Heritage Bus Running Day: Dorking

Firmly back in the UK, Watton’s Wanderings attended the Classic Bus Running Day organised by the Amersham & District Motorbus Society in Dorking, Surrey, featuring rides on former LT Country Bus and LCBS vehicles.

Part of the cover from the excellent programme produced for the Running Day, which included timetables for the special services and details of the vehicle workings.

The photo of RT4748 at Reigate on a 414 working from Croydon to Horsham typifies long LT Country Bus routes of the 1960s and is by an unknown photographer.

Introduction

I had attended Classic Bus Running Days based on Dorking a couple of times some years ago, so it was good to return there after a considerable gap. Whilst not that far from London, with some other reasonable sized towns nearby, like Leatherhead, Guildford, Reigate and Redhill, the area is characterised by pleasant Surrey countryside and attractive small villages, offering some scenic rides.

However, the rural nature of the area, combined with a generally high income population and high car ownership, has meant that this is not exactly fertile bus operating territory, with successive cuts in services over recent decades. Sadly, the London Transport Country Bus and later LCBS Garage in the town (coded DS) closed in 1990, with the site now occupied by the inevitable block of flats. Running Days such as this help to rekindle memories of former times by reviving former routes, now mostly long gone, particularly when the actual types that ran on those services are used.

Arriving around 0930 on Sunday morning, I was able to purchase a programme at the Amersham & District Society stand outside the station, giving timetables plus vehicle working information on the special services.

Whilst awaiting the first departure, it was interesting to note that “normal” Sunday bus services in Dorking now comprise only a few routes:

TfL Route 465 (operated by Transport UK): Dorking to KIngston via Leatherhead (Hourly)

Surrey Route 32 (operated by Metrobus): Redhill to Guildford via Dorking (Every 2 Hours)

Surrey Route 93 (operated by Metrobus): Dorking to Horsham (Every 2 Hours)

Preserved RF633 at Dorking Station having just arrived at the start of the day’s operations, blinded for the 425, a long-standing Country Bus route between Dorking and Guildford.

Today, Route 32 covers this corridor, operated by Compass Travel on M-S and Metrobus on Suns, but at a lesser frequency than in the good old days.

Route 439: Dorking - Newdigate - Brockham - Dorking

For my first ride, I boarded preserved Leyland National SNB449 on the first anti-clockwise circular run of the day on Route 439. It is easy to overlook the importance of the National in Country Bus history, but the type played a significant role with LCBS from the 1970s onwards as the company amassed one of the largest fleets of the type in the UK. Indeed, it was the type I rode many times in completing my journeys around the LCBS network whilst it was still mainly intact.

This particular bus was one of the later Series B versions, which dispensed with the famous rear “roof pod” and some of the finer details of earlier deliveries. At least it had the more comfortable orange moquette seats which superseded the plastic covered ones of many previous examples. A decent run out of Dorking through North and South Holmwood, then via Beare Green, before traversing the winding country lane to the picturesque location of Newdigate Village, with a brief photo-stop. Then on through the idyllic countryside to Strood Green and Brockham Green, where there was another short photo opportunity. Finally, back along the main road back to Dorking to complete the 50 min round trip.

It is hard to believe that this was once a crew-operated route with RTs, which was unlikely to ever have been that busy except at peak times, even back in the day, as it is mostly extremely rural. Driver-only conversion came in 1965 with RFs, at which point the previously simple service between Redhill & Newdigate became a complex “frying pan” route also covering the previous 429 which was withdrawn. In addition to clockwise and anti-clockwise loops from Dorking, there was another leg serving Reigate & Redhill. MBs and then SNBs came to the route in the 1970s, which suffered a series of cuts until completely fading away into history.

Today, Newdigate is served by Metrobus 21 between Epsom & Crawley via Dorking, which operates just 6 journeys a day M-S at roughly 2 hourly intervals.

SNB449 recalls the Leyland National era on the 439 at Brockham Green during a photo stop on the circular route from Dorking. This is one of the cheaper Series B versions of the class without the famous roof pod.

After One-Man conversion in 1965, the 439 was a complex operation, with clockwise and anticlockwise loops from Dorking, together with a “frying pan” branch to Reigate & Redhill.

Route 414: Dorking - South Holmwood - Reigate - Dorking

Next, I switched to my favourite double deck type, the RT. The 414 was one of the lengthy trunk routes which characterised Country Bus operations in former times, running from Croydon to Horsham via Redhill, Reigate and Dorking. Part of this was recreated on the Running Day, over the Reigate to Capel section. I boarded RT604 on a southbound short-working to South Holmwood, proceeding out of town to North Holmwood, Mid Holmwood and then turning around at the “Holly & Laurel” where a few minutes stand time was taken. This bus is famous as the very last to operate in LCBS service, although not on the 414 but on the 403 from Chelsham Garage (CM), coming off on engine failure in 1978. It was one of only three to be repainted in National “leaf green” livery for passenger service at Chelsham and is luckily preserved.

After the break, I continued on its trip back through Dorking followed by a fast run along the A25 through Brockham and Buckland to Reigate, terminating at Red Cross. Another short stop before proceeding around the one-way system, passing not far from the former London Country Head Office and Reigate Garage (RE). Then back along the main road again to Dorking Station, total running time about 1h 5m in all.

