The No 200 runs from Raynes Park to Mitcham and I thought perhaps I would start from the farther end at Lambton Road Raynes Park. Therefore I caught the 1330 train to Clapham Junction and then at 1406 boarded the Hampton Court train as far as Raynes Park. I had seen the No 200 laying over at Raynes Park many times when driving to and from Heathrow Airport and the bus at that time was operated by the first 14 single deck AD Enviro Dart 200s of which London General has now in excess of 300. These were registered in 2007 and it was a surprise when I saw they were now replaced by double deckers registered in July this year. The service was now provided by Optare Metrodecker 1050s which are wholly electric.
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| Optare Metrodecker Me13 at Lampton Road Raynes Park |
Having never tried to get a bus at Raynes Park I stupidly walked the wrong way down the road towards Kingston instead of heading right and crossing the road into Lambton Road, so therefore missed the first bus I could have got. I was at the bus stop at 1422 and Me13 was already waiting and left for Mitcham Fair Green at 1431.
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| A series of new blocks of flats at Atkinson Close West Wimbledon |
The bus does a circuit of the one way system along Worple Road and then back past the railway station before turning right into Durham Road. This road is a constant climb as it turns right into Cottenham Park Road and then winds left up to Copse Hill Church West Wimbledon. Here the bus turns left passing a host of newly built flats, all with gates, until we reached Atkinson Close.
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| Two forlorn phone boxes outside the telephone exchange |
We turned around at this point and headed back east along the same road to the church to halt outside King's College school at a stop called Edge Hill at 1438. Straight on from here the bus runs along Ridgeway where we passed Wimbledon Telephone Exchange and reached Wimbledon Village. The bus took a 270 degree turn and headed down Wimbledon Hill into Wimbledon proper. The bus didn't stop outside Wimbledon station, probably as it is the only bus to turn left along Queens Road where it stopped by the Centre Court retail complex. We travelled along Queens Road to the end where we turned right into Haydons Road, still as the only bus route utilising the road until we reached the A24 at Merton High Street.
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| Haydons Road victorian villas with almost pargetting type decoration |
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| The other side of Haydons Road still victorian villas but not quite as exquisitely detailed |
From here the bus passed Merton bus garage where there was another Optare Metrodecker lurking within and turned right at Colliers Wood underground station.
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| Turning at Colliers Wood tube station |
Instead of running straight into Mitcham which the No 152 does this bus takes Church Road and then turns right down Haslemere Avenue into the Phipps Bridge estate. After running around the western edge of the estate the bus returns to Church Road along Phipps Bridge Road.
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| Mitcham Church |
We passed the church and then turned North towards Mitcham town centre which was a crawl for a while before finally arriving at the Fair Green at 1518. This was exactly 47 minutes after departure which is precisely to time.
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| There was only one other bus type on the No 200 that I saw this AD400 Enduro |
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| Arrival-Bang on time |
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| Me13 moving away to lay-over after arrival |
To return home I caught the No 127 to Carshalton at 1529 and on arrival just missed a No 407 so walked to Wallington Green to catch the No 410 and arrived home exactly 3 hours after leaving home.
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