Other Operators: E–F

The East Kent Road Car Co. Ltd. was formed in 1916, amalgamating a number of earlier operators. It operated in a region of Kent bounded by the sea on three sides and Maidstone & District to the west, and included the Channel ports of Dover and Folkestone. In addition to local, contract and international services, the company also ran express services from Kent into London. East Kent was one of the most important subsidiaries of British Electric Traction (BET), and like the others, became part of the newly-created National Bus Company in the late 1960s.

The Eastern Counties Omnibus Company’s express coach services ran from London, though the north and northeastern suburbs to Norfolk and Suffolk. I’m not sure precisely where this plate would have been displayed, but I don’t think there would have been many stops involved, possibily in Ilford and Romford where Eastern Counties picked up for their excursions and tours. I think families would have waited at these stops at the beginning of their holidays to Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft and Cromer. There may possibly also have been commuters to Ipswich and Norwich, etcetera. (I’m now regretting having sold my LT timetable book collection!)

The Eastern National Omnibus Company once served a large part of Essex. In 1990 the southern operations (in Greater London plus Southend) became Thamesway. Both companies are now part of First Essex Buses Ltd. If anyone can supply me with more information about Eastern National routes, please and I will add to these descriptions. Thanks go to Brian Benedetti for enlightening me about ENOC routes 14/14A, 15/15A, 264 and 265, Richard Bradley for adding to route 46, Malcolm Payne for writing about route 401, Rick Squirrell for supplying the route 46, 226, 266 and 402 information, and especially Philip Stevens for his exhaustive knowledge of Eastern National (and predecessors’) services.

The left image shows the Eastern National Omnibus Company Official Time Tables (Eastern Section), valid 4th June 1949 and until further notice. It contains 232 pages, includes a fold-out route map at back, and only cost 6d (2½p). The one on the right, from 1st June 1960, covers all services operated by Eastern National except those specifically in the Southend & District Joint Services area. Although it has shrunk to 212 pages, it still includes a fold-out route map inserted into rear cover, express services operated by the Westcliff subsidiary, ferry services at Tilbury and Harwich and coach-air services to Calais. And in 11 years, the price has only doubled to 1/- (5p)!

Before Westcliff Motor Services was taken over by Eastern National, the two companies ran parallel services from Southend to Grays. WMS route 2 started from Victoria Circus, while EN number 70 began its journey from the Victoria Railway Station. The routes then covered the same ground via Hadleigh, Pitsea, Vange, Corringham and Stanford-le-Hope, to Grays (War Memorial).

WMS route 2B also went from Southend to Grays, but made a detour via Homesteads instead of Corringham. It was an hourly service, augmented by some short running timings from South Benfleet (Tarpots Corner) to Grays. As Basildon New Town was developed, these short runnings were diverted to the area as WMS 84. When EN took over Westcliff in the early 1950s, the 84 was renumbered 248 to fit in with the Basildon numbering system. Shortly after, all the services via Corringham became number 2 (allowing the number 70 to be used elsewhere on the network). As bus patronage dropped, the 2 was cut to running just between Southend and Basildon, which is the situation today. Route 2B has completely disappeared.

The related route 2A is dicussed in the route 15 & 15A description.

Another route in the “2” series was the 2C. It was basically a workers’ bus that ran from Southend to the oil refineries at Shell Haven and Coryton (which were also served by London Transport country bus route 349 from Grays). The EN 2C service had the distinction of being the earliest to leave Southend on Sunday mornings, at 4.40 am. It no longer operates.

Obviously, split “E” plates are much rarer as they were usually produced where there was insufficient room to accommodate every route on a separate plate, and this tended to be on just a few stops in town centres, this one probably having come from Romford. It should also be noted that suffix routes for other operators were especially unusual.

