But while I pondered my prayers were answered. Maidstone & District SO224 came round the corner onto the stop with the 1600 service 135 to Holtye Common, which I had not spotted on the timetable.
I found a place aboard, and we set off. At first the route was the same as for the 473 or 434 towards Dormansland: down the rock cutting to Blackwell, and up past the hospital and Stone Quarry Estate. But where the London Transport routes dived left over the border into Kent the 135 continued along the A264 into East Sussex. The fringes of East Grinstead were left behind, and we followed the rural main road along a typical Wealden ridge, through mixed countryside.
It did not take long to reach Holtye Common, where the route turns left for Cowden and Edenbridge. But this was a short-working. At Holtye we met SC390, inbound from Edenbridge. SO224 pulled round and turned to pull up behind the other Reliance.
So after taking photos, I climbed aboard the coach for the ride back to East Grinstead. I was impressed. I don't remember antimacassars on the Green Line RFs - or coach seats for that matter!
The two M&D vehicles arrived back at East Grinstead at 1640, just as all sorts of things were happening. They pulled in behind RF626, which was preparing to head down to the station and Kingscote again. RF679 was coming in on a 494 from Oxted, and FRM1 was just emerging ready for its journey back to Acton.
The buses negotiated their way down the stand: RF626 departed, RF679 came in to unload, the FRM squeezed in to take on board its passengers, and GS15, back from a short 494 journey to Lingfield, picked its way through to the spot now vacated by RF679.
The temporary bus jam eased: FRM1 pulled away, and SC390 followed.
Suddenly the street was clear, except for RF48, which had been parked out of the way outside Caffe Nero. But wait! Here comes RT3148, back from Forest Row with a 409.
My ride was to be RF48, but that was still a half-hour or so away. I went off to find something else to eat.
All photos by Ian Smith. Click on most of them for a larger picture.
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Part 7: RF48 on 708