Arriva's economical flagship route turned to become Abellio's flagship. Now we see the newest of bus types around on the 19th busiest London Bus Route, the Enviro400 MMC Hybrids on the 109. Around 28 of them have been ordered with some Tridents and Volvos in Beddington Cross (BC) reblinded for 109.
Once upon a time, 8 April 1951 to be precise, tram routes 16 (Purley circular via Westminster Bridge and Blackfriars) and 18 (Purley circular via Blackfriars and Westminster Bridge) were replaced by a bus route numbered 109 born with a massive PVR of 88, 52 from Brixton (BN) and 36 from Thornton Heath (TH), that is on Mondays to Fridays, you then have Saturday's allocation total of 65, Brixton (BN) giving out 41 and Thornton Heath (TH) giving the remainder (24). Sunday's allocation forms of 28, 12 from BN and 16 from TH, this is quite astonishing since Monday to Friday allocation is 88 and Sundays is 28, a massive difference of 60 buses, don't you think?
Once upon a time, 8 April 1951 to be precise, tram routes 16 (Purley circular via Westminster Bridge and Blackfriars) and 18 (Purley circular via Blackfriars and Westminster Bridge) were replaced by a bus route numbered 109 born with a massive PVR of 88, 52 from Brixton (BN) and 36 from Thornton Heath (TH), that is on Mondays to Fridays, you then have Saturday's allocation total of 65, Brixton (BN) giving out 41 and Thornton Heath (TH) giving the remainder (24). Sunday's allocation forms of 28, 12 from BN and 16 from TH, this is quite astonishing since Monday to Friday allocation is 88 and Sundays is 28, a massive difference of 60 buses, don't you think?
By October 1957, it was decided the route's Westminster loop on Sundays to be withdrawn, and Blackfriars loops left how it is. Have I forgot to tell you the allocation of buses? It was RTs. Oh and one more thing to the change, Brixton (BN)'s Sunday allocation was withdrawn too. The PVR of 28 decreased to Thornton Heath's 12. Mon-Fri was decreased by 8 buses and Saturday's shortened to 58. Quite a change.
Seven months later (April 1958), BN took back some of TH's Sunday allocation, though still staying 12 in total. You also have Mon-Fri decreasing, by another two making 78 and the Saturday allocation changed to 53. At this rate it's gonna continue decreasing right?
Brixton (BN) loses it's Sunday allocation once again, this time, the Sunday Blackfriars' loop is withdrawn too! Mon-Fri allocation decreased by two buses again. Saturday/Sunday PVRs stay the same.
Two thirds of a decade later on the 29th of January 1964, part RTL type (RTs with Leyland chassis) introduced on Saturdays from Brixton (BN). The weekday PVR set to total of 72 (BN 39+ TH 33) with Saturday's being BN 39+3 and TH 9 totalling a decrease of two to 51. Three months later RTW types replaced RT/RTL types at Brixton. PVR on Saturdays changed to BN 37/TH 14, totalling 51 still. This was pretty much lame changes for 13 years now don't you think? Tell you what, an interesting change happened...
...109's Sunday service was disintegrated except for some early morning journeys. Saturday PVR changed to BN 34 & TH 14. Pretty much a big cut don't you agree? At least in those times you had loads of routes to choose from and some to confuse with others (i.e 18/18A/18B/18C running on the same corridor with some heading to Brent Park, Neasden, or Sudbury).
Then by the end of October 1970, Sunday 109s were converted to single deck operation, of course it was still the morning journeys that were being operated, but with single decks instead of double decks. Mon-Fri total PVR increased by 1.
Then by the end of October 1970, Sunday 109s were converted to single deck operation, of course it was still the morning journeys that were being operated, but with single decks instead of double decks. Mon-Fri total PVR increased by 1.
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| © David Christie RT4173 (LYF232) on stand in Embankment on 23rd of February 1972. |
A year later in July, 1975, the Saturday Brixton (BN) allocation gained Daimlers free from 133. A few months after that peculiar change, was another peculiar change in allocation! Weekdays Brixton allocation converted to Routemasters now. That makes two random Brixton allocation changes if you needn't realized!
