 | Photo © Ian Armstrong. |
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The 220 was the first London United route to gain low floor double deckers, with Alexander bodied Volvo B7TLs. Most of those can still be found on the route, but their appearance has changed considerably since this page was last updated, so some new photos are in order. I do not have an up-to-date photo of one of the early VAs, so instead here is VA293 (SK52 MNV) passing along Wood Lane near North Pole Road. This is one of a later batch bought for route 148, which have since been displaced by more new buses. From this angle they look similar, though these are 3 years younger, but a significant difference is the staircase position, which is central on the earlier examples but forward on these.
| Photo © Ian Armstrong. |
Part of the intended new allocation for route 148 mentioned above was of East Lancs Olympus bodied Scanias to form a new SO class. These were needed to allow for the extension of route 131 to Tooting, but the SOs were allocated to the 148 displacing VAs to Hounslow and TAs to Fulwell for the 131. However, a serious problem with double deckers in recent years has been their weight with all the extra gadgets being specified by TfL. In the case of the SOs, the threshold was finally breached, and they failed the tilt test. To get round this, a few seats were removed and they were certified with a reduced number of standing passengers. However, this meant they no longer met the TfL capacity requirements! They were therefore replaced by integral Scania OmniCitys, which ironically suffered the same fate but were able to be rectified.
The result is that the SOs became technically surplus, but they have been kept on on short term lease, and have made themselves useful as engineering and refurbishment cover. For a while they were concentrated on the 220, although several have now moved to other garages. SO5 (YN07 LHV) is seen venturing across Putney Bridge on 16 February 2009. The experimental leather seating can be seen – this is actually intended as an anti-vandalism measure rather than to improve the interior enivonment. (I hate leather seats anyway!)
 | Photo © Brian Creasey. |
Another small class at London United is often to be found on the 220. Just 3 Wright Eclipse Gemini bodied Volvo B7TLs were ordered in 2001, and delivered the following year, for evaluation. They cannot have been well received as no further orders have followed. Nonetheless the three have remained in the fleet, and were moved from Fulwell to Shepherd's Bush owing to the former garage having no other Volvos. Strangely, two subsequently moved to Stamford Brook, splitting the small fleet, though one returned to Shepherd's Bush. VR226 (BD51 YCR) has however remained at Shepherd's Bush, and is seen on the 220 again near North Pole, a little closer than the first photograph!
 | Photo © Ian Armstrong. |
The 220 came into being by replacing most of the long 630 trolleybus, which ran from Croydon and Mitcham via Wandsworth and Hammersmith to Harlesden. This route also had variants numbered 626 and 628, which ran to Clapham Junction, and these had in turn replaced trams 30, 26 and 28 running over much the same roads. However, the Croydon - Mitcham leg of the 630 was replaced by extending route 64 (Addington - Croydon) (now covered by the 264). Subsequently the Mitcham - Wandsworth leg of the 220 became the 270.
The 220 is still kept busy, however. It is most useful between Putney and Shepherd’s Bush, but also provides the only service along Scrubs Lane in North Kensington. With the section to Wandsworth, the route allows a through journey right across inner West London.
Another significant historical point about the 220 is that it, together with route 95, was on 2 January 1971 host to the first DMS-class Daimler Fleetlines for London. (In 1971 the 95 ran from Cannon Street to Tooting. The service gradually petered out and was finally withdrawn in 1991, having largely been superseded by route 133.) The DMSs were very unreliable and so LT started withdrawing them prematurely. However, operators outside London who bought examples of what, to them, were modern buses, found that they had made excellent purchases once all the 'LT' specification features such as centre doors and safety interlocks had been removed!
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