Day one hundred and nine The No 174, 175 and start of the No 176

My journey today was rather protracted as having taken a No 410 to West Croydon with the intention of catching a London Overground train to Canada Water. However, engineering works meant there were no trains towards New Cross Gate and thus I had to take a Victoria bound train at 1047 but unfortunately this train goes the long way round via Crystal Palace. I alighted at Balham at 1112 and boarded a Northern line train to London Bridge where I arrived at 1135. Here I had to get the Jubilee line train to Stratford that I should have erstwhile caught at Canada Water. My arrival at Stratford meant I just missed the 1157 to Shenfield so had to wait for the next train the 1207, which was of the new Crossrail stock. This train deposited me at Harold Wood at 1232. I walked to the nearby bus stop and found a No 496 waiting to go to Romford and although I could see it went to the starting point of the No 174, I could not find the No 174 on the map. I thus had a brainstorm and thought my map was probably out of date-it had been for other bus routes, so turning around I caught the next train back to Romford at 1248. So at 1300 I was aboard a No 174 heading for Harold Hill Dagnam Park Square.

Finally arrived at my starting point 3 1/2 hours after leaving home

My mount to Dagenham CEME Stagecaoach

19714

I finally arrived at the starting point of the No 174 at 1328 and boarded Stagecoach 19714 at 1332. The bus route runs one way around Leaminton Road and Dagnam Park Drive and therefore by doing what I did I covered all of the route.
Once on Straight Road the route becomes the only one for a short spell but generally around the area there is a multiplicity of routes criss-crossing the estates. Approaching Gallows Corner, where there was almost a crash earlier, as I was heading towards my start point.

Gallows Corner where the Southen Arterial Road splits from the A12

Passing another No 174 as we reach Gidea Park

The bus ran through Gidea Park and then we were approaching Romford once again at 1352.

At Romford railway station with a No 175 coming the other way

After Romford station the bus follows the same route as the No 103 along Oldchurch Lane and then left down Crow Lane. However, at Rush Green the bus crosses straight over at the lights and takes Dagenham Lane past Dagenham and Barking college and then Eastbrook Country Park.

The Chase! Dagenham Heathway version

Atop the bridge at Dagenham Heathway Underground
 station looking south to the river 

The bus crossed into Oxlow Lane at 1420 which takes the route to join the route Nos 173 and 175. The bus then turned left into Heathway past Dagenham Heathway Underground station and back we went to the old A13 where the bus turned left unlike the No 173. The bus passed a McDonald's where I could see the No 175 had its terminal point but then carried on east to Marsh Lane where the bus turned right across the old A13, rose above Highspeed 1 and then under the new A13 dual carriageway to CEME Dagenham where I arrived at 1435.

My mount now going out of service to the depot after arrival

The starting point from CEME Dagenham

CEME Dagenham, quite busy for a Saturday pm

The tracks for HighSpeed 1 and the C2C line to Southend

The layover point for the No 175, Oval road South.

In order to get from the end of the No 174 to the start of the No 175 it was necessary to walk back under the A13 and over High Speed 1.  As I got back to the old A13 a No 174 drew alongside and I was able to board this to take me to the Ballards Lane stop where I could cross the road to catch a No 175.

Arriva's T78 approaching to take me to Hillrise Estate north of Romford

   The bus arrived at 1502 and as the timetable told me it should take ten minutes less than the Route No 174  the bus should arrive at the destination before 4PM. It was quite a quick return to the route back past Dagenham Heathway station but this bus had very dirty windows and it was also drizzling so photography was not easy.

That is a No 173 in front at Dagenham Heathway station

I thought I'd take a snap of all three consecutive bus routes if possible and this was the best I could achieve through the murk and drizzle.

The No 173 operated by Arriva and the No 174 by Stagecoach just over the rise from the station

By 1513 we were no longer being accompanied by route No 174 as that turns off to the right as we head up Heathway towards Becontree Heath Leisure Centre with the route No 173. The No 173 goes straight on at the leisure centre but our bus turned right and then forked left at the university to enter the London Borough of Havering at Rush Green at 1521.  After a while we reached a crossroads with traffic lights and a No 174 crossed in front of us. The No 175 continued straight on towards Romford and in Rom Valley Way turned into Queen's Hospital. From here the bus runs back into Romford town centre where I had earlier snapped it from the No 174. The bus left the pedestrianised area at 1535 and then headed north to North Street bus garage and across the A12 at 1542 towards Colliers Row initially before taking the third exit at the roundabout into Chase Cross Road.

Arriva's T78 at journey's end

A view towards the city of London whilst awaiting my return to Romford

The bus takes a left up Avelon Road  and up Hillrise Road to arrive at the terminus at 1551.

I then took the bus in front, a much cleaner DW of Arriva back to Romford at 1600 and as with the No 174, doing out and back on the same route meant I covered all of the one way section of the route. I was back at the railway station to catch another Crossrail class 345, this time to Liverpool Street. From there I caught the Central line to Tottenham Court Road and was ready at 1721 in St Giles Road to catch a No 176 to Penge.

WHV195 of London General at layover

The bus was waiting quite a while before it moved and as it did the destination changed to Sydenham. Nevertheless I boarded London General's WHV195 at 1733. Progress was really slow owing to the quantity of pedestrians thronging Charing Cross Road which meant we failed to get through traffic lights before they changed to red on many occasions. It took a full ten minutes to reach St Martins-in- the-Fields which is walking pace and The Strand was not a great deal better. However, at least when we reached the end of The Strand the bus turns right onto Waterloo Bridge rather than doing a circuit of the Aldwych. Waterloo station was achieved at 1756, 23 minutes since we started and I decided to abort the trip at 1607 when I had reached Elephant and Castle.

Another picture in the dark at Elephant and Castle

From here I took the Northern line to Balham and then caught the second train from platform one. This was not pointed out in any way by staff  that it would get me home earlier than the first, as it did not travel via Crystal Palace but by Norbury.