While we move a step forward, we're now reading in the timeline of 1978, where there were three changes onto the route, mainly on allocations. The weekday Routemaster convertion upgraded onto Daimlers. Five months later in August, Thornton Heath (TH) also upgarded from Routemasters to Daimlers! I'll tell you the PVR before the 109 went upside down.
PVR in ratio of Mon-Fri. Saturday and Sunday BN/TH combined: 62:30:2
A weird ratio if you ask me.
The 109's Sunday service finally came back to life once again! But it only ran between South Croydon (Bus Garage, TC) to Brixton with 10 Daimlers from Thornton Heath (TH). Running numbers were TH 71+ and as for Brixton, it was 1+. This Sunday reintroduction allowed the 59 to be withdrawn.
If you're wondering 109 stayed Daimlers, you were incorrect on that part, from 15th August 1981, the allocated Daimlers found themselves a new home at Westbourne Park (X) for the 18's conversion. In exchange, 109 received Routemasters.
A chain reaction involved, just a year after the previous change, Thornton Heath also reconverted 109 to Routemasters! It seems through 109's history BN and TH were doing the same thing only distance of time apart.
The long 109 began to slowly shorten itself, only 3 years late did it cut itself to South Croydon Bus Garage and made a second branch from Kennington, running to Elephant & Castle only on Saturdays, of course the first branch still ran to Embankment on Mondays to Fridays. As you may have noticed, the Sunday service was cut yet again. A new 59 replaced the withdrawn Purley to South Croydon section and Sunday service.
Twelve months past, on the same month as the last change which was the start of February. The route further cut itself to Croydon Park Street where it now stands currently.
Another twelve months has passed and yet again on February. This time the route cut itself off the loop around Wesminster/Blackfriars from Embankment and reinstate itself to Trafalgar Square via Whitehall Horseguards. The route also converted to One Man Operation (OPO) as an additional change.
Getting closer to the current, we see Thornton Heath (TH) be replaced by a new garage to the route, Streatham (AK). That change was in 1990, and just a year later Streatham (AK) also discarded 109's Brixton (BN) allocation making all the seperate PVR combined as one by 1991 where AK took over TH's 109 operation.
As a ratio, the PVR stands by: 25:25:0. The route being allocated Metrobuses.
Thirteen months later in March 1992, Brixton (BN) and Thornton Heath (TH) came back into the game. But leaving the contestant Streatham (AK) to withdraw from the game and Croydon (TC) to step in AK's position.
If you'd like to know the ratio, it'd be:
Monday to Friday: 0 BN: 17 TC: 20 TH
Saturday: 7 BN: 13 TC: 10 TH
Sunday: 6 BN: 6 TC: 9 TH
In this wild process, the 59 was withdrawn yet again. So this concludes the Sunday service was back. This seems to look like switching the light on and off repeatedly, this Sunday service on/off I mean.
BN and TH allocated the route Titans and TC decided to throw in Leylands, that's if I'm correct with the buses. In the same process. 109 was extended back to Purley.
The game followed on and 2 years later in 1994, Brixton (BN) lost the game. It is now upto TH and TC to get a hold of 109 for themselves!
This same year, but on 11th March (1994). A new night route was introduced, with the shadow number 'N109'. This route served Aldwych to Coulsdon Red Lion via Elephant and then via 109 hence the route number, but it often had another route to follow on from Croydon, and that was to New Addington where there was (at least now) no night service. This N109 mainly replaced N78, former 278. As London Transport left numbers from around 276-99 to night routes and now renumbered them with an 'N' prefix. This night route was operated by London Central from their Camberwell (Q) base with 9 Titans during every night.
And two months later that same year in March did TH win the game and held the trophy for operating 109 single-handed. After 27 months of this trustworthy award, did BN lend a hand to TH. That was in June 1996.
29th of August 1998 is the date that 109 was cut from Purley to Croydon for good which is sadly one of Purley's only link to Central London. Partly replaced by an extended 60 from South Croydon to Old Coulsdon Tudor Rose which replaced the 50 as well.
The 109 was a remarkable route, running from Purley once to Embankment in a loop via Westminster or Blackfriars now reduced to Croydon to Brixton, as of 1999 when the 159 was rerouted from Lambeth Bridge to serve Westminster Bridge replacing 109 which as I mentioned cut down to Brixton. It became a relatively short busy route. Thornton Heath's running number if I had not mentioned was 1+.
