Day 88 off to Harrow for the No 140 to Heathrow airport

This journey started rather later than most as I caught the 1152 from Wallington to Selhurst whereupon I swapped onto the 1210 towards Milton Keynes which brought me to Harrow and Wealdstone railway station for 1313. In order to reach the start point of the route it was necessary  to catch a bus from here to Harrow Weald bus garage and thus it was a No 140 that I took for the relatively short ride. I had a look in the garage in case there was anything interesting therein, which there wasn't so I walked into the adjoining park and around to the back of the garage in case there were any 'fossils' lurking there.

VP604, one of the earlier types used on
the No 140 but now relegated

Standard fare now on the route a VWH

A plethora of VWHs poking out of Harrow Weald garage

VWH2211 approaching to form my service to Heathrow

At 1333 I was aboard Volvo Wright bodied Hybrid VWH2211 and the bus duly headed back to Harrow and Wealdstone station with its long mural in commemoration of the 1952 rail accident.

Small part of mural alongside Harrrow and Wealdstone station

The bus then headed into Harrow, reached at 1348 and once past the bus station retraced the route of the No 114 through to South Harrow where the bus then headed off on its on route to Northolt where after passing the terminus of the No 90 and No 120 we reached the Target Roundabout at 1415.

A VWH forming a No 140 heading from Heathrow through Harrow

We parted company with those two routes as we entered Yeading and did not rejoin the No 90 route until reaching Hayes town centre. From here we headed for Heathrow Airport passing West End Lane where I had my leaving do from Heathrow at The Pheasant Inn in September 2017.

West End Lane bus stop but by now the weather had turned most inclement

Final arrival at the Heathrow central area was at 1455.

VWH2211 moving away to layover before returning to Harrow.

I returned home via the X26 and as usual when I was working the 1600 bus took until 1815 to get home.

Day eighty seven The No 139 from Waterloo to Golders Green

My bus map from 2016 states this bus runs from Waterloo to West Hampstead but since the changes which saw the No 13 shifted from Aldwych to Victoria in April 2017 and the demise of the No 82, this bus now runs to Golders Green. The day's journey began by my driving the wife to Hither Green crematorium and then leaving the car there and walking to Hither Green railway station in order to catch a train to Waterloo. The walk initially took me through the graveyard to the entrance on the opposite side on Verdant Lane. Once across the South Circular I took Springbank Lane and eventually reached Hither Green station after a twenty minute walk at 1518. There was a train indicated to Cannon Street at 1528 on platform three but at 1522 on platform five, so boarded that train right time. This proved to be a mistake, however, as when we arrived at New Cross at 1531 we made no further progress for eight minutes. At 1539 the driver announced that there had been reports of train surfers between the units and he was going to investigate. A train came alongside on what must be a bi-directional line, but was leaving before I had noticed it had arrived. At 1548 another train did likewise-this was the 1544 which could have been the train I erstwhile would have caught from Hither Green platform three. This train enabled me to reach London Bridge platform three at 1553 and I then rushed under and up to platform nine for any train that would take me to Waterloo. The 1555 duly obliged and finally I arrived at 1601 at Waterloo where I could board the No 139.

RATP 45104 at Waterloo bus station

Searching the map outside the mainline ex LSWR station I found that the first stop for the No 139 is in the bus station outside the IMAX. This is despite the buses laying over outside the Old Vic. The service was provided by RATP London Sovereign No 45104 a Volvo Wrightbus Gemini 2 of 2013 and it left the bus station at 1609.

Southern Transit Dennis Trident of 2001

As we crossed Waterloo bridge another bus came alongside that appeared to be on a railway replacement service. The bus was an ex Stagecoach London bus operated by Southern Transit of Steyning West Sussex but the railway replacement seemed to be bogus as it was full of people with movie cameras, soundmen and the like.

Note the advert for Sussex Wildlife Trust and camera on tripod in bus aisle

The No 139 turned left along the Strand whereas the Media bus went right into the Aldwych and was not seen again. This bus then passes Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly and Oxford Circuses where the bus turns left along Oxford Street; how much longer will buses do that?

Looking down Oxford Street in case I can't do it from a bus again

At 1641 the bus turned north towards Baker Street tube, although, there was a brief diversion for the Nos 139 and 189 to Gloucester Place down George Street.

Bus diversion sign on lamp post telling Nos 139 and 189 to turn left but not all buses?

By 1653 we were crossing the bridge over the throat of Marylebone station but within five minutes the dry day turned increasingly drizzly and the at Lord's Cricket Ground the floodlights shone brightly. As the bus approached the end of Abbey Road it was raining steadily but I was able to take a photo of a strange appartment block with the back cut away because the Euston mainline ran there.

