West London is our destination for today on #AYearOfBuses, and we’re taking a look at a route which has had more bus types over the years than we’ve had hot dinners.
The 105 cuts a swathe across West London, linking the suburbs of Greenford and Southall with Heathrow Central. Currently, it runs every 10-15 mins, with buses running 24hrs a day.
It’s of particular interest for the sheer variety of buses which have paced the length and breadth of the route through the years. In 1936, the route began, ran by a fleet of AEC Renowns, and since then, it’s been home to AEC Regents, AEC Routemasters, RTW-class Leyland Titans, RTL-class Titans, crew and single person-operated MCW Metrobuses, Alexander bodied Mercedes-Benz 811D minibuses, Plaxton Pointer, East Lancs Spryte and Marshall Capital bodied Dennis Dart SLFs, Plaxton President bodied Dennis Tridents, Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 bodied Volvo B9TLs, and finally, today, brand new Wright Eclipse Gemini 3 bodied Volvo B5LHs.
…and that’s probably not an exhaustive list!