It was the time that 109's Euro1 vehicles to be replaced by Euro2 vehicles, a newer less emission type reducing pollution levels. In the form of DAF DB250LF 10.2m Alexander ALX400s. These Euro2s were also low-floor, allowing wheelchair users to get in the bus with ease compared to step-entrance which ran until approximately 2005. The same year as this change, which was in 1999, seen our N109 replaced with a newer N159 replacing N109, but ran between New Addington like N109, to Marble Arch via 159 and did not run via Elephant unlike N109 or Coulsdon. The Coulsdon part was served by N68.
By 01/02/03, Arriva London South retained their contract for 109, it was around the same time 03reg DLAs, of Euro3 standards, began straying themselves on the route. I believe these were the new allocation for the contract or for other routes somewhere in the Croydon area.
As of 2010, N109 came back from the discarded dead bus routes to live again. This time under TfL, decided for N109 to run from Croydon to Oxford Circus. And a newly introduced N64 to replace the New Addington area paralleling 64 from Addington Village onwards. N109 was operated by Arriva like 109 this time, and allocated 109's DLAs.
These vehicles are good, even though they're Voith. They can make you enjoy a journey when fast, at least on other routes. But a disturbance occurred somewhere in 2012, when 19/N19 and 249 moved to London General, Arriva decided to shuffle their South division, moving the 50 and 109/N109 to Brixton (BN) to accomdate 19's lost space, within the process, 450 moved to TH allowing Croydon (CN in Beddington) to shut down. Which caused a lot of mess.
While we move a step forward, we're now reading in the timeline of 1978, where there were three changes onto the route, mainly on allocations. The weekday Routemaster convertion upgraded onto Daimlers. Five months later in August, Thornton Heath (TH) also upgarded from Routemasters to Daimlers! I'll tell you the PVR before the 109 went upside down.
PVR in ratio of Mon-Fri. Saturday and Sunday BN/TH combined: 62:30:2
A weird ratio if you ask me.
The 109's Sunday service finally came back to life once again! But it only ran between South Croydon (Bus Garage, TC) to Brixton with 10 Daimlers from Thornton Heath (TH). Running numbers were TH 71+ and as for Brixton, it was 1+. This Sunday reintroduction allowed the 59 to be withdrawn.
If you're wondering 109 stayed Daimlers, you were incorrect on that part, from 15th August 1981, the allocated Daimlers found themselves a new home at Westbourne Park (X) for the 18's conversion. In exchange, 109 received Routemasters.
A chain reaction involved, just a year after the previous change, Thornton Heath also reconverted 109 to Routemasters! It seems through 109's history BN and TH were doing the same thing only distance of time apart.
The long 109 began to slowly shorten itself, only 3 years late did it cut itself to South Croydon Bus Garage and made a second branch from Kennington, running to Elephant & Castle only on Saturdays, of course the first branch still ran to Embankment on Mondays to Fridays. As you may have noticed, the Sunday service was cut yet again. A new 59 replaced the withdrawn Purley to South Croydon section and Sunday service.
Twelve months past, on the same month as the last change which was the start of February. The route further cut itself to Croydon Park Street where it now stands currently.
Another twelve months has passed and yet again on February. This time the route cut itself off the loop around Wesminster/Blackfriars from Embankment and reinstate itself to Trafalgar Square via Whitehall Horseguards. The route also converted to One Man Operation (OPO) as an additional change.
Getting closer to the current, we see Thornton Heath (TH) be replaced by a new garage to the route, Streatham (AK). That change was in 1990, and just a year later Streatham (AK) also discarded 109's Brixton (BN) allocation making all the seperate PVR combined as one by 1991 where AK took over TH's 109 operation.
As a ratio, the PVR stands by: 25:25:0. The route being allocated Metrobuses.
Thirteen months later in March 1992, Brixton (BN) and Thornton Heath (TH) came back into the game. But leaving the contestant Streatham (AK) to withdraw from the game and Croydon (TC) to step in AK's position.
