Now they were to operate the 1447 route 304 service to How Wood. A few minutes before that RB51 came through on a 724 service. These Reliances were a rather later attempt to upgrade the image of Greenline, following on from the Leyland Nationals. They were leased by London Country for five year periods, RB51 between October 1978 and September 1983. It then spent eleven years in service with other companies on the fringes of the old London Transport area before entering preservation in 1996.
I climbed aboard RF48 and we were away, over the crest and down the hill towards Abbey Station. Centrebus Dart 583 was queuing halfway up the hill, followed by RT3871 on the Abbey Station shuttle. Further down the hill we met RB51 coming back, heading back up into St.Albans before taking a break for an hour.
At Abbey Station we passed similarly modernised RF28. We continued to the rounabout, turned left, and wound our way up through St.Julians and back onto Watling Street. We headed for Park Street. We passed under the Watford-St.Albans railway, then turned right towards the How Wood Estate. Back under the railway: a 13ft 9in bridge this time, so no double deckers. An early turn in the estate got us into the wrong place. Claire stopped and we consulted her map. A couple of turns and we were back on the route along to the terminus, which still boasts a neat LT-style wooden shelter.
A left turn, and we were continuing round the loop through the estate. A right turn took us back towards the impressive railway bridge, and Park Street. We turned left onto the old Roman highway, and headed back for St.Albans. As we approached the M10 roundabout we met BN61 scurrying southwards on the 355 to Radlett.
This was immediately followed by RT3254 on the 321 from Harpenden to Abbey Station. This looked glorious in its Greenline livery with its tungsten bulbs giving a homely glow.
SNB312 had been out to the Verulam Estate as a S6, and back via City Station, and now came down to St.Peter's Street not very certain what to do next, to judge by its blind. (Perhaps this was just careful emulation of London Country practice?) Some normal Sunday services were still running too. Arriva The Shires Dart 3189 headed north with a 321 for Luton Airport, passing RB51 waiting for the 1600 departure for Hatfield.
RMC1476 was still going round in very small circles on behalf of the model railway exhibition, and loaded up for the 1550 to City Station. SNC168 come along the street, lights blazing, with the 1552 service S1 to Firbank Road. It almost made me wish I was departing an hour later.
But behind SNC168 I could see the approaching shape of BN61, which had been eluding me all day: I had only seen it in passing. Now it arrived back from Radlett on the 355, just as RMC1476 was powering away along St.Peter's Street. Together they well illustrated the London Country theme of the day.
But the light was gone, I was tired, and GNER had an hour or so on a bus between Stevenage and Peterborough lined up for me during the journey home. So it was time to go..
Photos by Ian Smith. Click on any of them for a larger picture.
Back to Ian's Bus-stop Part One Part Six Part Eight: RB51 on route 724