Staff buses

[Busaholic]

I also recall seeing GSs on the A3 southbound at New Malden taking workers home. Would this have been for former staff at a closed London Country maintenance depot, taking workers home from Chiswick or Aldenham?

You probably saw one of Reigate's staff buses taking staff home from both Aldenham and Chiswick, on the same bus, and calling at Redhill and Woodhatch on its way back to Reigate garage. GSs started being used here in 1963, the first being GS26 which was replaced by GS62 in 1967 before being finalliy withdrawn in February 1973, although GS10 there lasted until October 1973.

On the break-up of London Transport buses in 1970, five GSs were retained in LT ownership (all staff buses) and ten others were transferred to London Country ownership, although only three saw operation there, all on the one bus 336A allocation. Those at Reigate on 1/1/1970 on staff bus duty were stlll owned by LT, not LC, but were maintained by the latter. Reigate, incidentally, had been a major repair centre in early LT days and had a large number of Chiswick employees.

The very last GS staff bus, based at Abbey Wood, was GS52, withdrawn from that duty in 1974, GS50 having performed that role from 1963 until 1967 when I used to see it going home outside my school at Catford on the South Circular Road. Incidentally, the old Plumstead garage (code AM) operated GS staff buses too, the last being withdrawn in 1969, and New Cross had a couple earlier in that decade. They existed because some staff from the former tram works in Charlton were transferred to Aldenham Works, so these buses never went to Chiswick Works as far as I'm aware.

Hope that helps.