Trip to Newcastle / Hanley 31-12-2013

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
43876	Magdalen Road, Blurton	Newcastle BS	22	First Potteries
32632	Newcastle BS	Hanley BS	25	First Potteries
194	Hanley BS	Bentilee, adj Cowley Way	1	Bakerbus
198	Bentilee, opp Cowley Way	Hanley BS	1	Bakerbus
2224	Hanley BS	Longton TI	X51	Wardle Transport

Today we decided to go out for a spin on a few local buses. I checked the weather the night before and it was for clear dry weather. When I got back from work Matthew was up and already dressed and just eating his dinner of chicken popcorn and fries. I grabbed a cup of tea and a pot noodle and we set off to the bus stop on Magdalen Road. On the way we saw Z Carz coach CNZ 3828 parked up by the church. We got to the stop just before time and the Longton bus must have already gone past. We only had to wait a minute or two for dud First Potteries 43876 to round the corner on it's Newcastle bound service #22.

First Potteries 43876 in Blurton

We got on the bus and sat down near the back. This was our second run on this bus, the last time being between the exact same two points back in October. The bus turned onto the A5035 and we headed towards Trentham. We turned into New Inn Lane where we passed one of the last two Marshall Darts in the First Potteries fleet, 41070 on the #21A to Trentham. We carried on through into Hanford and down Church Lane. At the bottom of Church Lane we passed one of the 'new' additions to the First Potteries fleet, R reg 65572 on a #21 to Trentham. On the A34 we passed First Potteries 40011 on one of the other #22 turns and we also saw Wardle Transport 2131. When we got to Newcastle we saw 3 double deckers in the bus station all with different operators. We waited for the bus to empty and Matthew got a picture inside First Potteries 43876.

Inside First Potteries 43876

There was a Wardle Transport double decker which quickly departed on the #91 to Bradeley. There was also First Potteries 37156 on a #25 Keele Service and Bakerbus 265 was just departing on the #94 to Biddulph.

Bakerbus 265 in Newcastle bus station

We walled to the top end of the bus station to see what was about. Wardle Transport 3614 was on layover, presumably to work the next #91 to Bradeley. There were one or two required Scania's about such as First Potteries 60215 on the #34A to Hanley. We also saw D&G Scania 130 on the #85 to Hanley, and Versa 173 on the opposite working towards Crewe. We then spied required First Potteries 32632 on the #25 to Hanley.

First Potteries 32632 in Newcastle bus station

I asked Matthew if he wanted to do this bus and he said 'yes'. We walked down to the stand and waited whilst the new driver readied the bus for service. Eventually we got on the bus and we went upstairs.The top deck was empty so Matthew got a picture inside the bus before we sat down.

Inside First Potteries 32632

A few minutes the later the bu set off out of the bus station and we headed out of town and up George Street. We trundled through Hartshill and down the bank into Stoke town centre. By Stoke railway station we saw Wardle Transport 2409 on the X51 to Hanley. We climbed the hill past the college and we headed into Hanley via Hind Street. At the Hind Street bus layover area we saw Bakerbus 194 and also a Scragg Blue buses V356 EKY that we couldn't remember seeing before. We carried on into hanley town centre and then we headed into the bus station. Matthew visited the toilet before we started to head out to John Street car park to take a few bus pictures. On the way we saw Wardle Transport 1404 outside the bus station which was operating the bus driver shuttle bus service.

Wardle Transport 1404 in Hanley

Matthew took his picture and then went to say hello to the drivers. We then headed of to John Street car park. We stoped in our usual spot on the corner of level 3 of the car park. In the afternoon the sun is nearly in the right place to take good pictures from here. One such picture was of First Potteries 65730 which had just worked in on a #34 from Wereton.

First Potteries 65730 in Hanley bus station

Scraggs Blue Buses V356 EKY also made an appearance running up from Hind Street. It appears to be on a #31 to Werrington.

Scraggs V356 EKY in Hanley bus station

We didn't wait too long because it was quite chilly today. We saw Bakerbus 194 appear from Hind Street and we decided to walk back to the bus station. When we got back to the bus station I asked Matthew if he wanted to do this required bus and he said yes. He took a picture though the bus station door and we got on.

Bakerbus 194 in Hanley bus station

We got on the bus and sat down near the back. The bus left town and down Limekiln Bank before crossing over Leek Road and onto the A52. We turned right at the petrol station and we headed up into Bentilee. The bus turned by Twigg Street and up Dawlish Drive. By the time the bus had passed the community centre it had emptied out. As we had not done this service before I confirmed that it turned by the Wagon and Horses and we stayed on the bus until just before we reached the roundabout. As we got off the bus Matthew photographed the inside of this bus with it's fine GM Buses style 'diced carrot' moquette.

Inside Bakerbus 194

We watched the bus turn at the roundabout and head back towards Hanley as a #2. We didn't have to wait for long before we saw Bakerbus 198 arrive from Hanley having worked a #2 service. We took a picture of the bus as it paused on the other side of the road.

Bakerbus 198 in Benilee

The bus turned at the roundabout and came back as a #1 to Hanley. We got on the bus and Matthew insisted on peeping the horn (which is why we don't do Solo's very often...!). The bus was empty and Matthew got a picture inside.

Inside Bakerbus 198

The bus headed back down Dawlish Drive and onto the A52, before climbing into Hanley up Limekiln Bank. As we entered Hanley we saw 37160 on the #37 to Meir Square. This service also serves the Potteries Centre going around onto Stafford Street and past the town hall. When we got to the bus station Matthew went the toilet and had a bit of a wander around the bus station before we headed back to john Street car park before it went too dark to take anymore pictures. We took a few more picture and one such picture was of First Potteries 60215 that we had seen earlier in Newcastle.