If you'd like to know the ratio, it'd be:
Monday to Friday: 0 BN: 17 TC: 20 TH
Saturday: 7 BN: 13 TC: 10 TH
Sunday: 6 BN: 6 TC: 9 TH
In this wild process, the 59 was withdrawn yet again. So this concludes the Sunday service was back. This seems to look like switching the light on and off repeatedly, this Sunday service on/off I mean.
BN and TH allocated the route Titans and TC decided to throw in Leylands, that's if I'm correct with the buses. In the same process. 109 was extended back to Purley.
The game followed on and 2 years later in 1994, Brixton (BN) lost the game. It is now upto TH and TC to get a hold of 109 for themselves!
This same year, but on 11th March (1994). A new night route was introduced, with the shadow number 'N109'. This route served Aldwych to Coulsdon Red Lion via Elephant and then via 109 hence the route number, but it often had another route to follow on from Croydon, and that was to New Addington where there was (at least now) no night service. This N109 mainly replaced N78, former 278. As London Transport left numbers from around 276-99 to night routes and now renumbered them with an 'N' prefix. This night route was operated by London Central from their Camberwell (Q) base with 9 Titans during every night.
And two months later that same year in March did TH win the game and held the trophy for operating 109 single-handed. After 27 months of this trustworthy award, did BN lend a hand to TH. That was in June 1996.
29th of August 1998 is the date that 109 was cut from Purley to Croydon for good which is sadly one of Purley's only link to Central London. Partly replaced by an extended 60 from South Croydon to Old Coulsdon Tudor Rose which replaced the 50 as well.
The 109 was a remarkable route, running from Purley once to Embankment in a loop via Westminster or Blackfriars now reduced to Croydon to Brixton, as of 1999 when the 159 was rerouted from Lambeth Bridge to serve Westminster Bridge replacing 109 which as I mentioned cut down to Brixton. It became a relatively short busy route. Thornton Heath's running number if I had not mentioned was 1+.
It was the time that 109's Euro1 vehicles to be replaced by Euro2 vehicles, a newer less emission type reducing pollution levels. In the form of DAF DB250LF 10.2m Alexander ALX400s. These Euro2s were also low-floor, allowing wheelchair users to get in the bus with ease compared to step-entrance which ran until approximately 2005. The same year as this change, which was in 1999, seen our N109 replaced with a newer N159 replacing N109, but ran between New Addington like N109, to Marble Arch via 159 and did not run via Elephant unlike N109 or Coulsdon. The Coulsdon part was served by N68.
By 01/02/03, Arriva London South retained their contract for 109, it was around the same time 03reg DLAs, of Euro3 standards, began straying themselves on the route. I believe these were the new allocation for the contract or for other routes somewhere in the Croydon area.
As of 2010, N109 came back from the discarded dead bus routes to live again. This time under TfL, decided for N109 to run from Croydon to Oxford Circus. And a newly introduced N64 to replace the New Addington area paralleling 64 from Addington Village onwards. N109 was operated by Arriva like 109 this time, and allocated 109's DLAs.
These vehicles are good, even though they're Voith. They can make you enjoy a journey when fast, at least on other routes. But a disturbance occurred somewhere in 2012, when 19/N19 and 249 moved to London General, Arriva decided to shuffle their South division, moving the 50 and 109/N109 to Brixton (BN) to accomdate 19's lost space, within the process, 450 moved to TH allowing Croydon (CN in Beddington) to shut down. Which caused a lot of mess.
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| Repainted DLA339 (LJ03MFZ) is to start it's slow and dull journey to Croydon |
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| ©Aubrey Morandarte The night variant however steals a bus from 159's allocation, VLA152 (LJ55BPZ) at Trafalgar Square. |
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| VLA163 (LJ55BVR) joins the party. |
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| DW88 (LJ04LGC) starting it's also dull journey to Croydon from Brixton. |
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| DW56 (656DYE) midpoint inhaling passengers |
There are other strays on 109 I would like to list, I have so far listed the VLAs (Volvo B7TL Alexander ALX400s) and first generation DWs (VDL DB250 Wright Pulsar Gemini).
Here is a white blinded VLA of 159's batch (VLA 144-163)
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| White blinded VLA148 (LJ55BTY) on my common 109 area spot to take photos |
I haven't really finished off my post yet! Don't worry though, there's not much left ;)
By 2008 it's contract was extended and by 2010 it received new Enviro400s with 198 and 250. Now that it left TH.