The 14/14A and 15/15A/15B was really a single group of services between Romford, Hornchurch, Upminster, Basildon and Southend. The 14 and 14A were a very thin strand of the operation with only three through journeys on Monday to Friday, and just one on Saturdays, but with half a dozen additional shorts from the Basildon Industrial Estates to Southend (down to two on Saturdays). From Basildon the 14 and 14A continued to Southend via Rayleigh Weir and the Arterial Road (A127). Between Romford and Basildon the 14 served West Horndon Station, while the 14A briefly parted company just after Cranham, travelling via Alma Factory and then passing the early ’60s landmark known as “Homefields Garage” on the A127, rejoining the 14 at East Horndon (Halfway House)—both routes then leaving the A127, again, to penetrate Basildon. These services have all long since disappeared.

This “E” plate must date somewhat earlier than the late 1970s.

Westcliff Motor Service’s route 2A ran from Southend to Romford via the Old Southend Road estuary route, taking in Westcliff, Chalkwell and Leigh; then through Hadleigh, Pitsea, Vange, Laindon, Upminster and Hornchurch. Romford was well within the London Transport area and was served by two LT garages. The 2A departures leaving Southend at 15 minutes past each hour and Romford at 25 minutes past each hour were routed via Alma Factory (near Warley), while the departures at .45 from Southend and .55 from Romford travelled by way of West Horndon Station. During weekday peak hours and on Saturdays there were additional buses to create a 15 minute service interval, with the added journeys going via West Horndon. The 2A had the distinction of being the earliest service to leave Southend on weekdays at 5.05 am.

To avoid the confusion of having two routes (via West Horndon and Alma Factory) both numbered 2A, they were renumbered 15 (via West Horndon) and 15A (via Alma Factory) in the early 1960s. The routes were also diverted through the now-growing Basildon New Town. (Within Basildon the 15 and 15A passed through the town centre, whereas the companion 15B focused on industrial traffic, such as the Marconi factory.) From June 24th 1963, a major recasting of this group began with the replacement of routes 15/15A by a new, less-frequent route 26 (still serving Upminster) and an addition to the 251, 30 (later 351) group in April 1964 in the shape of a further, Wood Green–Southend trunk service, numbered 151, favouring the more promising Romford–Brentwood–Shenfield traffic areas (with dense, new overspill housing estates in the Shenfield–Hutton–Billericay–Wickford corridor) to the expense of the sparsely populated Upminster–Horndon section. The 15B lingered a little longer, but by the end of the decade had been replaced by route 26A.

Eastern National routes 26 began operating on 24 June 1963 between Romford and Southend via Hornchurch, Upminster, Basildon, Pitsea, Hadleigh, Leigh, Chalkwell and Westcliff, replacing routes 15 and 15A. The 26A served industrial areas on the outskirts of town instead of Basildon town centre.

In 1952, Eastern National route 46 provided a very sparse service on Tuesdays and Fridays only between Chelmsford and Fyfield via Roxwell and Willingale, with the Friday service being extended to Matching Green via Moreton and High Laver. By 1957 the route had been extended into London Transport territory at Harlow, terminating at Harlow New Town Centre—probably in the Bus Station. It also now ran daily, although most journeys operated only between Chelmsford and Willingale. The 46 was still operating in 1965, and the number of journeys serving Harlow had increased; however, it seems that at some time after 1975 the route was diverted to terminate in Ongar. A very limited service is still provided over this route.

This “E” plate may have come from a location in Ongar, one of only about four stops in either direction between the Four Wantz roundabout and the terminus at the Red Cow, but it is also possible that it could have been posted in Harlow.

Eastern National routes 151 and 251 were very long-established trunk routes that ran from Wood Green [EN] Depôt to Southend-on-Sea via Turnpike Lane Station, Seven Sisters, Blackhorse Road Station, Walthamstow (Bell), Southend Road, Gants Hill, Newbury Park, Eastern Avenue, Romford. Gallows Corner, Harold Park, Brentwood, Shenfield and Billericay. The 151 then continued via Basildon, Pitsea, Thundersley, Hadleigh, Leigh and Westcliff to Southend; whereas the 251 ran to Southend via Wickford, Rayleigh, Eastwood, and Prittlewell. In latter days the 151 was diverted to run to Canvey, but both routes have long since been withdrawn. Together with the 351, they once provided six buses per hour between Wood Green and Brentwood. Such memories!

