Location Details

Name:	Reigate Garage
Type:	Bus Garage
Code:	RG
Dates:	1912 - 4/1996
Status:	Closed
Info:
Current vehicles:	0 ?This is the amount of vehicles listed as being currently allocated to this location.
All vehicles:	300 ?This is the amount of vehicles listed as ever being allocated to this location (subject to the comprehensiveness of our vehicle history records!).
Photos:	4 ?This is the number of published photos that were taken at this location. (See below)
Sightings:	33 ?This is the amount of sightings reported at this location.

Location Notes

Text	Date	Posted by
My recollections of Reigate? Walking past it every day for 5 years on my way to school. I used the Green Line 727 service, and alighted at the Lesbourne Road stop. During the period when I used this, the main vehicles were the ECW-bodied TL class of Leyland Tigers (TL 7/8/15/21 ring a bell) working as RG71-75, with St Albans working from the other end with the Plaxton Paramount bodied TP class of Letland Tigers (TP31-35) working as SA91-94. Being a long route (Luton Airport - Crawley Bus Stn), the journey home hardly ever run on time as delays built up during the day.	06/07/2007	John G
Reigate, based in South Bell Street, was also a CB&C Divisional Office (Reigate 42411). Many a strange 'find' (including new deliveries) could be seen plus 2RT2s, RLH and many service vehicles. There was a large docking/repair area at the rear and a nice gents just inside the main door, on the right and up some stairs.	07/07/2007	Ray
Reigate bus garage was originally constructed for the East Surrey Traction Company on Bell Street in September 1912. In January 1932, a larger garage had been opened in the adjacent Lesbourne Road, which increased the vehicle capacity up to 170, with the Bell Street premises being used as a bus store (eventually being demolished in 1987 to make way for residential flats). The Lesbourne Road site was acquired by the London Passenger Transport Board in 1933 (garage code ''RG'') and became part of the ''Country Area'' operations of green country buses and Green Line coaches. It passed to London Country Bus Services, part of the newly formed National Bus Company in 1970, who created the company's headquarters in an adjacent building on what was the rear of the Bell Street site. Reigate passed to London Country South West (later London & Country) upon the deregulation of the bus industry in 1986. Reigate remained a busy garage during the 1980s, supporting local bus services including 405 (to West Croydon), 411 (to Caterham), 414 (to Dorking), 422 (to Sutton) and local services such as the 430/435 (to Merstham). Green Line coach operations were concentrated on the long 727 service, which took over 3 hours to connect Crawley in West Sussex with Luton Airport in Bedfordshire, and which required a five vehicle allocation (RG71-75). National Express services were also provided by Green Line, as were a number of National Holidays tours. Between 1991 and 1996, Reigate was a major player in the Leyland National ''Greenway'' and ''Urban Bus'' projects. After 64 years service, Reigate's closure was announced in 1996. The new replacement depot, to the rear of British Telecom premises in Station Road, Merstham was made available ahead of schedule, and the last day of Reigate operation was Sunday 14 April. The last Reigate duties were completely overlooked by many local enthusiasts who instead visited the nearby Cobham Bus Museum open day, and the special ''farewell'' services laid on were instead well received by local travellers.	01/04/2013	John G
Redhill Waiting Room was located at Market Place, Redhill.	14/12/2013	Damon
The East Sureey garage at 75 Bell Street (since renumbered) and the East Surrey and later London Country offices were demolished in November 1987. This premises was in use from September 1912. The original premises (May 1911 - September 1912) used by East Surrey were those of local firm Tamplin and Makovski at 57 Bell Street (since renumbered 75 and still standing).	23/02/2014	Damon
Photo can be viewed at 1998/56953 and others. LT Museum collection	22/09/2019	Ray

Location User/s ?The data for this section is still being added.

No users have been recorded yet.

Photos at Location

There are 4 photos taken at this location, as below (with the most recently added shown first).

Data History

Added:	2010-01-01 12:00:00
Added by:	Thomas Young

Edits ?This section shows any changes that have been made to the database record for this operator. Unless you are logged-in as an Editor or Admin, only Edits marked as Public will be shown (i.e. not Private Edits).
This location has not yet been edited.