GS67

GS: The Guy Special

Prepared by Ian Smith

This page created 24th November 2003

309 GR Harefield (Hill End or St.Mary's Rd) - Woodcock Hill - Rickmansworth (- Garston LT)
361 GR Chorleywood - The Swillet - Heronsgate - Mill End - Rickmansworth (- Garston LT)

309 GR Harefield (Hill End or St.Mary's Rd) - Rickmansworth - Mill End - Heronsgate - Chorleywood (Furze View or The Gate)
309A GR Northwood Stn - Woodcock Hill - Rickmansworth (- Garston LT)

309/361 route map The 309/A, along with the 361, had been operated by the post-war Regal buses, the 15T13s. These had survived the replacement of most of Garston's large saloon fleet by RFs in June 1953, as their traffic was considered not to need the capacity of the new larger buses. The 309 has been cut back to operate between Rickmansworth and Harefield, whereas it had previously worked through to Uxbridge.

The 361 worked the intermittent shuttle service from Rickmansworth L.T.Station to Chorleywood via Heronsgate.

So it was not a great surprise when the elegant Regals were displaced by a pair of GSs in May 1954.

Both routes operated garage runs in service across Watford to Garston - a longer trip than the normal duty!

At some stage the two routes were combined to make a new 309 linking the previous outer ends, still with a GS in charge. During the sixties a 309A variant was introduced, working to Northwood Station, and therefore serving Mount Vernon Hospital.

GS33 at Garston, Jan 68 A GS continued to operate the routes until February 1969, when an omo RF took over on Mondays to Fridays. Even after then the number could be seen on a GS when the 336A bus returned to Garston garage, and on the very last day of normal GS operation, 29th March 1972, after the events on the 336A GS42 ran back to Garston as a 309.

GS33 at Garston in January 1968.
Photo, used with permission, by Geoffrey Tribe

Allocation

The 309 shared Garston's GS allocation with the 361 and the 336A - GS 71 for the last of these being the first allocated in December 1953. Three more followed in May 1954 for the 309/361, and the allocation remained at about four until 1963, after which it was three or four. From May 1967, when RFs officially took over the 309 it stayed at three, falling to two (for the 336A) after February 1969, when the RF allocation really operated.

GS9:  10/61 - 11/61
GS15:  2/65 -  2/69
GS16: 10/57 - 11/57
GS17:  5/65 -  3/71
GS20:  9/62 -  9/62
GS28:       -  2/57,  2/61 -  5/61, 11/61 -  3/63,  9/64 -  5/65
GS30:  9/57 -  1/58,  3/58 - 10/58, 10/62 -  9/64
GS31: 10/62 -  9/64
GS33: 11/65 -  3/72
GS34:  9/61 -  4/62
GS40: 12/58 -  1/59
GS42:  2/55 - 10/61,  9/64 - 11/65,  3/71 -  3/72
GS50:  4/62 - 12/62
GS54: 12/62 -  3/63
GS55:       -  2/65,  2/67 -  5/67
GS57:  */6* -  5/67
GS60:  4/62 -  2/67
GS62:       -  9/57
GS67:       -  5/58, 10/58 - 10/62
GS69:  1/63 -  2/63
GS70:       - 10/57,  1/58 -  9/58
GS71: 12/53 -  8/58,  1/59 - 10/62
GS75:  5/54 - 
GS76:       - 10/58, 12/58 -  4/62
GS80:  9/58 - 12/58

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Bus Stop GS GS Routes bus histories photo refs