The precise routeing of Eastern National route 226 has varied down the years (as with many other services), but most recently it ran as a Romford Market–Brentwood Station service via Cranham, St. Mary’s Lane and Bulphan. This was something of a compromise to provide a basic service to Bulphan. It is marked on the London bus map for 1986 with this routing, but Rick Squirrell recalls that some years earlier it may have been running Brentwood–Bulphan–Basildon.

The lettering on the second “E” plate is the much rarer light (almost NBC) green.

The famous “City” Omnibus route, from London (Wood Green) to Southend via Turnpike Lane Station, Seven Sisters, Blackhorse Road Station, Walthamstow (Bell), Southend Road, Gants Hill, Newbury Park, Eastern Avenue, Romford. Gallows Corner, Harold Park, Brentwood, Shenfield, Billericay, Wickford, Rayleigh, Eastwood, and Prittlewell.

Eastern National 2466 [268 GVW]—a two-year-old Bristol LD6B with an Eastern Coach Works H33/27R body—departs from the coach station at 727 Lordship Lane (generally known as “Wood Green depôt”) on a 251 journey to Southend in 1958. The Bus Station was opened by the City Omnibus Company in the 1920s, then passed to Westcliff Motor Services in 1929. Five years later it was sold to the City Coach Company, which was in turn bought by Orange Luxury Coaches in 1938. After World War II it became an Eastern National property. The building to the right was a Congregational Church. In the 1980s the site was redeveloped as a WHSmith, and about a decade later was converted into a Mecca Bingo Hall.

Eastern National route 253 was the Brentwood (High Street) to Upminster Station service. It was withdrawn in the early 1970s because of poor patronage.

Eastern National 261 ran—at extremities—between Little Warley (The Greyhound) and Ongar (Two Brewers). This plate would have been displayed at Warley (Fords), Brentwood Station, High Street and (I think) the stop at Ongar Road & North Road, after which the 261 peeled off right (and out of London Transport jurisdiction) towards Bishops Hall and the country route to Blackmore and Ongar. Then back in to LT territory at four stops in Ongar: Four Wantz, Station, High Street and the pub.

Philip Stevens adds, “When Westcliff Motor Services took over the services in the Brentwood area from City Coach Company, the route that became known as 260 ran in many different combinations. That same configuration remained when Eastern National took over Westcliff. Officially, the main route was Laindon Railway Station to Ongar. In reality, I'm not certain that any bus undertook this [journey] in its entirety. Buses tended to run in varying sections: Ongar to Brentwood (Selo Works) via Blackmore, Ongar to Selo Works via Kelvendon Common, Laindon to Warley Water Works, Brentwood to Herongate Old Dog and Brentwood to Little Warley. (The section from Ongar to Brentwood was also covered by LT Country route 339.) At that time, Route 261 ran from Brentwood (Woodman Road) to Stondon Church. Presumably, it was to simplify route 260 that the new numbering system was introduced.”

There were maybe a total of sixteen stops in all on each side of the road within London Transport territory, thus making this “E” plate fairly rare.

The 264 was a Brentwood town service (High Street–‘White Horse’–Hutton Village) and, as such, was unaffected by the London Transport Special Area provisions, the “E” plate featured, therefore, originating in Brentwood High Street. (All stops in Brentwood town centre were erected and maintained by London Transport—even those with exclusively ENOC services, which suggests that there may have been LT-style Eastern National stop flags—hence the typically LT style of the plates.)

I believe this “E” plate would have been displayed on “up” stops within the London Transport area, where ENOC did not have local carriage authority.

Eastern National route 265 ran from Bulphan to Brentwood Station. It replaced an all-day, hourly service of the 252 (plus one journey on route 261) from the Selo establishment (before the factory closed) via Woodman Road, also part of the mid- late-’60s route recastings.

