Last Day of EOS London?

On 31st July, there was a rather special occasion in the Harlow area, so with something so (relatively) local, I had to head up there and do some EOS buses for the first (and last) time, along with the special trips with RM371 (running to the normal timetable).

I started the day by taking a trip to Stratford on board a packed, rush-hour c2c service as far as West Ham, before changing to the Jubilee Line for the final leg. This was unplanned as, up until the previous evening, I had intended to miss out the majority of the morning's services, but a friend persuaded me - It was a brilliant decision!

10 minutes after scheduled departure time, Ensign's RM371 pulled into the stand with some well-designed (but badly-sized) blinds for Route S1, the very short-lived (it only ran for 2-3 months and was ultimately what caused the demise of the company, I believe) express service between Stratford and Harlow.

Better late than never!

I had not seen the service bus (invariably an ED) that was meant for this trip, the 0845 from Stratford, so I assumed that we were running alone. Later on, I found out that it supposedly left extremely early. The hour spent travelling to Harlow was a pleasant, if rather bracing! As the S1 ran Express, I had deduced that it used the Motorway (M11) for most of the trip and - sure enough - it did.

Essentially the sum total of all the passengers on the bus - they're all enthusiasts!

The final approach into Harlow was, obviously, quite a bit slower than this, as the 'express' route wiggles through housing estates such as Staple Tye and Bush Fair. However, we missed Staple Tye as we were beginning to lose lots of time by now, being around 20 minutes late. Unfortunately, some other enthusiasts were waiting at Staple Tye... Whoops! We turned in to Harlow Bus Station and the blinds were duly changed to our next trip, the 87 all the way to Debden.

In and out again.

By the time the blinds were changed, we were still around 20 minutes late when we set off. On this trip, we did serve Staple Tye, but the others had given up by then! I had obtained the front seat by now and the run through to Epping Forest Shopping Park was less speedy, but still just as fun. After completing a pointless double run to Water Lane (even though we weren't going to serve either of the Sumners or Katherines housing estates), we were on the country lane to Epping Green before we knew it and, after passing through this delightful village at speed, Epping was fast approaching. News from the conductor soon came that we were not going to be serving Theydon Bois, which came as a huge disappointment to some people on board. Still, we continued along the main road to make up some lost time and - somehow - we reached Loughton almost on time!

Speedy Service!

Then, after leaving around 5 minutes late, it transpired that there were some roadworks on the normal line of route and thus we would have to divert around. However, the nearest alternative route included a low bridge - not the best for the people up top, like me - so we were forced to take a lengthy diversion via Buckhurst Hill to turn left, go over the Central Line then turn left again before resuming normal routeing at Oakwood Hill. It was only a short run to Epping Forest Shopping Park, where the turn is extremely awkward anyway and was blocked! Anyway, somehow we made it round and returned to the terminus stop... Or lamppost, more like!

Blinds already changed, RM371 stands next to the rudimentary bus stop.

Just as we were about to depart, HV02PCY passed on the duplicate for the trip we had just completed. That was good, as Theydon Bois would've been served! It was then, due to the delay, around 12 minutes after scheduled departure time that we left for Harlow. However, I wasn't going all the way because I hadn't sampled any EOS buses before, so (when compiling my plan the night before), I decided to alight early and change to a 13 in Epping Town Centre. Loughton was served and Theydon Bois was attempted, but roadworks meant that we couldn't have done it on the outward even if we tried! Having exited the bus after my first 3.5 hour-long trip, my chariot for the 13 arrived, with EOS's usual smart blinds!

Serving all the Walthams!

The 13 is a pleasant countryside route, running straight down Epping High Road before veering off to the right to head down Crown Hill and visit Upshire, where the Post Office was my destination, but but buses heading towards Waltham Cross couldn't turn in on the day I went due to roadworks. Nonetheless, my instincts - and my phone - told me that the buses heading the other way would still be able to, which was thankfully correct and it wasn't long until my next bus appeared, heading towards Harlow.

Finally, an orange and black bus!

Ex-Abellio Dart 744 rounded the corner and I boarded, after a little hesitation with the emergency ticket that had been issued on the Routemaster earlier on. Having already served some of Upshire, the loop's return serves the rest before making a right turn and just avoiding Waltham Abbey to begin the really fast section of route to Harlow. It was another surprisingly quick trip via Bumble's Green and we left that road shortly before making a right turn at Tylers Cross for the terminating section. Harlow Bus Station was in my sights; a planned 5 minute connection back to RM371 had shrunk to about 0 minutes, but luckily it was still running a little late and allowed a very quick trip into the Town Centre. The return trip was largely the same as far as Upshire, where we completed the little loop and sped through the pretty little town of Waltham Abbey before reaching Waltham Cross no more than 10 minutes later. Upon arrival, the blinds were speedily changed back to Harlow Town, ready for the return trip that was departing imminently.

