Other buses came and went too: Arriva's Dart SLF 3828 was back again on the 311, and their 4522 was on the 395. RMC1476 came in off a tour working. RF679 came in off its meanderings on the straggling route 350, while RF539 had been out to Little Berkhamsted and back. RF600 came in from Stevenage on the 390, and headed off to the bus park.
The Eastbourne Regent V came in off another tour working, and RF4 came in for its lonely 384 working north to the very tip of the old London Transport Country Area at Letchworth. 1715 came, and we set off, with quite a decent load, some for Ware, some for Stevenage, some extracting the very utmost from the journey. We headed east along the road to Ware, only to be stopped for a train at the level rossing at Ware Station. It gave me an opportunity to slip off to take a picture.
We wriggled through Ware, and escaped onto the swooping country highway northwards across rolling Hertfordshire. We passed Tonwell, and soon turned off onto the lane to Sacombe and Dane End. Peter Penfold made the acute angle turn into the lane to Whempstead look easy, and we squeezed up the lane to rejoin the larger road north to Benington. How 8ft or 8ft3in wide buses manage it I don't know.
Peter paused at Benington Green, and invited us to take pictures if we wanted. Several did. We reboarded, and ran down into Walkern and then the urban jungle of Stevenage. Several people alighted at the Bus Station, and Peter then headed north, pausing at the modern station to drop me off for my train north.
It was a brilliant day. Many thanks to those who organised it,
and to drivers, conductors, inspectors, owners, timetablers,
and to those who authorised it, sponsored it, came to it, enjoyed it.
Buses included:
All photos by Ian Smith. Click on most of them for a larger picture.
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