The 414 enjoyed RT operation until 1972, when RCLs made spare from one-man conversions of Green Line routes in East London replaced them. There was an RML out to play on the 414 as well on the Running Day, a type that only appeared occasionally on the route during the vehicle shortages of the mid 1970s. One man conversion reached the 414 in 1977 with the ubiquitous Nationals, although the route itself was another to be eventually consigned to history. Anyone attempting a ride from Croydon to Dorking over the same route today would have to change at least twice!

RT604 on a short-working 414 at South Holmwood “Holly & Laurel” before riding it through to Reigate via Dorking.

This bus was one of only three to be repainted in National leaf green livery in 1977 and was destined to become the last of its class in London Country service at Chelsham Garage on the 403 during the following year.

Route 412: Dorking - Sutton - Ranmore - Dorking

In the afternoon, I switched to another of the long-gone Dorking rural routes, the 412, which I never rode in normal service, thus plugging a gap in my Country Bus experience and another benefit of such Running Days. This time, I had RF271, a Green Line example with its special livery, deeper seats and luggage racks that the bus versions didn’t have.

The route had Dorking as its mid-point and my first ride was on the southern leg to the village of Sutton, not to be confused with the Surrey town of the same name, now in Greater London. Indeed, the blind showed Holmbury St Mary as the main destination, with Sutton as a qualifier, designed to clarify to passengers which Sutton the bus was going to!

Another very scenic ride, through Westcott before turning off down a narrow lane through a wooded section to Abinger and continuing over more winding roads to the village of Holmbury St Mary. Beyond this, a short hop to the very rural terminus at Sutton “Volunteer”, although sadly the pub is currently closed. Hard to believe that such a route ever generated much traffic.

Following a photo stop, we returned whence we came back to Dorking, before continuing on the northern leg of the route out of town and up a steep hill to Ranmore Common, terminating by reversing into a even narrower lane off the main lane just after Dog Kennel Green. Ranmore consists of a handful of houses, but the woods here provide a convenient start point for local walks on the downs. Soon we were barrelling back down into Dorking and to the station once again, with a total round trip time of slightly under 2 hours including breaks at each end.

The 412 was another to “die the death of a thousand cuts” and is no more. However, almost incredibly, Holmbury St Mary still has a bus service today, Metrobus 22, which operates between Crawley and a loop to the west of Dorking, although only 5 times a day on M-F, with no weekend journeys.

RF271 is a former “Green Line” example of the class with deeper seats and luggage racks and is seen at the Sutton “Volunteer” PH terminus in deepest rural Surrey.

Note the blind reading “Holmbury St Mary” with “Sutton” as a qualifier, which was done to avoid any potential confusion that the bus might be going to the more well-known town of Sutton, now in Greater London!

Route 414: Dorking - Capel - Dorking

To end the day, I returned to the 414 and RT604 once again, this time on a trip from Dorking to Capel, which was the southern most point being operated to on the Running Day, apart from one early journey from Horsham and a late journey back there.

A fast run through the Holmwoods preceeded the countrified stretch into the village of Capel, terminating at Laundry Way, where we met up with RF271 again, which was operating a 449 to that point. Some passengers opted to change buses for the return run but I returned on the RT to Dorking Station to conclude my rides.

The 414 was upgraded from RT to RCL operation in 1972 after the latter became spare from “Green Line” OPO conversions in East London. RML2456 provides a reminder of Routemaster days on the route, whilst at Dorking Station on a Reigate journey.

RML appearances on the 414 were relatively rare, although they did happen, particularly as vehicle shortages began to bite in the mid 1970s.

Other Vehicles

Before ending, a brief word on the other buses that attended the Running Day on which I didn’t have time to travel.

MB90 was operating a few trips on the 439, a type that was spread thinly through the Country Bus area. Just one example came to Dorking in 1969 for the local 449 route, although a few others arrived in the early 70s for other routes as part of the RF replacement programme.

In addition to the Green RFs, a couple of red examples were in attendance, recalling the time when such buses were loaned to the Country area at times of vehicle shortage.

In terms of Routemasters, a non-authentic for the area but smartly presented RM835 represented the large fleet of such vehicles which operated in Scotland after ending London service, in this case with Clydeside Scottish in the Glasgow area.

MB90 recalls Merlin operation on the 439 in the early 70s, seen parked up opposite Dorking Station.

One MB was initially allocated to Dorking in 1969 for the 449, with further examples arriving in later years for the 425 and 439 to replace RFs.

Red RF406 at Dorking Station on a well-filled 439 circular working during the Running Day.

Red RFs were sometimes loaned to the Country area to cover vehicle shortages and did turn out at Dorking on routes like this.

Unusual guest vehicles might be non-authentic but provide a splash of colour on Running Days, as RM835 demonstrates at Dorking Station between trips on the 414.

Clydeside Scottish challenged the main Strathclyde operator to the south of Glasgow after deregulation in the late 80s and operated a fleet of ex London RMs in this livery which was designed to stand out.

And Finally…

Many thanks to the organisers, owners and volunteers who made the Running Day possible and such an enjoyable day out, enabling the rekindling of memories from the “olden days”!

Watton

How times have changed….

This poster appeared on single deck buses during London Country days to advise smokers to sit at the back of the vehicle. Smoking was also permitted upstairs on double deckers, all of which now seems strange but was an accepted and normal part of travel at the time.