Sevenoaks Running DaySunday May 18th 2014Prepared by Ian Smith, 28th May 2014.431A: Sevenoaks to Orpington Station: RF679I joined Colin Rivers on RF679 and we went round the loop to load in the bus station. RF633 was ahead of us, to load for the 421 to Heaverham. We loaded up, and headed out, passing Maidstone & District Leopard 2816, parked up ready for a turn on the 9.
We turned at the traffic lights, and met RT3148 arriving from Westerham on the 403. We headed on past the War Memorial, passing RF28 on the 704. We rolled down through St.John's towards Bat & Ball, meeting MB90 on the 421 making light work of the long hill.
WE turned left at Bat & Ball to Riverhead, then north to Dunton Green, and up Star Hill. RF679 made the climb steadily, first directly up the grassy face of the North Downs, then diagonally as the gradient stiffened, then curving up over the top, past the back entrance to Fort Halstead. Then it became a green tunnel up to Knockholt Pound, where we forked left towards the Three Horseshoes. As we approched RF429 poked its nose round the corner on the return working, but stopped on seeing our approach.
The two buses met at the Knockholt Pound stop.
We rejoined our respective buses (or swapped), and went on our ways. RF679 puttered down through Knockholt, forking right onto the lane to Halstead. We made another photo stop at the TfL bus-stop near The Cock in Halstead.
We continued on through Halstead and down to Knockholt Station. As a 431A we continued down onto the main road, and down through Pratts Bottom to the roundabout at Green Street Green. This is still a terminal point, these days for small red buses rather than GS short workings on the 471. Metrobus' 180 was on the stance on an R11, while 183 was just coming up behind on an R1.
We headed into Orpington, passing through the road-tunnel under the railway, and turning at the War Memorial to head for the station. Stagecoach EnviroTrident 10184 trundled up the road ahead of us on the 208, but headed straight on under the railway as we turned right up Station Approach to reach the station. TfL rules do not allow us to take passengers onto the bus stance, so we alighted.
The RF pulled round the loop onto the stance, and reversed to take up position amongst the waiting buses.
431A: Orpington Station to Sevenoaks: RF679
Metrobus Scania 527 twirled through the bus station, busy on the 358. Other buses came and went, then RF679 pulled forward onto the stand to pick up for the return 431A.
We worked our way back out of Orpington to Green Street Green, and up the A21 to Knockholt Station. We turned up into Halstead, and paused again near The Cock for pictures, this time with the sun on the front of the bus..
We continued up to Knockholt Pound, and paused again outside the Threen Horseshoes. There was a small display of veteran cars outside, and a very nice Scammell tractor standing in the shadows, not noticed by most folk on the bus.
We pulled round the sharp corner and headed for Star Hill. We descended carefully - no point in running the brakes hot or pinging a gear-box band. The views over the Sevenoaks Weald were superb. In Dunton Green we paused at The Dukes Head, opposite the site of Dunton Green garage, now a residential home.
Dunton Green gave way to Riverhead, where we turned left onto the A25, under the main line railway and along to Bat & Ball where we crossed above the Otford loop. As we waited to turn right at the traffic lights SC390 turned the corner, leaving LT territory to head for Borough Green on route 9.
We climbed the hill to Sevenoaks - and at the traffic lights met RT3148, again heading for Westerham.
Part Four: Brasted, Ide Hill and Sevenoaks
Photos by Ian Smith. Click on any of them for a larger picture.  Ian's Bus-stop
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