London Buses route 157

infobox London Bus
number=157


operator=National Express London
length=12 miles (19 km)
time=46-83 minutes
vehicle=Dennis Trident 2/Alexander ALX400
Volvo B7TL/Wright Eclipse Gemini
garage=Beddington Cross
start=Crystal Palace
end=Morden
via=Norwood Junction
West Croydon
Wallington
Carshalton
level=Daily
frequency=About every 12 minutes
night=No night service
pvr=16
day=5:00am until 1:30am
ibus=yes

London Buses route 157 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Travel London.

The route was contracted to Connex until it was forced to sell off all of its assets in the United Kingdom, due to the poor performance of the Connex South Eastern and Connex South Central rail franchises in the same area of South London. It route shares quite a similar routing as the 410.

History

Today's 157 commenced operation on 13 September 1926 as a daily service between Morden Station and Wallington (Melbourne Hotel) via Morden Road, Bishopsford Road, Sutton and Carshalton. It was one of five new "Underground feeder" routes (155, 156, 157, 164 & 165) that were introduced to connect to the new Northern Line station at Morden, which also opened on 13 September 1926. Three single-deck AEC K-type buses were needed to provide the service. This was the third time that the route number 157 had been used on a motor-bus route in London. Just twelve days later on 25 September 1926, the 157 was re-routed to serve St Helier Avenue. The route must have been well patronised as from 18 March 1927 it was double-decked with 3 AEC NS-type buses being allocated.

As from 1 April 1931 the 157 was again re-routed between Morden and Sutton, this time via the Sutton-by-Pass (today's Reigate Avenue) and Collingwood Road. This routing was changed again as from 28 February 1934 when the 157 was diverted to serve Angel Hill. Less than a month later, as from 25 March 1934, the 157 became a Monday to Saturday only route when the Sunday service was withdrawn. On 16 January 1935, the routing was again changed, this time the 157 was diverted at Rose Hill via Wrythe Lane and North Street to Carshalton, with the route becoming a daily service again, as well as being extended from Morden Station to Raynes Park via South Merton as from 27 February 1935.

In 1954 the RT buses replaced the D Type vehicles that had been allocated to the route since 1945. On 4 March 1959 in the first stage of London Transport's trolleybus replacement scheme the service was extended to Crystal Palace, replacing trolleybus route 654. In 1964 Carshalton garage closed, and a new Saturday service was introduced. In 1970 a Sunday service was added to the route, but this didn't last long as later in the year the Sunday service between Morden and Raynes Park was terminated, as only Monday-Saturday and early Sunday morning services were still keeping the 'Original route'. The service was enhanced due to the withdrawal of the 154 between West Croydon and Crystal Palace in 1981.

In 1987 Leyland Titans were introduced to the route. Near the end of 1988 Sutton Bus was awarded the contract to run the 157 and used MCW Metrobus types, until around 1997 when London General got awarded an early Christmas present as London Buses gave them the contract for the 157, which they used straight away changing the fleet to Volvo Olympians. This carried on until 2001 when they lost the contract to Connex Bus, and as explained before they lost out to Travel London in 2004 although there are still signs of Connex on the buses as the logo used still is inside of the buses.

Current route

Route departing Crystal Palace

*Crystal Palace "Parade"
*Crystal Palace railway station
*Anerley Hill
*Anerley "Madeline Road"
*Anerley railway station
*Anerley Road
*Anerley "Oak Grove Road"
*Croydon Road
*Anerley "Mitre"
*Penge Road "Goat House"
*South Norwood High Street
*Norwood Junction railway station "Clocktower"
*South Norwood "Tennison Road"
*Selhurst railway station
*Selhurst Road
*Northcote Road (for BRIT School)
*Whitehorse Road "Windmill Road"
*Wellesley Road "St. Mary's High School"
*West Croydon station "Bus station"
*Croydon "Tamworth Road" (for Centrale)
*Reeves Corner tram stop (for Church Street)
*Waddon New Road
*Epsom Road
*Waddon railway station "Stafford Road"
*Purley Way "Fiveways Corner"
*Stafford Road "Stafford Gardens"
*Stafford Road "Plough Lane"
*South Beddington
*Wallington "Mellows Park"
*Wallington railway station
*Manor Road
*Carshalton High street
*Carshalton railway station "West Street"
*Carshalton "Wrythe Green"
*Wrythe Lane
*St. Helier Hospital
*St. Helier "Rose Hill"
*St. Helier Avenue "Middleton Road"
*St. Helier Avenue "Central Road"
*Morden-Hall-Road
*Morden "Town Centre"
*Morden Station

Route departing Morden

*Morden Station
*Morden "Town Centre"
*Morden-Hall-Road
*St. Helier Avenue "Middleton Road"
*St. Helier "Rose Hill"
*St. Helier Hospital
*Wrythe Lane
*Carshalton "Wrythe Green"
*Carshalton railway station "West street"
*Carshalton High street
*Manor Road
*Wallington railway station
*Wallington "Mellows Park"
*Stafford Road "Plough Lane"
*Stafford Road "Stafford Gardens"
*Purley Way "Fiveways Corner"
*Waddon railway station
*Waddon "Post Office"
*Waddon New Road
*Croydon Tamworth Road (for Centrale)
*West Croydon station "Bus station"
*Whitehorse Road "Windmill Road"
*Northcote Road (for BRIT School)
*Selhurst Road
*Selhurst railway station
*South Norwood "Tennison Road"
*Norwood Junction railway station "Clocktower"
*South Norwood High Street
*Penge Road "Goat House"
*Anerley "Mitre"
*Anerley "Oak Grove Road"
*Anerley Road
*Anerley railway station
*Anerley Hill
*Crystal Palace railway station
*Crystal Palace "Parade"

Previous route 157s in London

The route number 157 had been used twice prior to its current use.
*Between March 1914 and October 1914 for a Camden Town Epping Forest (High Beach) Sundays only route via Finsbury Park, Clapton and Leyton.
*Between April 1915 and October 1915 for a Finsbury Park Epping Forest (High Beach) Sundays only route via Clapton and Leyton.

ee also

*List of bus routes in London
*National Express Group
*Travel London

External links

* [http://www.tfl.gov.uk Transport for London]
* [http://www.londonbusesbyadam.fotopic.net London Bus Routes Fotopic]
* [http://www.busesatwork.co.uk London Bus Routes]
* [http://www.londonbusroutes.net/times/157full.pdf Full Timetable (PDF)]