Ashford to Tenterden by service 13

[Philip Cattermole]

The service via Woodchurch was numbered 13 in the seventies.   Here’s 5497 in traditional livery but with NBC fleetnames waiting time at Vicarage Lane.  This is not now used as a terminal point for these services.

 

Phil

 

Sent from Windows Mail. Reply to pand...@talktalk.net

 

[BARRY OVENDEN]

Thanks Phil for these shots.  I have taken many in Vicarage Lane - the sun was in the right position with the Parish Church behind.  That route had been the 13 for many many years and Tenterden to Ashford via Bethersden began as the 14.  That's probably why there was a gap in the M&D route numbers after it became linked through to Tunbridge Wells as the 97 with a requirement for lowbridge buses.. 

One of these days someone (perhaps me!) should do a route history of the 97 which of course ran for a while through to East Grinstead with an allocation of PD2's to E (Edenbridge).  Paul Baker is at the moment restoring Regent DL39 (VKR 39) which he repatriated from Austria a year or two ago.  There will then be the chance to reenact the 97 with a lowbridge vehicle though sadly the offending (or for us enthusiasts fortuitous) railway bridge at Horsmonden has long disappeared.

Barry

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Barry

An M&D route history is one of the various projects I and others are
working on in the background at present, though it is a long way from
being in a publishable form. Some key dates in the history of the 97
are these:

- Inaugurated 1935 upon takeover of the Tunbridge Wells-Cranbrook
route from Autocar (it had been numbered 1 under the joint scheme
involving Autocar and Redcar routes after these were pooled from 1st
May 1928). Additional hourly journeys between Tunbridge Wells and
Horsmonden absorbed from 9th May 1935 when Tunbridge Wells Victor was
taken over by M&D. The first publicity I have for the new 97
timetable (hourly to and from Cranbrook, and hourly journeys between
Tunbridge Wells and Horsmonden on the opposite half-hour) is dated 5th
June 1935 - I will post a copy of this separately.

- Extended beyond Cranbrook to each of Hawkhurst and Ashford from 7th
June 1950, replacing the old 14 which had run between Ashford and
Hawkhurst via Cranbrook. The new 97 only had occasional positioning
trips from the Ashford end to Hawkhurst itself, and from this date the
main service consisted of journeys from Tunbridge Wells to either
Ashford or Hawkhurst, with additional short workings Tunbridge Wells-
Horsmonden and Tenterden-Ashford, and some other more occasional
variations.

- The East Grinstead extension lasted just four and a half years, from
12th January 1955 till 28th June 1958.

- A further extension, to Speldhurst, ran from 4th September 1972
until 2nd October 1976. From the following day, the Speldhurst
section was separated again becoming 286, while the rest of the 97 was
further divided becoming 297 Tunbridge Wells-Tenterden and 400
Tenterden-Ashford via Bethersden.

Also, the 13 service from Tenterden to Ashford via Woodchurch (running
on Mondays to Saturdays only) was renumbered 407 from 4th October
1976, and continued to have some journeys extended to Castleton's Oak
and Benenden Sanatorium, although a further variant to and from
Biddenden was withdrawn from that date.

Derek J

On Jun 12, 6:26 pm, BARRY OVENDEN <pboven...@btinternet.com> wrote:
> Thanks Phil for these shots.  I have taken many in Vicarage Lane - the sun was in the right position with the Parish Church behind.  That route had been the 13 for many many years and Tenterden to Ashford via Bethersden began as the 14.  That's probably why there was a gap in the M&D route numbers after it became linked through to Tunbridge Wells as the 97 with a requirement for lowbridge buses..
> One of these days someone (perhaps me!) should do a route history of the 97 which of course ran for a while through to East Grinstead with an allocation of PD2's to E (Edenbridge).  Paul Baker is at the moment restoring Regent DL39 (VKR 39) which he repatriated from Austria a year or two ago.  There will then be the chance to reenact the 97 with a lowbridge vehicle though sadly the offending (or for us enthusiasts fortuitous) railway bridge at Horsmonden has long disappeared.
> Barry
>

> ________________________________
> From: Philip Cattermole <pandy...@talktalk.net>

[Philip Cattermole]

I seem to remember there was also a shuttle service between Cranbrook and Hawkhurst on the 97 at one time.    On the occasion I travelled on it I was the only passenger, hence why it doesn’t run now!     Here’s 3422 loading on Hawkhurst bus station.   This was a marvellous place to wait for a bus on a hot summer day.   There was a unique atmosphere quite unequalled by other bus stations

 

Phil

 

Sent from Windows Mail. Reply to pand...@talktalk.net

 

[BARRY OVENDEN]

Thanks Derek.   This puts some interesting flesh on the bones.  The earlier references are especially interesting and it is also useful to date the extensions to East Grinstead and Speldhurst.  I remember them happening but memory can be confusing on the actual years.  When you do pursue this further please feel free to run a draft by me - might have something to add!

Barry

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[BARRY OVENDEN]

Yes Phil - it's a shame it had to go.  There was plenty of atmosphere there.  Does anyone remember the model of the bus station made out of matchsticks that used to be on display in the waiting room?

Nice picture of 3422 going to Speldhurst which ties in with Derek's note.

Is the machine (drinks or cigarettes) being burgled?

Barry

From: Philip Cattermole <pand...@talktalk.net>
To: mdekbusclub group <mdekb...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, 13 June 2013, 9:35
Subject: Re: [Invicta] Re: Ashford to Tenterden by service 13

[DBJ]

I think the shuttle service was partly a means of transferring drivers to and from Hawkhurst - on other routes (such as 254), I remember what we would now describe as "kiss-and-turn", with crews swapping vehicles wherever they met each other.

Lovely photo anyway, Phil. I believe the absence of Tunbridge Wells from the via blind was fairly common on this route - now that couldn't have contributed to its decline, could it....