East Grinstead Running Day

Sunday April 28th 2019

Prepared by Ian Smith, 3rd May 2019.

Part 2: Crawley and back

I walked along the High Street towards the War Memorial stop. Immaculate RT2083 scurried past, heading east on the 409. As I passed RML2355, the refreshment bar routemaster, RF633 rumbled past towards the stop to start its 428 local trip to Dormansland.

RF428 trundles along East Grinstead High Street to start a 428 to Dormansland, passing RML2355. RT2083 heads east on a 409 to Forest Row.

473: East Grinstead to Crawley and Three Bridges, RF600

RF600 approaches the War Memorial to load up for the 473 to Crawley.

I reached the War Memorial stop just as RF600 arrived to load up for the 473 to Crawley.

Further down the road were a couple of Maidstone & District buses: a Dart SLF, 3242, preserved in Arriva turquoise and champagne livery (aka blue and cream, if you aren't posh), which was heading for Forest Row. It was just passing lowbridge Regent DL39, which was heading out east to Holtye Crossroads. Going the other way was RT604, which having arrived from the feeder from Croydon was heading now for Godstone Green on the 409. Red RF429, the spare bus for the day, was closing off the entry to the High Street to protect the pedestrian crowd.

M&D Dart SLF 3242 arrives on a 409. It knows where it is going! Revived lowbridge Regent DL39 prepares for a trip visa Hartfield to Holtye Crossroads.

RF600 was well loaded. I managed a shared seat halfway back. No photos on this journey then.

We set off, turning down London Road past the shops, and dived down left towards the Station. We did not call. That would have meant a trip right round the block. Instead we dived down left to the hollow at the foot of West Hill. We turned right along the Turners Hill Road, running more or less parallel to the Bluebell Railway, which was mostly out of sight up the hillside on our right. At the junction for Kingscote Station - once well-used on the Running Days when that station was the northern terminus of the Bluebell - we turned right, to pass under the railway. The B2110 wound its way up the valley side, and ran towards Turners Hill. A green RF came the other way, but passed without me being able to identify it. We passed the triangular junction at Turners Hill, and went straight ahead a short way. Red RF406, in Uxbridge red with white trim livery - went past, heading for East Grinstead. We turned off the B2110 to head north-west through lonely countryside towards Pound Hill.

There we were crossing the M23 - from countryside to packed suburbia. A right turn and we headed north to a roundabout. A left turn and we were heading for the railway at Three Bridges.

A VolvoB7RLE/Eclipse passes by, probably on Fastway 100, near Three Bridges. Another, 6015, is glimpsed on the 10 in Crawley.

We forked right onto the old Three Bridges Road to head for Crawley Town Centre, where we wriggled round to enter the bus station. Some new Streetlites there, but awkward to photograph. Never mind, I'll get them when we stop. We turned round the little roundabout at the far end, and came back through the bus station. Oh, we are not going to stop. After a hesitation in the middle of the bus station we went on, back out into the busy streets. Blue and blue, and blue and silver buses went this way and that at the junction outside the bus station.

Wright Streetlite DF 6106 enters the bus station. VolvoB7RLE/Eclipse 6002 heads out on Fastway 10.

We plodded our way back to Three Bridges. I pinged the bell. They were going to stop anyway, to change the front blinds.

424: Three Bridges to East Grinstead, Metrobus 101

There was method in my madness. While we were shilly-shallying in Crawley Bus Station preserved Metrobus Lynx MkII 101 had arrived, wearing 424 blinds. I could alight from RF600 here, and get a different route back to East Grinstead (the old 438A route, later the 424). So I did.

Three Bridges: RF600 resets the front blind. LynxII 101 arrives on 424.

At least I could see forward out of the large front windows of the Lynx. It went well, and very soon we were following RF600 into Pound Hill. The RF turned right for Turners Hill, and we headed for Copthorne. Soon we reached the Duke's Head, and turned right for Crawley Down. A left turn cut off the corner. As we rejoined the road eastwards we met Reliance 109 heading the other way on a 424 for Copthorne.

RF600 still wears 456B on the back. Metrobus Reliance 109 in Crawley Down on 424.

We headed east from Crawley Down along the winding road to Felbridge, where there was the usual difficulty in turning right onto a busy road. But traffic was light heading into East Grinstead, and soon we were turning the corner at the top of London Road to reach the bus-only haven of the High Street. XF3 was on the opposite stop, preparing to head for Godstone Green on the 409.

Back at East Grinstead: XF3 ready for the 409, Lynx 101.

A pair of RegentVs were standing up the street: highbridge DH478 of Maidstone and District, and East Kent GJG739D in Sealink livery.

Regent Vs: East Kent GJG739D and M&D DH478.

An older Regent, London Transport RT1798 was also there, ready for its next turn on the frequent 409 service. Coming down the High Street was Peter Aves in RF633. I went to say hello. "Are you coming?" he said. He was about to set off on a 494,465,434 circuit, as soon as he had changed the blinds. I hopped aboard..

RT1798 for the 409. RF633 comes along wearing 434 blinds - but not for long!

Part Three: 494 to Oxted, 465 to Edenbridge, 434 to Dormansland

Five