London Transport used black “E” plates with white lettering for night routes to distinguish them from the daytime services. These plates are far less common than the white versions as there were, until the 1990s, relatively few all-night routes. They are rarely seen nowadays, especially as it was such a small network of routes with many “E” plate variations. Unfortunately, the black enamel plates never seem to survive particularly well.
  |
Route N68 was introduced in the ’70s, renumbered from the night service on the 168, and ran between Wandsworth (Armoury Way) and Farringdon Street via Clapham Junction, Lavender Hill, Vauxhall, Millbank, Parliament Square, Trafalgar Square and Aldwych. It replaced the night service on route 168, and was the last night route to be introduced using “E” plates, and also before the major enhancement of the night bus network during the ’80s, when a great many more routes were introduced. It is mainly covered now by route N77, and today’s N68 covers the 68 day bus. Route N88 was renumbered from route 288 in 1960. Both routes ran between Wandsworth and Farringdon Street via Vauxhall and Trafalgar Square. The N68 ran via Clapham Junction and Millbank, while the N88 ran via Battersea and Albert Embankment. They had the meal relief journeys to Liverpool Street “livened up” in 1975, and both were also diverted to run via Strand and Aldwych instead of Victoria Embankment during the ’70s. The N88 is now largely covered by today’s N44. |
|
Route N83 was introduced in 1960 replacing the night trolleybus services on routes 543 / 643. It ran between Tottenham Garage and Trafalgar Square via Stamford Hill, Stoke Newington, Dalston Junction, Shoreditch, Old Street, Clerkenwell, Farringdon Street and Strand. During the 1980s the route was extended to Wood Green via route 243. The route now forms part of route N243. Route N91 was introduced in 1960, replacing night route 291 and ran between Liverpool Street and Willesden Garage via Bank, St. Paul’s, Fleet Street, Strand, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Circus, Marble Arch, Kensal Green and Harlesden. It was later diverted to serve Paddington Station, and has since been withdrawn and mainly replaced by route N6 (simply as route 6 these days). |
| 
Fare Stage plates have always been much less common, and this is a superb example in excellent condition. | 
Needless to say, split “E” plates are always rare as they tended to be made for specific bus stops where there was insufficient space to display all route numbers on separate plates. This one is notable as there is the word “AND” instead of a dividing line, making it rather unusual. It would have come from a bus stop between Ludgate Circus and Trafalgar Square. |
|
 |
Route N84 was introduced in 1960 replacing the night trolleybus services on route 665. It ran between Becontree Heath and Trafalgar Square via Longbridge Road, Barking, East Ham, Upton Park, Plaistow, Canning Town, Poplar, Limehouse, Stepney East, Aldgate, Shoreditch, Old Street, Clerkenwell, Farringdon Street and Strand. The service was very irregular, and comprised just one bus running along the route, with only a single journey to both of the outer ends, the main journeys running between Bloomsbury and Barking. The route now forms part of route 15. |
|
Route N85 was renumbered from 285 in 1960. It ran from Charing Cross to Grove Park Station via Blackfriars, Elephant & Castle, Old Kent Road, New Cross, Lewisham, Catford, and Downham. The route now forms part of route N36. Route N86 is described below. This split plate is unusual in several ways: it is painted aluminum, there is no dividing line between the two routes, and the figure “8”s are in a slightly different typeface. |
  |
|
 |
Route N86 was renumbered from 286 in 1960. It ran from Charing Cross to Brockley Rise via Blackfriars, Elephant & Castle, Camberwell, Peckham, New Cross and Brockley. The route now forms part of route N171. |
|
The N87 was a long-standing night-route with its roots in all-night tram services. Introduced as route 287 after the withdrawal of the trams in 1952, it ran as a circular route in a figure of “8” from Victoria Embankment via Westminster, Kennington, Balham, Clapham, Tooting, Streatham, Brixton, Stockwell, Kennington, Elephant & Castle and Blackfriars back to Victoria Embankment. It was re-numbered N87 in 1960 in order to free up its original number for the new bus routes which were replacing the trolleybus services from the late 1950s. In later years it was rerouted to serve Whitehall, Trafalgar Square, Strand and Fleet Street instead of Victoria Embankment. Buses ran both ways around the loops every 24 minutes, which in those days made it the most frequent (and regular) night bus! It was replaced in the mid ’90s by a number of other routes when the re-organisation and enhancement of the night bus network took place, and is now covered mainly by the 88, today’s N44 and the N133. Like many night-bus plates, the first “E” plate was not manufactured to a particularly high quality and bears a number of small chips and scratches. It probably dates from the 1970s. Of special note is the smaller than usual “N” on the second plate. |
