RT75

Sunday 12th April 2014

Prepared on Wordpad by Ian Smith, 26th April 2014

Part 6: Run-outs from Brooklands

Brooklands to Brooklands Road-Run: RT3254

Drivers began to mount up on the displayed buses, and gradually began to move out. The marshall wanted all the green buses together, so we hung back until the red ones participating had filed out, then followed RT1702 out past the bits of aircraft and cab-rank of Routemasters for the 462, past Concorde, out through the gate and onto the long straight road beside the old runway. There the whole column came to a halt for photograhs.

I alighted from RT3254 and walked back to look at the long line of green RTs. RT4779 was the next back.

RT593 was next, with crews assembled for photograhs, and RT3183 was next.

I continued back down the line, to RT3491 and RT604.

I reached RT3148, then noises upfront indicated that it was time for me to hurry back to RT3254 for the cavalcade to progress. RM324, on a 462 to Weybridge or a Park & Ride mission I think, had overtaken the stationary tail, and was ahead of us, behind RT1702.

The RM turned left at the first roundabout, and we continued to the south end of the airfield, through the breach in the race-track onto the road from Byfleet. We circled left, back up onto the road to Weybridge Station. At another junction the two red RTs ahead of us turned left, following road-signs to the Museum, and we followed on. WE passed RM9 heading for Weybridge on a 462.Both RTs stopped behind an Atlantean beside the Park & Ride.

Chris took us on to the roundabout, and turned right on the access lane to the Museum. We discovered that we should have gone the other way back up on the hill, to turn in at the east gate. Never mind. We pressed on to the Museum, passing Guildford's MPD 1630 (ex Arriva London PDL85), and entered by the west gate.

We had to wait for most of those RTs that had gone the "correct" route to pass in front of us onto the bank, then took a place up near the top of the bank.

462: Brooklands to Weybridge and back: RTL139

I grabbed a bite to eat, and sat on a tree-stump at the foot of RT Bank, just enjoying the sight. Lots of people clustered around RT1.

Peter Larkham came hurrying past, heading for RTL139 on a trip to Weybridge. Why not? I hurried across to join him on the RTL, and settled in behind the bonnet.

We gently eased our way out through the west gate and along the lane beside the runway, and turned uphill towards Weybridge. Inevitably we met one of the Citaros heading for Mercedes World - 3901 again. We reached Weybridge Station, where RTW75 was pausing on a journey the other way.

We turned right beyond the railway bridge, to make an anticlockwise loop through Weybridge village. To my delight we met RT1 making a clockwise loop.

Approaching Weybridge Station we saw GreenLine liveried RT3491 turning across ahead of us. Then beyond the station we met RTW467 rumbling northwards on a 462.

We turned in to descend the steep bank to the east gate, where I alighted to pass through the Control Point. RT1 followed us in.

Brooklands to Chelsham: RT3148

I walked back through the site, and up the bank to find the green RTs, to enquire about a ride part-way home. I noted that RT3254 was now wearing Romford blinds for the 721. I found John Huxford and we went for a cup of tea with some of the other drivers. Excellent - both the tea and the conversations.

I joined the familiar green RT with John and his family, and we set off. We joined the once-familiar route past the old Museum site at Redhill Road, and whizzed through the woods to meet the A3. I had expected us to turn right, to join the M25, but John had decided to drop his family near home on the way. So we turned London-wards up the A3 for a dash up to the Oxshott exit, where we turned south to Oxshott Station. There we turned hard left onto the B280, which took us through Malden Rushett. What amazed me was just how green Surrey is. We headed across towards Chessington, then down towards Ewell. John needed a fuel station. The first was too low under the canopy. Knowing the area, he turned along Ewell High Street (where we met a 406 coming the other way), then left into Reigate Road to find a garage on the corner with the Ewell By-Pass.

After our fuel stop we headed for Purley, John still finding green country roads. We met ENL24 on the 166 on Fir Tree Road.

There were more buses down at the important junction of Purley. Amongst them, Metrobus EnviroDar 190 lurked in the shadows on the 434, while older Arriva Dart SLF PDL18 twirled round the fountain.

We passed through Purley and turned up Mitchley Avenue, abandoning it for Mitchley Hill to take us up towards Hamsey Green. We passed two single-deckers with paper blinds in the windscreen for the 403, and headed on through Warlingham Green to Chelsham Garage (now the site for Sainsbury's). There I said farewell to John, and the big green machine purred off on the Westerham road.

Eventually my 403 arrived, and after standing in front of the supermarket for a while, twirled around to pick me up for the ride to Croydon. You've guessed: it was another single-decker with a hastily scrawled number in the windscreen. Why no double-deckers I know not. Perhaps they were all in London for Marathon runners.

Many thanks to all who organised the weekend, and to all those who took their buses - or lent them. It was good.

All photos by Ian Smith. Click on any of them for a larger picture.

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