Bromley Mini Running DaySunday 11th December 2016Prepared by Ian Smith, 20th December 2016.Part Three: Double-deckers94: Petts Wood Station to Bromley Garage (RT1702)RT1702 duly arrived and pulled in to the Station Approach. A huge Morrisons supermarket truck made the turn difficult. Grove Park was wound up -and then Bromley Garage: it was rapidly approaching time for the lunch-break.
we set off back up Queensway, and west to Southborough Road. There we passed EnviroTrident 10190 heading for Orpington.
We continued on to The Crown, Bromley Common, where we turned left onto the garage run to Bromley Garage. Back in 94 days this was run in service, of course. RT1702 pulled up in front of the garage, where the crew were going to take their lunch break. Bromley GarageI peeped in through the corner doorway of the garage. Inside were EnviroTridents 19139 and 10191, set up for their allotted 61 and 261 routes respectively. Beyond them EnviroDarts 36554 and 36551 were off the 314, while Tridents 17795 and 18491 are still part of the 269 allocation.
EnviroDart 36581 was standing outside in Quarry Road, with two Tridents off the 269 behind (including 17899).
I looked in the gateway of the garage yard. Tothe left, against the wall, was a line of Tridents. Whether these are withdrawn or spares I don't know, but the blinds set up indicate recent use as spares on EnviroTrident routes: 18485 (261), 18486 (208), 17844 (664), 18489 (61) and 18489 (269). 36553 stood alongside.
To the right were EnviroTridents 10145 (208?) and 19135 (61), followed by Trident 18488 off the 269, plus EnviroTrident 10151 (208). Tridents 17780 and 18494 were awaiting their next foray on the 269 (The 269 uses 14 Tridents on weekdays, ten on Sundays at present).
261: Bromley Garage to Bromley Town Hall: 10148I crossed the road just in time to catch 10148 on a 261 to Bromley - but without time to catch a photo. I settled in the forward-facing seat behind the front door, and enjoyed the ride into Bromley. I alighted at the Town Hall, otherwise known as Boots or the United Reformed Church. It was lunch-time, with none of the preserved buses moving for a while, so I looked for an eating place. Citaro 23105 swept past on a terminating 227.I went into The Glades shopping mall (now known as Intu) and found an acceptable lunch-space. I phoned my wife, who happened to be 20 metres away, and she came to join me. Serendipity!
94: Bromley Town Hall to Grove Park: RM1397My timetable suggested that I would be able to catch the Routemaster from the town-hall stop, so I went outside to wait for it. Tridents 18215 and then 17900 came past, heading round the corner to Bromley North. Then RM1397 came round the corner from Kentish Way, and came along to pick up.
I boarded, and greeted old friends. Then my wife climbed aboard too, joining me for the trip north along Burnt Ash Lane to New Street Hill, where she alighted. I continued on to Grove Park. We persuaded the conductor that he did not have to turf us all off the bus at the Station stop, as there is nowadays a pair of public stops inside the Bus Station, one for alighting, the other for joining.
94: Grove Park to Bromley North Station: RM1397The RM, now empty, circled round to stand in the middle, next to EnviroTrident 10201 on the 136.
After a few minutes it was back out to the pick-up stop. We re-joined and headed to make a pick-up at the stop under the station canopy. Then it was back across the Borough boundary into Bromley, up over the steep little hill and down to the New Street Hill stop. Here I used to catch the bus on my way to school. We continued into Bromley, to pause at Bromley North Station. I alighted. TD95 was right behind, completing a 227 journey... Photos by Ian Smith. Click on any of them for a larger picture.
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Part Four: 227s.
Ian's Bus-stop
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