Hertford Running Day

Sunday September 10th 2000

Prepared by Ian Smith, 17th September 2000

Part 2: Morning Meanders

333 Hertford & Bengeo

My first ride of the day just HAD to be on the 333. OK, so it wasn't being operated by a Cub, or even (on this turn) a GS, but this town service features in so many of the old photos of Hertford that it was a must.
RF28 was my steed. It took me through Hertford town and up to the suburb of Bengeo. Although in modernised GreenLine livery it was an appropriate duty, as GreenLine coaches often did a local bus journey at the start of the day, before starting their longer journeys. The passengers were a mixture of enthusiasts and local people enjoying a bout of nostalgia. Some ex-Bengeo residents were intrigued by the changes - and lack of them - on the journey.

Tour 1: to Hatfield House

An early arrival at Hertford Bus Station meant that I was in time to transfer onto another RF, but one of a different character.

RF4 is one of the short (27ft 6in) tour coaches, with glass cant-panels, built just in time for the Festival of Britain in 1951. Peter Penfold brought this one back from a distressed condition: after London service (1964) it went to Premier Travel in Cambridge for operation, followed by a period as staff transport for "Chuckie-Chickens (E.P.Woods). It was then cannibalised to keep RF12 and RF13 going at Hampsons in Oswestry. Hard to believe when you look at its condition today, restored to London Transport's 1951 Private Hire livery.

Peter drove us smoothly out of Hertford Bus Station. GS32 scurried past, my first GS sighting of the day.

We emerged from Hertford into the Hertfordshire countryside, and ambled through Horn's Mill and Essendon Mill before a last dash along the main road into Hatfield, where we turned opposite the imposing gates of Hatfield House.

The station forecourt had a useful tea-stand, which did a better-than-usual Sunday trade. RT2083 arrived on a 341 short working.

341 Hatfield Station to Hertford

I transferred to RT2083 for the ride back to Hertford. Upstairs on an RT on a summer's day is an experience unlike any other. To my surprise the RT rattled back along the main road all the way to Hertford, rather than taking to the leafy lanes.

On arrival back at Hertford at 1137 I found something of a hiatus, with no buses leaving for half an hour (other than the inevitable 333). But there was that cafe, still doing a roaring trade, and a stream of buses returning from trips...

Another service bus passed through, red M290 heading for Enfield on the 311, and red RF406 pulled in on a 333 trip from Bengeo.

Greenline RF48, which had been parked temporarily across the road from the bus stance, pulled round onto the stand for the next Bengeo working, and Country Area RF679 pulled in after a trip to Welwyn on the 388.

These were followed by GS32, driven by Alan Charman (his own GS62 needing a new fuel pump), arriving on a 308A working from Little Berkhampstead, and RMC1477 ready for the 1205 715 departure.

The crowd at the bus stop was hoping that the next 308A would be the GS again, but it was not to be. But where was the RF for the 1200 departure? I walked across to the "garage" area, where the driver was having problems fitting the right blind. There were other buses there too - SNB312, RF486, RT3228, RTL1256, RM1699, RF406 - waiting between turns to add their variety.
I found RF679, and joined it for the afternoon...

Part 3: Afternoon Ambulations

All photos by Ian Smith. Click on them for a larger picture.

Ian's Bus-stop Part 1: Arrivals Part 3: Afternoon Ambulations