RMC4 passed through on a 409 to Forest Row, followed by T1101 on a 424.
The programme timetable made no mention of Edenbridge at all. RF633 was booked to go through to Dormansland, but Colin Rivers wanted his usual visit to the Troy Town loop. So when he arrived back at East Grinstead on RF633, with Edenbridge on the blinds, there were more than a few queries. I climbed aboard, and took a place on the long nearside seat.
We were soon away, and passed visiting RM70 as we went east along the High Street.
We had a quiet trip out to Edenbridge. We met RMC4 on the outskirts of East Grinstead, but had a quiet journey out past the hospital and on to Dormansland. We paused at the Plough to let some people off, then continued east over the border into Kent. We made our way up through Edenbridge, past the Star (terminus for the Oxted and Westerham services), over the River Eden and under the cross-street sign for The Crown on the main street. At the top of the village we turned left down the by-pass, then turned right to reach Crouch House Road for the quiet trawl up the west side of Edenbridge to Troy Town. We passed under the Uckfield railway line, then climbed up to Troy Town, where we passed back over the line in tunnel. We turned sharply right over the narrow railway bridge over the Tonbridge line. This time we had a good view of the adjacent railway bridge, where the Tonbridge line crosses over the top of the Uckfield line between adjacent tunnels (almost cutting into into the tunnel roof). We rolled on to the terminus at Hilders Lane, just shy of the main road north of Edenbridge. We stopped for photos, and to change the blinds for the return journey.
We set off again on the return trip, down the main road under the two low railway bridges. We called in at Edenbridge Town Station, then rumbled on down through the narrow main street and on southwards. We turned right to leave Kent and climb up towards East Grinstead. We called at The Plough at Dormansland.
We continued on to East Grinstead, climbing up through Blackwell Hollow to reach the east end of town, then rolling along to stop in the High Street. There it was going-home time, with a long queue of parked buses about to depart. These included RMC4, on which the blinds were being changed ready for a 708 trip to Godstone, and RM70.
We headed north up the main road. I must have been sleepy, as I remember very little of the trip to Godstone Green. But soon we pulled in towards the village green, and pulled up outside the pub to change the blinds. Now we were to be a 410 to Bromley North Station.
Redressed as a 410 we set off again, up past Godstone Garage, then east to Oxted. There we met Metrobus Omnidekka 929 on Railway Service, before we too pulled in to the station to set down. We were quickly away again, under the notorious bridge and up the stiff climb to Limpsfield Common. Then it was a gentle drift down into Westerham. Paul Brophy is understandably reluctant to take loaded elderly buses up Westerham Hill, so now we diverted from the traditional 410 route, and instead ran eastwards through Brasted to Riverhead, where we turned north through Dunton Green to climb Polhill. As the day faded we ground up the hill, then rolled down past Knockholt Station to Pratts Bottom and Green Street Green. No GSs at the roundabout. We climbed up Farnborough by-pass, then dropped down by Locks Bottom to Bromley Garage and Bromley Common. There we picked up the 410 route again for the run into Bromley.
Paul stopped at Bromley South Station, and I alighted there to catch a bus to Croydon.
I crossed the road and watched as the Routemaster pulled away up Bromley High Street on the last leg of its journey to Bromley North Station.
Buses:
RT1702*, RT3148, RT3183
RF168, RF315, RF395*, RF429*, RF486*, RF489*, RF600, RF633
GS62
RMC4, RM70*, RM1123*, XF3, MB90
DMS1868*, T1101*, L2*
SNC168, SNB340
Southend MRJ233W
Photos by Ian Smith. Click on any of them for a larger picture.
Back to Ian's Bus-stop
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four: Troy Town