily between Dartford and Heathrow Airport via Bexley, Sidcup, Chislehurst, Bromley, Croydon, Sutton, Kingston, Hampton Court, Feltham and Hatton Cross. The route has since been progressively cut back to Bromley and more recently was curtailed at Croydon, and now remains as route X26 between Croydon and Heathrow Airport, rerouted away from Hampton Court. The 726 was the only Green Line route put out to tender by London Transport, and was the only route to have special vinyl “E” stickers made for it.

 GREEN LINE 726 DAILY

The original route 727 was introduced on 4 November 1964 as a Monday to Saturday express service between London (Victoria) and Tring via Westminster, Trafalgar Square, Oxford Circus, Baker Street, Finchley Road, [Golders Green, Mill Hill, Garston, Hemel Hempstead|Golders Green, Hendon Central, Apex Corner, the M1 Motorway, Hemel Hempstead], Two Waters and Berkhamsted. It was withdrawn on 30 October 1965.

On 13 May 1967 the 727 was reintroduced as a limited-stop western orbital service, running daily between Crawley and Luton Station via Gatwick Airport, Woodhatch, Reigate, Kingswood, Tadworth, Epsom, Ewell, Tolworth, Kingston, Teddington, Hanworth, Hatton Cross, Heathrow Airport, West Drayton, Uxbridge, Rickmansworth, Watford Junction, Garston, St. Albans and Harpenden. (In fact, the only part of the original routeing that the new 727 still served was a short stretch of St. Albans Road between Watford North Station and Garston!) In 1971 the Luton terminus was moved north to Luton Airport. Of course, it has long since been withdrawn, like so much of the traditional Green Line network.

 727 CRAWLEY GATWICK WATFORD LUTON
The plate is not actually an “E” plate, being a non-standard size, but was intended for display at Heathrow Airport. It’s unusual size—approximately 5 inches × 8 inches—is because at the time the bus stops at Heathrow were provided by the British Airports Authority and were non-standard. Therefore, a number of the plates at Heathrow were this size.
727 EXPRESS
This “E” plate could have come from stops on either route, although was most likely used on the latter service—but you never can tell!		 727 EXPRESS CRAWLEY
This plate obviously came from a southbound stop on the later route. There were very few “E” plate variations for this service, hence this one could have been posted at nearly all of the southbound stops, with the exception of Watford Junction.
GREEN LINE 727 EXPRESS HEATHROW AIRPORT GATWICK AIRPORT CRAWLEY
 Here are two examples of the magnificent “double verticals” (as they were commonly known; technically “E2”) plates. They were only to be found at major interchange points and termini (e.g. Aldgate Bus Station). The northbound one (→) could possibly be from Crawley Bus Station, whilst the southbound one (←) was most likely posted at Watford Junction. The GREENLINE legend at the top is also unusual. GREEN LINE 727 EXPRESS HEATHROW AIRPORT WATFORD JUNCTION LUTON AIRPORT

Route 729 was a Monday to Friday rush hour service running between London (Victoria) and Borough Green via Millbank, Elephant & Castle, Old Kent Road, New Cross, Lewisham, Eltham, New Eltham, Sidcup, Swanley, Farnigham, Brands Hatch and Wrotham. It was a replacement for the southern leg of route 719.

This plate appears to have been recycled since it has green vinyl numerals affixed to the white reverse of a route 295A “E” plate that was withdrawn in 1975.

295A SATURDAY
 729
739

Route 739 was a short-lived special service introduced in April 1978 upon the demise of Green Line route 719, running only for major race meets, between London (Victoria) and Brands Hatch via Lewisham, Eltham, Sidcup and Swanley. The plate appears to have been recycled since it has green vinyl numerals affixed to the white reverse of a route 292 “E” plate which was withdrawn in July 1973.

292 MON-FRI FARE STAGE

GREEN LINE 739 SPECIAL HOURNEYS ONLY739 SPECIAL HOURNEYS ONLYTwo possibilities of what this plate should have looked like, had they done it correctly. →

Routes 760 and 761 were introduced in the late ’70s after the network started to be revamped. These routes ran between Croydon and Crawley as express links for commuting and shopping, I believe.

The use of the usual style of Green Line “E” plates on green backgrounds had ceased at this time, hence the very unusual use of green lettering on a white background similar to the style used for Provincial operator’s “E” plates. This mode lasted only a short time on “E” plates, as they ceased to be made around 1980. Only a handful of routes saw Green Line plates in this style. However, had they followed normal practice, the Green Line name would have been below the route numbers.

 GREEN LINE 760 761
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