In the bus park RT3254 stood with a ladder up beside the cab: a trafficator bulb had blown, and the whole unit had been detached to fit a replacement. Anyone got a 24volt bulb?
Aldershot & District Reliance 543 was busy onj the 362. It had been out to High Wycombe and back , and was now loading for another round trip.
RF489 pulled out of the bus park for a trip to Cholesbury on the 397.
Then it was 3.15pm, and RF457 pulled up to the stop to load for the 305 to Beaconsfield. We headed down the hill, under the railway, then south-east down the main valley road to Chalfont St.Giles, where we turned right down the hill to the village centre. We passed through, and climbed over the ridge to Butlers Cross. There we turned right to go through Seer Green before turning sharply to the west through a series of woodlands to reach the road from Amersham. This took us south into Beaconsfield. There we stopped to change the blinds, for the day's only journey to Wooburn Common on the 455B.
We also found the turn to take us past the Royal Standard - the terminal point for the route - and went on round the anticlockwise triangular turning route across the common. Two miles later we were back at the pub, for a very brief photo-stop.
The return to Beaconsfield was uneventful. Even the right turn onto the A40 went with no delay at all, and we were soon back in the village centre, changing the blinds for the 305 back to Amersham.
By now I was getting sleepy, and I frankly don't remember very much about the return journey to Amersham through Seer Green and Chalfont St.Giles. I suppose it is a tribute to the comfort of even a bus RF, and the gentle rumble of the engine, that one can doze off on them. They are certainly a far different beast from those with First Group individual hard seats and Volvo screaming engines. Anyway, rant over. We were back at Amersham Station without incident, and I began to think about the journey home...
Photos by Ian Smith. Click on any of them for a larger picture.
Back to Ian's Bus-stop Part Three Part Five: Finale