Dartmaster and Dartpointer!

I was leaving soon too, so I speed walked through the Bus Station to board a Scania Omnicity on the Epping service, on which I would complete the Waltham Cross - Upshire section of the 13 and repeat the previously travelled bit too. The (now defunct) GHA-liveried bus whisked me along the lovely route back to Epping through Waltham Cross and Upshire, where a change was in order.

My poster in the window!

The Theydon Bois section of the 87 was still to be done, so that was what my next trip would tick off. I was rather sad when 744 (the ex-Abellio Dart I had already ridden) turned up, but I realised it was displaying 'Loughton & Debden via Upshire', so another bus would turn up soon to run the 87, I thought. Having asked the driver, I confirmed that it was actually the 87, so hopped on board.

Here we go again!

Luckily, on this trip, Theydon Bois was duly served before heading down the newly surfaced road that stopped RM371 completing this section earlier. Unfortunately, loose chippings made this section rather unpleasant, but it only lasted somewhere in the region of 5 minutes. After some children attempting to board without paying on the outskirts of Loughton, we were soon back near the Town Centre, but I decided to alight a few stops before and walk back to Homebase to pick up a modern 66 towards Waltham Cross. I waited... and waited... and waited... but then RM371 turned up towards Loughton Station, so I decided that I would have to miss out on a modern 66 and went open-top for the rest of the day!

What's that coming over the... hump?

It was only a very short trip to the Station before setting off back in the other direction towards Waltham Cross. Another exhilarating ride with Chris driving through some lovely forest and on very fast roads complete,  it was time for a trip to the pub to eat. At this point, Trevor (originally only a passenger) took over driving for the foreseeable future, as Chris began to realise that Arriva hadn't been granted their license to begin operating the ex-EOS routes from the day after, thus leaving many areas with no bus!

Much more respectable speeds!

This was discussed a lot with a friend over dinner in the pub, before it was time to head back out to make sure we could catch the bus again. By this point, it had reached 'Golden Time' and I could take some sunny photographs of buses turning into Waltham Cross Bus Station. Unfortunately, this had ended before the arrival of the RM, but I did catch some interesting 251 contrasts, just a few minutes apart...

Not the smallest bus out, as there was also a Sprinter Minibus!

But still in stark contrast to this!

Then, barely 5 minutes later, 371 rounded the corner into the Bus Station and picked us up for the return trip to Loughton. This was driven by Trevor and the difference was noticeable. When traversing the estates just outside Waltham Abbey, the bus wasn't being thrown around anywhere near as much! However, he didn't seem to have mastered the art of the brakes, as they kept on sticking upon departure from each stop. Golding's Hill was still a rather 'spirited' trip, but the bus was still around 15 minutes late at this point in time. The blinds were changed and we had been joined by another person I knew, Richard.

Penultimate Trip

We were off again soon after for the penultimate special service. The RM was scheduled to run the last ever 66 trip under EOS, but lots had happened and the final journey was destined to be substituted for a normal bus, which suited me as it meant I finished at Loughton instead and could return home more easily! The housing estates were duly served on the return trip, along with Waltham Abbey. Meanwhile, Chris was still a passenger planning some extra services for the next day after it transpired that Arriva were not officially allowed to start operating. Having dropped off the majority of our passengers, the final run was imminent.

Ready for its final run...

The only people braving the last trip were me and two other enthusiasts, plus a bloke who got off soon after at an estate. After that, it left just us three for the final trip, until Homebase in Loughton where another bid us farewell! For this trip, Chris (the original driver) took over again and the difference was so noticeable! I'm not sure how he did it, but in the end we went from around 10 minutes late to on time by Loughton. Having left Waltham Cross, we whizzed and wiggled through Waltham Abbey and then the curves of the estates hit us - we were barely staying in our seats! We easily reached the bus's maximum speed whilst passing under the M25 and the run through Epping Forest reminded me of some of Epping Ongar Railway's drivers... Chris was clearly 'giving it the beans', which scared me a little as we pelted through Loughton High Street, well above the 30mph limit! Soon after, we got into Loughton Station and said our goodbyes before watching the RM depart back to Purfleet Garage.

NOT the last 66!

Then, an ex-Go Ahead London ED took the honours of completing the last ever EOS 66 trip back to Waltham Cross, before working the final EOS service, the 2215 route 13 from Waltham Cross to Epping (a garage run) to end their few years of operation. FAREWELL EOS LONDON!

My video summary of the day can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-A2Lu6uO4A

Happy Travelling!