Sixty Years of RFs: 200, 213Sunday 2nd December 2012Prepared by Ian Smith, 8th December 2012.Sutton GarageRF354 - the other RF that had operated today on the 200 - was the next to arrive on the 213, followed immediately by RF486, which had been to Kingston and back on the 213 after working in on route 80 from Lower Kingswood.Speaking of the 80, modern-day SOE33 worked past on its way to Hackbridge. Looking in through the garage doorway now showed RFs 486, 354 and 368 lined up - just like the old days. First out, after just two minutes in the garage, was RF354, emerging from the shadows and loading up at the stop. I didn't join it, as it was going to be packed solid with enthusiasts who had arrived on the two buses via Wimbledon. Neither did I join the next, after a cold quarter hour. It was RF368, on which I had already travelled today. Another long EnviroDart with Optare Esteem body - SOE37 - passed by on the 80, as I waited at the stop for the next outbound 213. RF326 arrived from Kingston with an inbound service, and disappeared into the garage.
213: Sutton Garage to Worcester Park: RF319When the next RF emerged I was surprised: I had expected RF486, and had not known that RF319 was here. I climbed aboard.We circulated round the Sutton one-way system, and headed west for Cheam, where we turned north. We chugged along with the heavy traffic through North Cheam and Worcester Park, doing a good trade in local passengers who were interested in what we were doing. At Worcester Park we ducked under the nortorious railway bridge, that for so long had required the use of single deckers, and passed Rf395 heading for Sutton at the station stop.
213: Worcester Park to Kingston: RF486Somebody mentioned that another RF was right behind, and I jumped off RF319 and climbed onto RF486. I was fortunate once more to get a seat at the front, although this RF had a luggage bin, unlike RF368. It also had one of the "STOP. Do not pass this point until the vehicle has stopped" signs on the bulkhead behind the doorway, which does interfere with photography. Fortunately we had a conductor - Steve Whitelegg - who was sympathetic and helpful.This was part of the old Green Line 725 route round south London, and we met one of its truncated successors in the shape of the X26, with Epsom Buses' Citaro MCL17. Its side glazing gave an interesting reflection of RF319 ahead of us. Our route coincided with route 265 just briefly, between the Kingston by-pass and The Fountain at New Malden, but we did meet London United's DPS645 heading for Tolworth. We followed RF319 north up Coombe Road (pleasant suburbia), then turned off the old RF 213 routing onto the old 213A route (the modern 213 route), west along Clarence Avenue. We edged past Norbiton Station and turned north to pass Kingston Hospital. There we met one of the current buses on the 213, London General's DOE37. The temperature outside dropped rapidly, causing the RF to steam up. We passed another RF heading out of Kingston as we ran down Kingston Hill into the town. Inside the bus it was relatively cosy, and our passengers wore a wide variety of smiles as we completed the journey. We terminated at Fairfield Bus Station, then ran round to Eden Street to load up for the return to Sutton.... Photos by Ian Smith. Click on any of them for a larger picture.
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