Loughton Classic Bus Running DaySunday 11th September 2011Prepared by Ian Smith, 22nd September 2011254: Loughton Stn to South Woodford Station: RF503Service buses continued to call while I waited for the Rf to come round onto the stand: ADL79 passed through heading for Debden, as did DLA352.Also heading for Debden Station was RF503, on the first loop of the 254 that would bring it back to Loughton Station. I was kindly offered the seat behind the driver, so that I could look forward over his shoulder. Turning the RFs at the front of the station is never easy -it needs a clear approach to turn in one go. We turned right at the top of the bus station, into Alderton Hill, then right again under the railway bridge in Roding Road, and down to the junction at the shops. We turned left this time, along Oakwood Hill, parallel with the Central Line along to Debden Station, where we turned left. We headed north-west up through the middle of Debden, up Chigwell Lane, and on up Rectory Lane. It was suburban and bland. We emerged at the sites of the two Loughton bus garages, the elder now a Homebase store and the other totally disappeared. There we turned left, up Church Hill into Loughton, where we met another ex-Docklands Buses ED on the 167. We returned to Loughton Station, and continued on the southern leg of the journey to South Woodford. It started the same way as the Debden loop: out along Alderton Hill, and down Roding Lane under the railway. But at the junction with Oakwood Hill we turned right. The trip south-west, parallel with the Central Line, was unexciting and curiously monotonous. I presume all the nice suburban houses were built in the same period in the 1930s, to accompany the railway lines. The 254 just served to link them to the succession of stations along the old LNER suburban railway, which became the London Transport Central Line in the late 1940s. I had hoped that the RF would turn up into Buckhurst Hill Station, but apparently this was not on today's permitted list. We continued south-westwards along the side of the ridge, under the Hainault loop of the tube and past Roding Valley Station, then Woodford Station. ADL76 made an appearance on the W14 as we crossed Broadmead Road. We negotiated the roundabout beneath the concrete spaghetti of the North Circular Road /M11 junction, and escaped along Chigwell Road. A right turn up George Lane took us to the terminus at South Woodford Station. We set off on the return trip, round the loop to get back into George Street facing the other way, then left along Chigwell Road to the big roundabout. There ADL981 went round ahead of us on the W14. We exited on the other side of the complex, along Chigwell Road, and made the tight turn into Maybank Road. A right fork onto Gordon Road took us up to St.Barnabas Road, where we turned right for the long climb up onto the ridge. We paused for a picture at the bus stop by Woodford Station, then breasted the rise and rolled along to Buckhurst Hill Station (almost), and on towards Loughton, eventually turning up Roding Lane to reach the bus station.
254: Loughton Stn to South Woodford Station: RF401At Loughton Station I expected to join /BL49 for a last run to Epping and back, but it seemed that it was not running. What I did not expect was that RF401 should arrive from the Debden loop with the next 254 to South Woodford. It should have gone by now. So I joined it.We were quickly away, round into Roding Lane and then south past Buckhurst Hill Station (not calling), and on down to Woodford Station, where we had a quick photo-stop at the southbound stop. Once again Broadmead Road provided passing interest, this time VLA140 heading for Barkingside on the 275. We negotiated our way through to South Woodford Station, where we stood for a few minutes. Then it was back to Loughton Station. We arrived behind Regal Busways' Dart SLF601, which was on their route 250 (Debden Broadway - Waltham Cross) The threatened shower arrived with some ferocity. Through it came Arriva's PDL91 on a 397 to Debden, and then RF503, arriving from a last trip round the Debden loop. Now it was time to wait for the evening trip on RT3062, which fortunately had been brought forward an hour from 7pm to 6pm... Part 5: 167A to Abridge and back.All photos by Ian Smith. Click on any of them for a larger picture. Ian's Bus-stop Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6
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