Mercedes 709D and 811D midibuses, Reeve Burgess bodywork

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Eastern National Citybus

Eastern National 709D Eastern National was quick to take advantage of London's tendering of routes, and won the W9 on the first tender round. This route, Enfield-Muswell Hill Broadway, had been one of London's first minibus routes, using Ford Strachan's minibuses and then short Bristol BS midibuses, followed by more substantial BLs. Eastern National took over in 1985, using middle-aged Bedford YMQ midibuses, branding the route the "W-Niner" and treating the populous to the unusual sight of black, green and cream midibuses bearing LT bullseyes as well as the Eastern National fleetname.

0245 - 0260

In 1988 Eastern National updated the route with a batch of Mercedes 709Ds with Reeve Burgess bodywork, branded now as the Enfield hoppa. Operation was from the Eastern National garage at Ponders End.


Eastern National 709D More were added in the spring of 1989, when Eastern National Citybus (as its London operations were now known) took over operation of Walthamstow area routes W13 and W14, branding these the Woodford hoppa.
W13: Leytonstone - Wanstead - South Woodford - Woodford Green Stn- Woodford Wells
W14: Leyton - Leytonstone - Wanstead - Snaresbrook - South Woodford Stn- Woodford Bridge

0800 - 0804

W13 needed larger midibuses, and Eastern National bought a batch of five larger 811Ds. The 379 (Chingford Station - Yardley Lane Estate) was also acquired from Grey-Green, and used 709Ds, some borrowed initially from Ponders End by Walthamstow, still in Enfield hoppa livery.


Thamesway

In April 1990 the Badgerline Group took over Eastern National, and in July it hived off the London, Hornchurch and Southend operations into a new subsidiary: Thamesway. The only immediate change was to legal notces and fleetnames: at first the new Thamesway logo featured a wiggly Thames under the name.

Thamesway 709D 301 - 306

Thamesway bought a half-dozen 709Ds in November 1990 for use on LRT route 362 from December (Chadwell Heath - Barkingside). These had slightly updated Beaver bodies, with a slightly more rounded style, and larger destination boxes. They were dressed in Thamesway's new livery of maroon and yellow.

Thamesway then bought several substantial batches of similar midibuses for other (ie not LRT) operations (307-387)

388 - 395

In 1991 another eight were bought for Hornchurch, to replace the ageing L608Ds on route 193 (Oldchurch Hospital - Romford Market - Hornchurch - County Park Estate).


Thamesway 811D 805-811

In October 1992 Thamesway won the contract for route D8 (Stratford - Isle of Dogs), and ordered seven new Mercedes 811Ds. These were by now wide-doored Plaxton Beavers. The new buses were late, and other older Beavers had to be drafted in to fill the gap.

First Capital

The Ponders End garage, and the Thamesway operations for London Regional Transport, were transferred to First Capital from Essex Buses (who had reassumed control in March 1996). The Beavers currently working on the LRT contracts were assimilated into the First Capital fleet and renumbered. Nine from the early batches of 709Ds became 561-3, 565-570, while 301-306 became 581-586, and 388-395 became 588-595. 396 became 596. Some of the 811Ds were also acquired and renumbered.

Bus Stop Beavers mini-Metro histories photo refs County Bus