Bromley Classic Bus Running DaySunday 18th December 2011Prepared by Ian Smith, 29th December 2011Mid-day208: Bromley High Street to Bromley HillI caught a 208 northwards from Bromley High Street. Trident 17348 bustled me towards Downham. How far should I go? I decided to wait on Bromley Hill, where I would have a long view of what was coming, so alighted at the Park Avenue stop. I watched the Trident pull away, then crossed over and walked down to the Bromley Court Hotel stop on the southbound side. A minute later sister Trident 17346 bustled up the long hill from Downham, and called at the stop. But it was a quarter-hour standing in the cool sunshine until the next 208 arrived, with Trident 17282. Scania Omnidekka 944 of Metrobus was immediately behind on a 320 to Biggin Hill.
47: Bromley Hill to FarnboroughI continued my wait. At length RT1702 appeared, climbing Bromley Hill. I put my hand out, and was glad to see the trafficator winking for the stop.
I was pleased to be able to share the seat behind the RT's bonnet as we rumbled along towards Bromley, passing another Trident and an Omnidekka on the way. We rolled along the almost deserted northern stretch of the High Street to the Market Square. Then perforce we had to divert from the traditional 47 route, which had rounded the square to stop on the east side before descending the main section of High Street. Now we had to stop at the old eastbound 227 stop, then continue eastwards along Widmore Road to the Town Hall. We passed Dart SPD 34232, which had earlier been seen in Bromley Garage. Now it was out in service on a Crystal Palace-bound 227.
We turned right onto Kentish Way, the Bromley semi-by-pass that replaces the old footpath that used to connect Bromley North and Bromley South in my youth. We found ourselves behind newish Stagecoach Trident 19138 on the 61, and followed it through betwen The Glades and The Mall to reach the remains of Bromley High Street. An Omnidekka came the other way on a 119.
I was intrigued by the excellence of the reflection in the big back window of the Trident in front of us. With the now-unfamiliar 47 route number on the bus, many folk were reluctant to join the bus, but a steady trickle of people joined the bus for its southward journey as we descended the High Street past Bromley South Station and climbed Masons Hill onto Bromley Common. Other buses passed, heading into Bromley, including 17441 on the 208.
We reached Bromley Garage as the Trident pulled away. We continued on, up the hill and through the dip at Locks Bottom, where the 61 pulled left to head down into Orpington. We went straight on, up the hill past Farnborough Hospital, to reach Farnborough, where we turned right at the lights t6o leave the by-pass and follow the old main road through the village to the George and Dragon.
The bus was turned on the tiny triangle outside the pub, and we paused a little while for photos and for the blinds to be rolled for the return journey.
47: Farnborough to Catford Garage
We loaded back aboard RT1702 and set off back towards Bromley, through Locks Bottom and past Bromley Garage. We passed the expected procession of service buses, on the 61, 320 and 208 as we joined their routes. The 208 that we met when almost to Bromley was 17348, on which I had left Bromley northwards an hour and a half earlier. Down at the foot of Mason's Hill we met the Hayes routes. Metrobus Dart/East Lancs 264 came down past Bromley South Station, setting out on the inticate back-streets 367 route to West Croydon, followed by a 119 that would re-encounter its route much further on, in Shirley.
As we went up Kentish Way to Widmore Road we were passed by one of the brand-new Metrobus EnviroDarts, in use on the 162, which squeezed round the outside at the traffic lights. Further up the road we were followed by RT3871 on the 126. You wait a year, then two come along together.. We turned the corner to the Town Hall, and passed through to Bromley Market Square. Then it was north again, along towards Bromley Hill, passing Trident 17354, and down the long hill to Downham.
We passed Southend Ponds at Bellingham, and suddenly we were at Catford Garage. "All change, please". We alighted, and watched the RT pull into the garage forecourt.
The crew were taking a break. We could wait (outside, of course) for it to re-emerge, or catch a service bus to Bromley or Beckenham... Part 3: Early afternoonAll photos by Ian Smith. Click on any of them for a larger picture.
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