Concrete garden estate but at the rear the buildings are cut under to allow a railway cutting,
which is not balanced on the opposite site, that being a solid triangle shape.

Arrival at Golders Green bus station

Abbey Road became West End Lane and we then passed by the three West Hampstead stations before climbing to meet the A5 and across to terminate at Golders Green at 1731.

After this I needed to get to St. John's Church Kensington as I was taking part with the rest of Carshalton Glee in a concert, the Sangstevne 2019. I quickly caught a No 328 back to West Hampstead Overground where a London Overground train was taken to Willesden Junction. On approach to this station there was one of the new Class 717 trains waiting to do a trial run presumably along the Goblin line. I then waited at the station for ten minutes and the next London Overground train took me the one stop further to Shepherds Bush.

Day 86 The No 137 Brixton to Marble Arch and down to Bromley for the No 138

I left for London on the 1230 train but alighting at West Croydon for a train via Crystal Palace I had almost 20 minutes to wait and even then the train dwellt at Crystal Palace for 4 minutes so it took until 1320 to reach Streatham Hill. I then walked to Brixton garage which is where the No 137 turns around. On approach there appeared to be a bus ready to leave but this didn't leave prior to another which was 'Borismaster' LT954.

Approaching Brixton bus garage with an ex Arriva the Shires training bus in foreground 

The expected No 137 LT976 with nose visible

My actual mount LT954 appeared from within the bowels of the garage.

The bus left at 1332, initially towards London on the A23 but soon turned left past where the No 45 and No 57 had come to a halt earlier in my journeys. Beyond this the bus took Kings Avenue: a road which I used to cycle up on my return from work in an endeavour to avoid the much busier Brixton Hill. Once Clapham Park Road was reached the bus turned west and headed for Clapham Common and followed the same route I had used on the No 35 and No 37.

Crossing Clapham Common with the Horse Chestnut in bloom

 When Clapham Common was crossed we encountered roadworks which made for slow traffic for a while until the bus turned right into Cedars Road on the northwest side of the common. This road becomes Queenstown Road and then after passing Battersea Park station the bus runs beside the park itself before crossing the Thames at Chelsea Bridge.

Crossing the Thames on Chelsea Bridge

By this time it was 1400 and as we entered Central London progress became inevitably slower. After this the bus heads to Sloane Square and then up Sloane Street where there were some more roadworks before reaching Knightsbridge and turning east at 1414.

LT954 leaving bus top to layover in front of March Arch

LT954 now at layover point

From here the bus ran to Hyde Park Corner and then up Park Lane to terminate at Marble Arch at 1419.

To reach the next bus in the sequence in Bromley I needed to get a train from Victoria and to do this I caught a No 390 from the opposite side of Park Lane. The next train to Bromley South was the 1455 to Ashford International so this I boarded allowing arrival at Bromley by 1515. The bus starts from Bromley North so I walked up the High Street, deviated into the Nat West bank and reached the bus stop outside the station where I have previously caught the No 61 and No 119. There was a thirteen minute wait for the bus and at 1544 Metrobus 159 stopped to permit me to board for the 22 minute journey to Coney Hall.

Layover point for many buses, on view are No's 367,119, 146 and 354

London General (Metrobus) 159 approaching the bus stop

 Despite having seen this bus on many occasions for at least fifty years I can't remember any occasion when I caught it and can't think why I would have done.

From the bottom of Bromley High Street the bus takes the entirety of Westmoreland Road before turning left into Pickhurst Lane which lead to arrival in Hayes High Street at 1600. From here the bus follows the route 119 to the roundabout at the bottom of Glebe Way where it turns left along the A232 for a while before heading right into Kingsway where there was only half the road width available.
I was unsure where the bus actually finished and this became increasingly clear as we made a circuit of the various roads in the estate, briefly touching Layhams Road before heading north down Birchtree Avenue. This road and the previous, Sylvan Way were announced as a hail and ride section but it was as the descent of the former that the bus destination changed to Bromley North.

End of hail and ride section

Bus obviously heading back to Bromley North

Thus the bus does not really come to an end point but goes around and then straight back to Bromley. I would have alighted at the shops in Kingsway but was told that bus stop was closed owing to the roadworks so got off the bus at the next stop by the Glebe Way roundabout at 1614.

The bus now returning towards Hayes and the Bromley North

Here I crossed the road and caught the No 119 home. I had thought about walking to Biggin Hill but realising that the trams were not running from New Addington owing to a strike I thought it best to go straight home.