  |
|
  |
Route N89 was renumbered from 289 in 1960. It ran from London Bridge Station to Southall (Brent Road) via Bank, Holborn, Oxford Street, Marble Arch, Lancaster Gate/Notting Hill Gate, Shepherds Bush, Acton, Ealing and Hanwell. In later years the N89 was diverted to serve Paddington Station, and latterly was diverted at Southall Town Hall to Uxbridge via Hayes End and Hillingdon. The route has now been absorbed mainly by route N207, running between Holborn and Uxbridge. In 1976 the journeys that ran out of service to Liverpool Street were changed to run in service, and so at Bank some journeys ran to Liverpool Street instead of London Bridge, meaning that at that point the N89 ran in three different directions. The bus stops at Bank were therefore fitted with “E” plates with destinations to make it clear which way the bus was going. The second plate came from the stop in Poultry towards Southall. Bus stop “E” plates with destinations are extremely rare, being made usually for just a couple of stops, but they are even more rare for “N” night routes as there were only around 20 routes in this series in the days of “E” plates. |
|
Route N90 was renumbered from 290 in October 1960. It ran from Pimlico to Edmonton via Victoria, Westminster, Trafalgar Square, Tottenham Court Road, Euston, Camden Town, Holloway, Finsbury Park, Manor House, Stamford Hill and Tottenham. The route was later extended to Ponders End and Waltham Cross, and during 1975 was also diverted to serve Euston and King’s Cross stations. For many years, it was the only night route running outside the Greater London area. After the use of enamel “E” plates ceased, route N90 was renumbered N279, but I am unsure of the exact date. Route N95 is described below. |
  |
|
 |
Route N92 was renumbered from 292 in 1960. It ran from Archway Station to Trafalgar Square via Holloway, Highbury, Islington, Bllomsbury and Aldwych. The route was subsequently absorbed into route N43 and now forms part of route N41. |
|
Route N95 was introduced in 1960 when the night buses were renumbered with an N prefix from the 2×× series, and so the 295 became N95. It ran from Trafalgar Square to Becontree Heath via Tottenham Court Road Station, Holborn, St. Paul’s, Bank, Aldgate, Stepney Green, Limehouse, Poplar, Canning Town, East Ham and Barking. It had some journeys extended from Trafalgar Square to Victoria via Westminster in the ’60s for crews’ meal reliefs. It was operated by RTs, DMSs and Ts over the years, and the route now forms part of route N15. Although it is true that the numbers were never of a constant size, they seem to be particularly small on the second plate, especially the word “NIGHT” being smaller than usual. |
  |
|
  |
Route N96 started as LGOC route 613 in around 1933 and was re-numbered 296 by London Transport in 1934. It was renumbered from 296 in 1960 in order to free up numbers for the new routes required for trolleybus replacement services. It ran from Waterloo to Leyton Green via Aldwych, Farringdon Street, Islington, Dalston Junction, Hackney, Clapton and Lea Bridge Road. A few years later one journey was extended from Leyton to run to Highams Park Station via Wood Street, and for many years this was the only bus to turn round at Highams Park Station, usually requiring a three-point turn! Later it was extended to Chingford Mount, then Debden and Waterloo, and ultimately Trafalgar Square. It was operated by Routemasters, Leyland Nationals and DMSs over the years. It was finally withdrawn in 1995, and the route now forms part of route N38. Route N97 started as LGOC route 189 in the mid-1920s and was re-numbered 297 by London Transport in 1934. In 1960 the 297 became the N97. It ran between Turnham Green, later Heathrow Airport, later Hammersmith and Liverpool Street, later Trafalgar Square. The N97 still runs today. The second plate would have been used on the short section of road where the two routes ran together, probably in Fleet Street. It appears to be a very old plate; judging by the thickness of the enamel, it could even date from the 1950s. |
|
