The BL rolled off northwards, and the RF to the south. RT1702 arrived on its 241 from Sidcup Station. I climbed aboard for the short ride up to Birchenlea Estate. On the way we met RF429, heading out for another round on the 241. Once there I spotted RT3148, parked between turns on the 477.
Metrobus Dart 313 was carefully squeezing between RMC1461 and RML2699.
RF28 was parked next to RT3148, waiting for another GreenLine turn, but my attention was on RMC1461, just preparing to depart on the 477. I swung aboard and took a comfortable seat on the deep cushions.
We rumbled down to Swanley Garage to pick up, then set off down thee straight to Swanley. But this time we turned left, onto the Orpington Road, soon swinging right into Azalea Drive to make the loop to Swanley Station. Not that the station is visible - just an alleyway through to the station entrance. After the station stop the Drive took us back to the main road.
We passed through Crockenhill and passed along the B258 towards St.Mary Cray. This was one of my teenage bike routes back to Bromlley from the Darenth valley, but I never recall seeing a bus on it then. Today we met one: still in blue/cream, Arriva Dart 3285 came rumbling along on the present-day 477, heading for Dartford & Bluewater.
The lane narrowed, becoming as I remember it from forty years ago. The Routemaster slowed to a gentle stroll, hugging the road centreline along through the green tunnel. We emerged into the outskirts of the Crays, and met DMS41466 emerging from the terminal loop of the R6 at Burrfield Drive.
We squeezed through St.Mary Cray, meeting RF600 heading back towards Swanley, and headed through onto Orpington High Street, where we met more buses, including Metrobus' Omnidekka 905 on its way to the Ramsden Estate.
To my surprise, when we reached the War Memorial we turned left instead of right, and headed up Spur Road towards Chelsfield instead of going to Orpington Station. It seems that TfL does not take kindly to the way that bus enthusiasts and photographers have wandered about over the bus park at Orpington Station on previous events. We drove out onto the Orpington by-pass, then quite suddenly made a right hand loop to pull up at a bus-stop. We had arrived at the Goddington Lane terminus.
After a break we set off again, back down to the War Memorial and along Orpington's busy High Street. Amongst other buses in mid-Sunday afternoon we met new Enviro400 19132 on the 61, Trident 17276 on the 208 and Metrobus Dart 351 on the B14.
We crossed over into the narrower confines of St.Mary Cray. We squeezed past DMS41360 on the local R3 route.
We threaded our way through onto the Crockenhill Road, and choggled down the green tunnel once more. We pulled in at the Crockenhill stop to let the service bus dash past. Then it was Swanley station, Swanley, and the straight run south-east to Swanley Garage.
We pulled up past GS2 and RF429, just as T1102 arrived from the opposite direction.
I alighted and spotted Colin Rivers and John Huxford, so went to have a chat..
Part Five: Welling Station and back
Photos by Ian Smith. Click on any of them for a larger picture.
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