PLAYING TO A FULL HOUSE

We now travel just a couple of miles in a generally westwards direction, to the Hertfordshire village of Redbourn, once on the Midland Railway's Hemel Hempstead branch. This bus on rails was tested at Redbourne station in 1931.

 

Having just passed under the railway, Buffalo Travel's A698EAU, new to Nottingham, is seen at Redbourn roundabout in 1991.

Not far away, a fairground traction engine en route to a rally.

There's two pubs to do in Redbourne. First, a free house, the Cricketers.

Then comes a Brakspear's pub, the Holly Bush.

And so to another new town, Hemel Hempstead. Here's the Midland Railway station, convenient for the original town centre.

The newer part of Hemel Hempstead is just to the south and was served by London Country. RF200 is seen at the bus station. The pub in the background has seen a number of guises over the years.

London Country became Luton & District. No 500 at the bus station in 1998.

Today, Arriva is the main operator.

Court Line, as well as flying planes, ran a bus service to Luton. United Counties took over when Court Line went out of business.

Another operator now gone, Rover, with a route to Chesham.

B&B, based at Potten End, gained some tendered work in Hemel Hempstead and was later taken over by Tate's of Markyate.

Three operators that have vanished, Little Jims, Seamarks and Woottens.

There are still several smaller bus companies serving the town, though the bus station is no more and the main street is used as a terminus.

Apparently, there's a micropub in the town centre now, but I haven't had time to get there yet, so you'll have to make do with the Wetherspoons, The Full House.

In the next post, we'll negotiate the magic roundabout, visit the canal, bus depot and railway station, then move on.