I emerged from City Station onto the bus stance. Centrebus Dart SLF 582 was sitting at a stand on the S7 to Tyttenhanger. Even on a dreitch morning it looked smart and welcoming in its Sovereign-style blue and cream.
Another Dart SLF arrived, this time with Wright Crusader bodywork and pink/mauve livery for Universitybus. It was heading for Borehamwood on the 655. Pink/mauve sounds awful but actually suits the buses very well. The two Darts departed.
One of Arriva's Wright Renowns pulled in on the 301 to Stevenage. It was wearing the interurban mid-blue livery with dark blue skirt and cream horn, that was still rare this time last year. What a shame that Arriva's livery consultants never warned them how badly blue shows the dirt! Hmmm. I must be tired this morning. Either that or I am turning into a grumpy old man.
But now came a sight to cheer me up. Cravens-bodied RT1499 was on the City-Station loop service to cater for visitors to the Model Railway Exhibition.
I greeted Eddie Knorn, who was driving, then climbed on and settled into an inside seat. The bell dinged and we were away, heading anticlockwise round the loop route, up into the city. Most of the passengers had gone upstairs, so I had time to look at the slightly off-familiar interior of the Cravens' saloon.
All too soon we were up on St Peter's Street. There were a few minutes before the next trip round the loop, so I alighted to see what St Peter's Street had to offer by way of bus entertainment.
It was busy. All day St Peter's Street would be full of busy buses, weaving their way past the market stalls, impeded by the numerous 4x4s that felt the need to come along the street. I wondered whether it this full of buses in LT days. Another of the Wright Renowns paused, 3306 on its way to Hemel Hempstead. Also ex-Sovereign, but now with Centrebus, was Plaxton-bodied Dart 572, bright in a yellow based overall advert for Papa John's Pizza. The bus was not visiting them all, despite the "points" mentioned along the cant-rail, but was on local route S2.
Sister Dart 568 was also advertising the same company, but with a more sober advert on the standard Sovereign-style livery, while the bus was serving local route S5.
Since last year St.Albans has lost its remaining double-decker route - the 84 to New Barnet Station. Now it too is single-decker, Metroline having cascaded onto the route single doorway Darts from the Thorpe's operations. DLF107 turned round the roundabout in St.Peter's Street to reach the terminal stop.
Ex-Sovereign Mercedes Beaver 451 was loading up for the short arm of the 304 to Colney Heath. Behind the RT had pulled up the Leyland National operating the Abbey Station service, SNB449.
But I was away on the RT again, heading west along St.Peter's Street to the permanent traffic jam for the traffic lights. But presently we rounded the corner and rolled down the long hill towards the station. A quick flip up over the railway bridge, and two left turns took us onto the stance at the station once again. An appreciative crowd of passengers swarmed onto the bus. We set off again, still anticlockwise round the loop. Heading up into the city we found ourselves on the end of a long tail of slow-moving or stationary traffic. This gave me the opportunity to alight at a safe point and take pictures as the bus proceeded up the hill.
By the time we reached St Peter's Street it had taken so long that we were due off again, and we rattled on round the loop to the Station again. But this time we left the station onto the clockwise loop, up over the bridge and climbing directly up to the town. This too was traffic-packed, what with the queue for the multi-storey carpark and the traffic lights as well. Once again I got off and walked for a bit, rejoining the bus for the traverse of St.Peter's Street. There I alighted, thinking that Eddie intended to turn round the roundabout.
But Eddie had other ideas, and disappeared towards St.Albans Garage. Never mind, here was one of the new Mercedes Citaros on the 724: 3906 was heading west for Heathrow. Behind it was one of Universitybus' Dart/Pointers on the Borehamwood service.
I set off towards the old bus garage. Metroline Dart DLF106 pulled past me and turned round the roundabout. I negotiated all the barriers erected near the roundabout to make pedestrians walk much further, and headed north towards the site of the old garage. Another of the ex-Sovereign Beavers, 458, came down past St Peter's Church on a 304.
I walked on towards the garage. I knew that Eddie still had another rounder to do before lunch, so he would not stand at the garage for long. I was right. He was heading my way. Fortunately the traffic was exceptionally kind, and I could cross the road and join the bus without problem.
We paused in St.Peters Street, then followed DLF106 down the hill towards the station. The Dart turned off right before we got there, but we made he station stop and completed the anticlockwise loop back up to the town. This time there was no traffic at all! It was lunch-time, for the bus crew as well as me, and we repaired across the road to find some sustenance.
Photos by Ian Smith. Click on any of them for a larger picture.
Back to Ian's Bus-stop
Part Two: Saturday afternoon