GS2

Chesham Broadway Running Day

Sunday 24th October 2003

Prepared by Ian Smith, 13th November 2003


Part 7: homewards (GS62)

While we were loading the buses at Chesham Broadway, putting in the spare tyre, water, oil, the shelter, chairs... another normal Sunday service bus arrived, in the shape of Daf/Wright 4523 on the 52 to Hemel Hempstead. As the longer, wider, lower, rear-engined bus eased past RF633 I pondered fifty years of bus evolution. Perhaps they were ahead of their time, but the GS and especially the RF are not that far removed from their modern equivalents that we had seen today: the Vario and the DAF.

4523 in the Broadway 4523 and RF633 in the Broadway

Packing up complete, the four buses for Surrey and Sussex loaded their passengers and set off in the gathering twilight. GS62 led the way, with the intention that we should stop together at a garage on the A413 just beyond Amersham. It was closed. Demolished. Gone. GS62 pulled into a layby to let traffic pass and to let RF633 come up behind, and non-driving crew exchanged phone messages. We drove on along the Uxbridge road, and I proved to myself that photography from a moving bus in these light conditions isn't feasible.

GS62 wears 361 blinds 633 catches up along the A413 at dusk

Eventually we came across a garage with multiple diesel pumps that could accommodate us all. All four buses - GS1, GS2, GS62 and RF633 - replenished their tanks.

GS62 fuels GS1 fuels GS2 fuels

We then rolled on southwards, gradually separating to serve various intermediate points and destinations. GS1 and GS2 were travelling via Hatton Cross and then south for a final drop-off in Dorking, RF633 was calling at Hampton Court and then Reigate and Redhill before meeting me at Godstone, and Alan Charman in GS62 was heading direct to Godstone. He dropped me at the bus-stop there, with the all-important ladder so that we could extract the route blinds from RF633 before the bus was put away for the winter. RF633 rolled up ten minutes later, and the deed was done. Colin Rivers and I headed east into Kent, and RF633 went off for its winter home.

Chesham system map Buses:

My thanks to those who contributed to this fun day: drivers, owners, conductors, organisers, passengers, councillors, the police... It was a GOOD DAY.

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

Back to Ian's Bus-stop Part 1 Part 6: 348 to St Leonards (RF 633, GS32)