RT2083 on 409, East Grinstead

East Grinstead Running Day

Sunday April 28th 2019

Prepared by Ian Smith, 8th May 2019.



Part 3: 494 to Oxted, 465 to Edenbridge, 434 to Dormansland

494: East Grinstead to Oxted Station: RF633

I climbed aboard RF633, and took a seat a little way back on the nearside: not ideal for photography, but with a conductor on an RF those opportunities are limited anyway. We set off down London Road, passing another green RF inbound. We turned down to the station, where we called to pick up.

RF633 in East Grinstead RF308 in East Grinstead

RF633 has yet to change its blinds for the 494. RF308, in London Country livery, wears blinds for its trip on the 428.
From the station we climbed the bank, turned left over the current railway bridge, passed Garland Road, where East Grinstead garage used to be, crossed the disused railway that used to link the two railways, and turned right to Baldwins Hill. This road is always slightly tricky, being not wide enough for passing traffic beside the long lines of parked cars on the east side. With the rows of houses left behind it becomes twisting undersized country lane: lots of trees, hedges, occasional houses and side-roads: rural. We joined the road from Dormans Station. RLH48 rushed past: no chance of a photo. We passed the sign telling us we were in Lingfield: still hedges and trees mainly. But the housing density increased, and we came into Lingfield Village. We turned right at the roundabout, and I pinged the bell for a pause at Lingfield Post Office.

RF633 at Lingfield Post Office

We turned left along Church Road, which also was winding and narrow, and bedevilled by parked cars. It faded from suburban road into rural lane, then joined the road from Lingfield Station to run north to Crowhurst. A good fast rural highway, with an interruption to cross Haxted Road before continuing up Crowhurst Road. We passed through the heart of Crowhurst and continued north. Lots, LOTS, of bluebells in the woods and field margins. Eventually we ran out of north-facing road, and swung left, to run along beside the Redhill-Tonbridge railway line, along to Crowhurst North Bridge.

This low bridge necessitates the use of single-deckers. We had a green light at the traffic lights controlling passage under it, so no chance this time to pop off the bus to take a picture of it easing through the aperture. We headed on, north again, through Chathill, remembering to turn left onto the Tandridge Road. We passed the Barley Mow (crossing the Greensand Way footpath) and climbed the hill up onto the Greensand Ridge past St.Peter's Church. We met the A25 at a roundabout, and turned right for Oxted. Not Old Oxted this time.

At the foot of the hill we forked left towards Oxted Station along Church Lane. Then, to my surprise, we did not go straight up to Oxted Station (West Side), but followed Church Lane round to the left. A right turn took us to the pair of low bridges - on the left the still low one over the road to the Barrow Green Estate, used by a few 464 journeys, and on the right the bridge that for so long required the use of lowbridge buses on the 410, until the road was lowered to allow the use of RTs. We went under that one, and turned right to reach Oxted Station (East Side).

There we stopped and changed the blinds to 465 for Edenbridge.

465: Oxted Station to Chart and Edenbridge: RF633

RF633 at Oxted Station (East) RF633 at Oxted Station (East) This was originally intended to be one of the few 494 workings that went beyond Oxted Station (West Side) to Chart Church, but the RF did not have this on the route blind. So 465 it was. Same route.

We quickly set off again, eager to meet the RF coming the other way at Chart. We did not go straight back onto the A25 for the long drag up onto Limpsfield Common. Instead we followed the proper route through Limpsfield Village, speed-bumps notwithstanding. But at the east end of the village we still had the climb to do, but with traffic lights on the steepest part where we rejoined the A25. The lights were red. Peter Aves crawled the RF up the hill, just above stalling speed in first gear (yes, RFs have one!). He was rewarded when with about two seconds before we would have to stop, the lights change. No need to attempt a hill start! It was still a stiff first-gear climb up the hill onto Limpsfield Common, where we could turn right onto Kent Hatch Road to drive along the green tunnel on the top of Limpsfield Chart.

RF429 at Chart We spotted the obscure turn through the undergrowth that marks the turn to the Carpenters Arms at Chart. We emerged from the trees to meet RF429 more or less head-on. With parked cars reducing the road to a single carriageway right through the hamlet it was a tight squeeze to pass the two buses. Nor was there anywhere to stop. The whole hamlet was choc-a-block. Right past the pub, and on round the corner past Chart Church.

A badly-out of focus picture of RF429 squeezing past at Chart (I think my auto-focus insisted on focussing on RF633's windscreen)
So we continued, turning left again onto the ridge road. For all that it is a ridge, views are very limited from the road itself, which runs through a dense forest. Eventually we dropped off the end of the ridge, suddenly down past Crockham Hill and the junction with the 464/485 routes to/from Westerham. Then on down prosaically-named Main Road. I used to love hurtling down here on my bicycle as a teenager. I was less keen on the long drag back up. Here was where I first encountered green RFs. (I was too late for the Oxted Puppy-buses). Anyway, back to 2019, running down Main Road on one of those green RFs. We passed the end of Hilders Lane, terminus of the 434 route for many years. We ran under the Redill-Tonbridge Railway at Edenbridge Station. Massive yellow and black warning signs festoon the low bridge - probably to little avail. But the RF could pass under. We continued down Station Road, passing the end of Four Elms Road (M&D only - except for this morning (see part One)). Another low railway bridge, this time the Croydon - Oxted - Uckfield line.

We turned off the current-day main road that bypasses the village centre, and rolled down the High Street, passing under the sign for Ye Olde Crown Inn. We crossed the Eden and rejoined the main road. More old houses. The Star Inn, terminal point for the 465/485 routes, was closed up and surrounded by scaffolding.

434: Edenbridge (Star) to Dormansland (Plough): RF633

RF633 at Edenbridge Star

Edenbridge comes to a pretty abrupt end just beyond the Star. We headed on south, on the Hartfield Road (my teenage bike-route to the seaside). But fairly soon we turned right where the Hartfield road turned left. Marsh Green Road took us out of Kent into East Sussex. Marsh Green was negotiated fairly painlessly, and we climbed the long hill up to Dormansland, where we forked left to stop at The Plough.

RF633 at Dormansland Plough RF633 at Dormansland Plough

RF633 at Dormansland Plough
I alighted at The Plough, and went into the pub to buy a drink and use the facilities. I quckly came back out to the bus-stop, hoping that it would only be a short wait for a 428. Would it even be RLH48, glimpsed earlier between Lingfield and Baldwins Hill?

Part Four: 428 to East Grinstead


Ian's Bus-stop One Two Three Four Five Six