Educating... Paddock Wood

[Chris]

Rather like Homewood School at Tenterden, Mascalls School at Paddock Wood has it's own bus park and departure time is very much an "on your marks... get set... GO, GO, GO!" type of affair. You take your pick northbound or southbound, and hope for the best. Not included here, but one photo I took has five buses in shot, with another, seemingly relief coach, hidden behind! 

3rd February was one of those days that seemed to have every weather type other than snow, and sadly, by the time I made Paddock Wood the drizzle had set in, so these pictures aren't as clear as I would otherwise have liked. Nevertheless, as with all in this "series", they show some of the lesser photographed operators and services in the Club area. 

Autocar's 287 is in the hands of ex-Reading YN08 HYX, and largely duplicates the southern end of Arriva's 6 into Tunbridge Wells, operating afternoons only. The coach next to it, YN13 GCU, was by process of elimination on Starline service 206. albeit without any identifying marks and only the paper in the windscreen to help. 

Autocar remain a large operator of the otherwise seemingly unloved MCV-Evolution bodied MAN's, and AE56 UTJ runs the school relief journey from Mascalls to Tonbridge, so is otherwise not seen approaching from this direction. The service journey provided my somewhat escape on the usual route from Paddock Wood "proper", behind me, 20-or-so minutes later. 

The print Invicta has referred to Farleigh Coaches helping out Autocar with certain services, and the final two pictures show their assistance on service 215 and 215R. Dart MEZ 3972 is in their own smart livery on 215, and did have a blind that didn't come out, whilst Kent Coach Tours-liveried E500 VEZ992 was reliant on paper in the windscreen for the 215R - the KCT-liveried vehicle, operating for Farleigh, on behalf of Autocar! 

All taken at Mascalls Corner, just before the drizzle turned into rain and I got rather wet. 

Chris