Bromley Mini Running DaySunday 13th December 2015Prepared by Ian Smith, 4th January 2016.Part Two: More RF journeys on the 227RF429: Penge to Bromley MarketRF429 was on time, so we had the full five minutes turn-round time on the Crooked Billet stance. Greetings were exchanged with the driver on the EnviroDart, and with the Christmas Tree sellers at the pub, who had used a picture of RF429 standing here last year to publicise their tree sales.Other buses passed by: Arriva's DAF/Wright 251 on the 197 to Croydon, and northbound stretched Volvo / Alexander VLA73 on the 176. A pair of Citaros went past, one heading for Bromley, the other (23101) heading up the hill to Crystal Palace. It was time to go. We reboarded RF429 and headed off back towards Bromley, passing other buses on the way. We climbed the little hill up to Beckenham Church, where Stagecoach 36319 was waiting to turn the corner on a 352 to Penge. We continued on to Shortlands, passing RF368 and RF486. We growled up Swan Hill with a full load of passengers, and burbled along to the old Green Line stop at The Greyhound in Bromley High Street. Most of our passengers alighted there. Most of the rest alighted round the corner at Sainsbury's in West Street. RF429 continued round to Tweedy Road and Bromley North Station.
RF429: Bromley to Crystal PalaceWe received a message about TD95: It had failed at the Brooklands Museum, but another bus was being brought out to substitute. We were still on time, so we loaded quickly at the busy stop and set off again, south to join the old 227 route at Bromley Town Hall. As we waited at the crossroads there we met RF368, using the alternative route to Bromley North via Tweedy Road. We loaded up at the Town Hall/URC stop, and headed west, back to Shortlands and Beckenham, and on to Penge. It was interesting. Passengers felt free to talk about their experiences on the route. It was a convivial trip, unlike the usual modern stone-faced transits on public transport in London. We passed Penge with the service Citaro now ahead of us up the long hill to Crystal Palace, where the RF terminated at the set-down stop. The RF pulled away, to turn in the bus station. It was allowed to turn, but not to wait there. I followed along, thinking that there were public toilets at the bus station. No, there were only crew toilets. I had to search elsewhere. Meanwhile RG429 had completed its turn and left to the pick-up stop.
There were other interesting buses in the bus station while I looked: brand new hybrid WHV74 with the new ugly Wright style, on the 202 to Blackheath, and a shapely EnviroTrident, Stagecoach 12340 on the 122 to Plumstead. By the time I had completed my mission and crossed the road to the eastbound stop the RF had gone. What next? Photos by Ian Smith. Click on any of them for a larger picture.
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