Bromley Mini Running DaySunday 7th December 2014Prepared by Ian Smith, 22nd December 2013.Part Three: 227sBromley Market PlaceI went for lunch in Cafe Rouge, overlooking the Market Square. I had a good view to watch the RFs passing on route 227. Except they didn't - at least for the next three quarters of an hour while I ate my lunch..But other buses did pass, including the indigenous Citaros on the 227. I seem to remember that the RFs were replaced by short Swifts rather than long Merlins, despite the former's lack of power on this hilly route, because of length problems. I suppose the change of western terminus from Penge to Crystal Palace may have had something to do with the change of heart, as the route used the longest possible Dart SLFs, followed by the long Citaros, such as 23106. Other long single-deckers passing here are the OmniCitys on the 358. I wonder what will replace them? Double deckers pass here too, on the 208 and 320. EnviroTrident 10190 represents the former.
227: Bromley North to Crystal Palace: RF368Just after two o'clock RF395 appeared, and zipped past before I could focus my camera: I had forgotten that the 227s no longer stop on the Market Place as they used to. I finished my meal, paid for it (important to remember that, at my age!) and headed along Widmore Road towards the stop at the URC and Town Hall. I had taken too long. RF395 pulled away from the stop before I got there, and was not going to stop for me. I watched it disappear onto the Market Square.I crossed the road and headed for Bromley North Station. Citaro 26103 passed me on the last leg of its journey.
I reached the station stop in time to see RF368 go past and turn in to Mitchell Way. There it joined a bus jam caused by long single-deckers crew-changing. EnviroDart 36547 on the 314 seemed to be the ringleader. 36309 behind it on the 246 just could not edge past to get into the private bus stance in the old station goods yard.
The log jam cleared, and RF368 unloaded, then pulled round towards the pickup stop in front of the station. RM1397 was just setting off southwards on a 94 to Petts Wood.
I climbed aboard RF368. This is one of my favorites, having been one of the RFs that I regularly used on the 227 to get to school. We set off down to the Town Hall, and turned right to head for the Market Place. The road renewal in the Market Place has been completed, so we were soon round the corner into High Street North. I used to come through College Slip from North Street, cross the road and look to see if a Penge-bound 227 was coming. Today, as we approached College Slip and the Swan & Mitre it was Metrobus OmniCity 528 that pulled out from Swan Hill onto the High Street. We turned down the hill (properly Beckenham Lane), and weaved down the sinuous hill to Shortlands, where we ducked under the low railway bridge. We climbed up the west side, then rolled down into Beckenham, forking right to serve Beckenham Town Hall and Church. We turned down to Beckenham High Street, and snaked along to the War Memorial roundabout, then on to Clock House. We went over the Mid-Kent line at the station, then on under the tram line and the Crystal Palace railway, and on into Penge. We passed RF395 as we went up Penge High Street, as it was setting off back to Bromley.
We continued up through Penge, went under the Brighton line and toiled up Crystal Palace Hill. Up on the Parade we motored along to the bus station, where this year we were allowed to turn, but not stop. We made our turn, and terminated at an eastbound stop on the north side of the parade. 227: Crystal Palace to Penge: RF368The blinds were set for Penge. We cannot give crew breaks at Bromley North, but are allowed to stand at The Crooked Billet, on the historical 227 stand. So crew breaks are there. We rolled down the hill and back into Penge, where we found ourselves behind VLA69 (I think). This cannot be long for this world (at least in London), being ten years old. We pulled in to The Cooked Billet stand, where we found RF429 completing a break.
227: Penge to Bromley North: RF429
RF429 has an advantage in this weather: doors. RF368 has no doors or Conductor bar across the front window, but RF429 does. Such buses, converted for omo, were a rarity in my school days. Then, although converted they were not allowed to be used with doors operating. Bromley had none, but occasionally one borrowed from New Cross was to be found on the 227, with the doors non-operational. Anyway, I was welcomed aboard, and we soon set off on the familar home-run to Bromley. TD95 scurried past as we passed the old grammar school. We had an uneventful trip back to Bromley North Station, where I alighted.
It was a quarter to four, and the light was going rapidly. I decided to walk down to West Street and catch the 94 to Grove Park. RF429 purred away on another round-trip to Penge..
Photos by Ian Smith. Click on any of them for a larger picture.
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Part Four: RM on 94
Ian's Bus-stop
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