In common with the route 264 “E” plate, this one almost undoubtedly comes from Brentwood High Street (or possibly the request half-way down Kings Road). Nonetheless, it is a very nice example of the rare indeed five-line “E” plate!

Eastern National route 266 ran from Warley or Brentwood (station or High Street) to Blackmore and this “E” plate will likely have come from the long common section between Warley and Kelvedon Hatch (which was covered by Country Area route 339). However, since the 339 used to run shorts from Brentwood to Coxtie Green and the 266 has covered this section at certain times (’though mostly as a replacement for withdrawn 339 journeys), the plate might also have come from a location on Coxtie Green Road.

Eastern National routes 305, 306 and 309 all ran in the Bishops Stortford area. The 305 provided just a couple of journeys on Mondays to Saturdays between Bishops Stortford (Station Road) and Langley (Lower Green) via Manuden, Clavering and Sheepcote Green. The 306 also provided just a couple of journeys from Bishops Stortford to Langley, but ran instead via Stanstead, Ugley, Quendon, Newport, Wicken Bonhunt and Clavering. The 309 was a local daily service between Havers Lane Estate (Ward Crescent) and Heath Row (Manston Drive) via Bishops Stortford.

All split “E” plates are rather uncommon, but this one is especially interesting as it is a triple-split plate which only occured in places where there was a great many routes serving one stop. Obviously this would have been in Bishops Stortford town centre, and these Eastern National route numbers may not have appeared on very many stops at all. This is an astonishingly rare example.

Eastern National route 351 ran from Wood Green Depôt, London, to Chelmsford via Walthamstow, Romford and Brentwood.

The second “E” plate would likely have been displayed at stops that were compulsory only for London Transport buses.

Eastern National route 401 was a summer-only service renumbered from X11 on 18 April 1971. One limited stop return journey was provided on Saturdays and Sundays (also Monday to Friday during the summer) from Enfield via Edmonton, Walthamstow, Leyton, Snaresbrook and Newbury Park, then the same as route 400 (via Romford, Gidea Park, Laindon, Basildon, Pitsea, Benfleet and Westcliff) to Southend. (A Gants Hill stop added later). Passengers were not carried for journeys entirely within London. After September 1972 the 401 was withdrawn during winter months. It last ran on 7 September 1974. (It was advertised to run 15 June to 6 September 1975, but believed not to have operated.) East of Gants Hill the 400 (previously X10) and 401 had joint plates, so this was probably from Enfield or Edmonton [and dates from 1973].

Eastern National route 402 was one of several innovative services which sprang up followng the opening of the Dartford Tunnel. It ran with limited stops only between Dartford and Southend via the Dartford Tunnel, Grays, Basildon, Tarpots, Hadleigh, Leigh and Westcliff, and was confined to just two return trips daily. Along with other attempts to operate a viable local cross-Thames service, it ultimately proved unsuccessful, but did offer the curiosity of sighting Tilling green ENOC buses alongside red London Transport buses in Dartford, both of which stood out from the sea of Lincoln green LT country buses there. Other routes which have been tried were the LT Tunnel Express (which also carried cycles in a specially modified fleet of buses), London Transport 300 (Grays–Dartford), and Green Line/Southend Transport joint service 795 (Southend–Brighton, running from approximately 1981 to 1995). More recently the link passed to Arriva who report more success with their current Grays–Bluewater shopping centre service.

I believe that this plate was located at either Grays or Dartford.

This Eastern Scottish (express services) “E” plate will very likely have originated from Golders Green station. These services came off the M1 (and before that, the A1) and served Golders Green as a major northern suburban interchange. Their successors still do, I believe.

Thanks go to Rick Squirrell for explaining Eastern Scottish’s services.

The members of Eastlander Coaches varied over the years: in the 15 June 1968 London Transport local guide for Harlow it was a consortium of Associated Motorways, Bunty Coaches, Grey Green Coaches and Premier Travel, offering a Felixstowe to Cheltenham service which called at Harlow Bus Station. There was also service from Clacton to Cheltenham which called at Bishops Stortford, Tring and Aylesbury (and no doubt other places in the Country Area).