I will finish off this post with the TH fleetlist, BN fleetlist before/after 137 converted to LT operation as well as the new Abellio fleetlist. It is the first time in a lifetime for 109 to be operated by Beddington Cross (BC), if you don't know much about the garage, it was created in 2000 for the 3, of which now the 3 operates in Battersea (QB) with Enviro400 hybrids. Now that 109 is receiving Enviro400 hybrids too, the 3 might move back. But 109 is receiving the first MMCs in London, it may be the first allocated MMC route ignoring 407's MMC double deck. The first MMC appearence ever in London was 2502 (YY64TZB) on 157.
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| ex-38 DW247 (LJ59AAN) with missing black plates on the headlights |
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| DW80 (LJ04LGY) by Streatham Hill |
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| DW295 (LJ59LWA) wondering around Streatham |
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| DLA327 (LG52DBY) an unrefurbished DLA now gone from London service seen doing 109 in it's last months of working |
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| Out of all the bus types that stray on 109 usually, I prefer the DWs, whether they're the ones for 59 or the ex-38 ones. They spark up life on 109 as a Euro5. Not forgetting the HVs are the best in the garage. One of the best B5LHs infact. Here is DW279 (LJ59LWF) |
Now comes the fleetlist:
2010 fleetlist, DLAs marked in red notify ones used on 109 at BN and are now withdrawn. 198/250's DLAs also appeared on the route but I won't add that on this fleetlist:
T118 - LJ10HVO DLA322 - LG52DAO
T119 - LJ10HVP DLA323 - LG52DAU
T120 - LJ10HVR DLA324 - LG52DBO
T121 - LJ10HVA DLA325 - LG52DBU
T122 - LJ10HVB DLA326 - LG52DBV
T123 - LJ10HVC DLA327 - LG52DBY
T124 - LJ10HVD DLA328 - LG52DBZ
T125 - LJ10HVE DLA329 - LG52DCE
T126 - LJ10HVF DLA330 - LG52DCF
T127 - LJ10HVG DLA331 - LG52DCO
T128 - LJ10HVH DLA332 - LG52DCU
T129 - LJ10HVK DLA333 - LG52DCV
T130 - LJ10HVL DLA334 - LG52DCX
T131 - LJ10HTZ DLA335 - LG52DCY
T132 - LJ10HUA DLA336 - LG52DCZ
T133 - LJ10HUH DLA337 - LJ03MFX
T134 - LJ10HUK DLA338 - LJ03MFY
T135 - LJ10HUO DLA339 - LJ03MFZ
T136 - LJ10HUP DLA340 - LJ03MGE
T137 - LJ10HUU DLA341 - LJ03MGU
T138 - LJ10HUV DLA342 - LJ03MGV
T139 - LJ10HUY DLA343 - LJ03MDV
T140 - LJ10HUZ DLA344 - LJ03MDX
T141 - LJ10HTT DLA345 - LJ03MDY
T142 - LJ10HTU DLA346 - LJ03MDZ
T143 - LJ10HTV DLA347 - LJ03MDU
T144 - LJ10HTX
Abellio's Enviro400MMC hybrids:
2487 - YY64TYD
2488 - YY64TYF
2489 - YY64TYG
2490 - YY64TYH
2491 - YY64TYK
2492 - YY64TYO
2493 - YY64TYP
2494 - YY64TYS
2495 - YY64TYT
2496 - YY64TYU
2497 - YY64TYV
2498 - YY64TYW
2499 - YY64TYX
2500 - YY64TYZ
2501 - YY64TZA
2502 - YY64TZB
2503 - YY64TZC
2504 - YY64TZD
2505 - YY64TZE
2506 - YY64TZF
2507 - YY64TZG
2508 - YY64TZH
2509 - YY64TZJ
2510 - YY64TZK
2511 - YY64TZL
2512 - YY64TZM
2513 - YY64TZN
2514 - YY64TZO (407's MMC)
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| ©Aubrey Morandarte 9021 (BX55XLS) as an example of one of the Volvos that were on 109 on the first day of Abellio operation |
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| 2497 (YY64TYV) as one of the MMCs on 109, this one curtailed to West Croydon as you can see |
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