East Grinstead Running Day

Sunday April 16th 2000

Prepared by Ian Smith, April 2000

Part 3: the afternoon shift

473: East Grinstead to Kingscote Station

Colin had been called away to move a GS in the bus park, so we started the afternoon shift already late. The first duty was a short Bluebell Railway run to Kingscote Station. The Running Day is organised in co-operation with the railway, and provides an enhanced service to the railway's current northern station at Kingscote. With 473 blinds set, we pulled out onto the stand, past GS13 which was just coming back from Oxted.
We wound through the town to East Grinstead Station, then whirled round the one-way system onto the road out to Kingscote. On the way we passed RF406, coming back on a 434 service. I was disappointed that the bluebells are late this year, so the woods along the route to Kingscote were not dusted blue as they were on the 1998 Running Day.
We pulled in to Kingscote Station, where we found RF672 waiting for its turn on the 434 (presumably the one after ours: why did we always have negative turn-round times?) RP90 was waiting with a bus-load of Bluebell Railway passengers to take to East Grinstead station.

434: Kingscote Station to Edenbridge via Troy Town

We did a quick turn round, picked up some passengers, and left before the other buses. There were some disapproving faces on the RP!
We were quickly back to East Grinstead - the Station and then King Street, and wound out of town past the large hospital to Dormansland.
The Plough at Dormansland is one of the focal points of the day, with connections. NBC green RT604 was waiting with a 409, which would take it on a circuit through Lingfield and Felbridge to East Grinstead, and on to Forest Row. Behind it was RF366 with another 434. Our arrival caused a flurry of activity, as passengers swapped from bus to bus and cameras clicked.

We were away quickly, and ambled along to Edenbridge. We were still behind time, and as we made our way up through the town GS1 shot past on the 465. We were supposed to connect with it, and GS13 behind us, at the Star Inn after our loop out to isolated Troy Town. We obviously were not going to make it in time. The terminus of the 434 is at the north end of the town, at Hilders Lane, and we stopped there, calculating that the GS on the 465 should still be on its way up the main road through Edenbridge.

434: Edenbridge to East Grinstead

We did not want to leave passengers in the wild to cool their heels for an hour, so we waited there until we were fairly sure that it MUST have gone, then reboarded the passengers who had wanted to change. We drove back down the attractive main street and squeezed past the roadworks. At the Star we found a queue of trusting souls who had changed off the two GSs and were waiting for us.
We took them on board, and meandered back across country to Dormansland. There we found red RT2177 on the 409, and red RF421 on a 434 to Crawley Down. We had been supposed to go to Kingscote before returning to King Street, but that would have made us late for our next turn, so we took the decision to cut it short at East Grinstead, and amended the display accordingly before setting off.

494: East Grinstead to Oxted Station

Back at East Grinstead we heard that there was a need for more buses at Kingscote, as "Southdown" had had three failures with their Sheffield Park service, and passengers were coming this way. But we were due out for a long circuit via Oxted and Edenbridge. A quick scout round the bus park revealed red RT3316 tucked away behind Greenline RT3228.
We were away reasonably on time, looping round by the High Street to the station, then heading north through Baldwins Hill, Lingfield, Crowhurst and Tandridge to Oxted. On the way we passed GS13, completing the long loop in the opposite sense.

465: Oxted Station to Edenbridge, via Chart

At Oxted we paused at the Station stop (beside the toilets), then continued as a 465, bypassing Limpsfield village but crossing Limpsfield Common to the Chart. We called at the "Carpenters Arms" stop, then continued to Chart Church, where we met GS62 with Alan Charman at the wheel, enjoying a spell away from organising. He had been going to meet us at Edenbridge, but we were late again, and there was a booked rendezvous here with GS1 - which promptly roared up on an extended 494 working.

This meeting of buses on a common outside a rural church is very much what these days are about. The passing girls on horses added that extra touch to the charm of the scene.
We made sure that everyone could get on buses (both GSs were full to allowed maximum), and continued. We went south-east, along the ridge to Crockham Hill, then south to Edenbridge.

485: Edenbridge to East Grinstead

Having squeezed past the roadworks - again - we paused at the Star to change into a 485 to complete the circuit to East Grinstead. The crew kindly deviated round past the station at my request. The train was already in the platform to take me back to London in time to catch another train north for home.

My thanks go to all the organisers, and in particular to Alan Charman and Colin Rivers. Also to the bus drivers, owners and restorers, without whom this could not happen.
Thanks also to the mayor and council of East Grinstead, for permitting use of the King Street and the car-park.

Participants

This list may be incomplete: I did not see everything!
(*=red, **=other)

GS1
GS13
GS32
GS62
RLH48
RF366*
RF406*
RF421*
RF486*
RF626
RF633
RF672
RF679
RT604
RT1700
RT2177*
RT3148
RT3228
RT3491
RTL1256
RM40*
RM2107*
RM2116*
RP90
LS98*

Visitors

Q83
D27**
RT3166*
RF530*
RM8*
RMC1476

If you would like to participate in a Country Area Running Day, there is one on Sunday 10th September 2000 at Hertford. Details from Colin Rivers, 01233 627849.

All photos by Ian Smith. Click on most of them for a larger picture.

Part 1: morning Part 2: lunchtime

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