Chislehurst and Sidcup Running DaySunday 23rd June 2002Prepared by Ian Smith, 15th July 2002Part 2: ChislehurstDM1052 pulled away from the Gordon Arms stop, heading back to Sidcup and Eltham. I went in search of the Mayor and an RF at the Gordon Arms. RF383 was there, but no Mayor. A bus had gone to Bromley to collect her, but there had been a lack of connection. Phone calls to and from the Civic Buildings established the problem. and the Mayor headed our way by car. Meanwhile I looked at RF383. It was wearing a slipboard as "The last 227". Well today there were going to be a few more! One of the 227's modern equivalents (on the Bromley-Chislehurst section) passed by, in the rather nice shape of Stagecoach SLD240 on route 162. Back on the stand, RF421 had arrived from Sidcup and was loading for a return to Eltham on the 228. A short Trident double-decker, Stagecoach TAS470, slipped past on the 160 to Sidcup Station, today's equivalent of part of the old 228 route. The RF was followed by Leyland National LS98 and Swift SMS369, working together on the 227 from Bromley. Another surprise was single-door Titan T1129 (now with Skylark PSV), which came round looking for the terminal stand. LS98 went off to explore the terminal working, and SMS369 pulled up to let green RF679 onto the stand on a 725 trip, followed tightly by RF429 on another 228. It was a bit busy. Then the stand emptied, briefly. The Titan arrived back after completing a loop, loaded at the stop and departed on a 228. A Stagecoach Volvo Olympian, VN99, passed on a Sidcup-bound 160, and First Orpington's Volvo President VT1100 paused on a southbound 61. Twenty years of London double-deckers, just like that. Then the Mayor of Bromley arrived, and officially inaugurated the event with RF429, at the Gordon Arms lay-by. We went to cross back to the main stop, and Sidcup-special RM8 roared past on a 161. Why do I always just miss RM8? Also passing was stable-mate RF368, restored to doorless Central Area condition with route stencil over the doorway. To convey the Mayor back to Bromley the organisers ran a special 725 journey with RF679, and I hopped aboard for the ride.
Part 3: Bromley to Sidcup |