First Potteries 60215 in Hanley bus station

Also we saw ALX200 Dart 40155 on the #7A service. The 'T' reg ones are now getting a little thin on the ground with only 40030/140/153/154/155 still in operation.

First Potteries 40155 in Hanley bus station

behind 40155 was Wardle Transport 4803 on the #19 to Bradeley.

Wardle Transport 4803 in Hanley bus station

We didn't hang around in the car park for long this time as it was getting cold and dark. We walked back to the bus station to see if we could catch another bus. We considered doing Wardle Transport 4895 which was on the #46 to Blurton. Matthew considered doing Scania on the #20A to Talke but it was going in the wrong direction and had pulled out just after he had taken a picture anyway. We had also considered doing required 40173 on the #23 to Blurton but he had turned that one down. Required 43875 was on the #24 which we could have done to stoke, but next to this was required Wardle Transport 2224 on the X51 to Cheadle.

Wardle Transport 2224 in Hanley bus station

We decided to do this as it was roughly in the direction of home and of course it's always better to do the older buses as they are most likely to be scrapped first. We sat down near the back and the bus set off through town.The bus headed out past the museum and down Broad street. We turned at the top of College Road and down through Shelton. We passed the railway station and headed into Fenton where we saw 40173 in front of us heading into Christchurch Street. We got onto the A50 via the A50 Link road and we went express into Longton. At the interchange we saw Wardle Transport 4805 going towards Hanley on the #46 and and 4895 going towards Blurton. Also in the interchange was Bennetts Dennis Dart DCZ 7648 having worked in from Stone on the #250.

Bennetts DCZ 7648 in Longton Interchange

We walked around the interchange to the car as mum had come to meet us. As we were in Longton we decided to go home via Z Carz to see what was there. The majority of the coaches were there today. First in the row was silver Van Hool Scania CNZ 3828 which we had seen earlier in the day in Blurton.

Z Carz CNZ 3828 in Longton

Next to this was Blackwood Coaches liveried coach B12 PWS.

Z Carz B12 FWS in Longton

At the back of the land in the shadows were LDV minibus YN03 HHU and Mercedes mini S952 VMY. Also there was Scania coach D104 XAN.

Z Carz D104 XAN in Longton

In the willow row compound was T408 JUX. We headed home along the A50 to Heron Cross and along Blurton Road. We then went onto the A5035 and we got home around 17:30. Matthew had the sausage roll that he should have ate in the car. We then had a late tea of Gammon and mash with beans. Matthew then chilled out on his computer until he went to bed sometime early in the following year...Mark

Trip to Rochdale 28-12-2013

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
60254	Rochdale Interchange	Shore, o/s King William Inn Shore Road/Cote Lane	454	First Manchester
60276	Shore, o/s King William Inn Shore Road/Cote Lane	Rochdale Interchange	454	First Manchester
37389	Rochdale Interchange	Castleton, o/s Shops Manchester Road/Church Inn	17	First Manchester
37289	Castleton, opp Church Manchester Road/Church Inn	Rochdale Interchange	17	First Manchester
145	Rochdale Interchange	Fairfield General Hospital, Fairfield General Hospital (SE-bound)‎	469	Rossendale Easyride
231	Jericho, o/s House 545 Rochdale Old Road/New Hall Road	Rochdale Interchange	469	Rossendale Easyride

Today we decided to re-visit Rochdale. It was the first time we had been since the new Interchange opened in November. Matthew had shown an interest in doing the #589/590 beyond the edge of Manchester, so research was done to see if there were any tickets valid across the border into West Yorkshire. The only ticket I could find was a Wayfarer, but at £11 doing that ticket would have to wait until the Summer where we could make better use of the ticket. We also researched the weather which was predicted for cold and sunny weather with occasional rain showers. Matthew got up just before 10:00 today and had toast and orange juice for breakfast. We set off around 11:30 going onto the A5035 and onto Stanley Matthew Way. We diverted into Fenton via Heron Cross to pick up uncle Dave before we carried on down onto the A500. At Shelton New Road we came off the A500 to go and pick up some LPG. After filling up we went West on the A53 and back onto the A500. We headed North on the A500 up to the M6. We had considered eating at the burger van on the last lay-by on the A500, but the van wasn't there due to it being Christmas week. Northbound on the M6 was heavy, but at least it was moving unlike on the Southbound side. We headed East on the M62 and then onto the clockwise M60. we carried on East on the M62 and then onto the M627. As we hadn't eaten earlier we diverted to the only cafe we knew and we could park near, the Mighty Bite in Castleton. Matthew had a breakfast washed down with a can in Coke. After we had finished we jumped back in the car and drove into Rochdale. We got a little lost trying to find the car park in which we wanted to park, but eventually we parked up outside the town hall. We then walked around the corner to the new bus station. We had a quick look around the bus station which is similar in design to Middleton's bus station only a little bit bigger. We then took a few pictures whilst we decided which bus to catch. The thing we photographed was Rossendale Easyride Solo 58 which was parked up between duties.

Rossendale Easyride 58 in Rochdale Interchange

After using the disabled toilet we spotted a Citaro on stand B. It was First Manchester 60254 on a #454 to Stansfield and Shore. I asked Matthew if he wanted to do the bus and he said yes. So we walked further up the bus station and he took a picture of First Manchester 60254 through the glass.

First Manchester 60254 in Rochdale Interchange

We got on and we booked our £5 System One bus only tickets and then we sat down near the back. The bus pulled out of the bus station and then went along Smith Street and then onto Entwistle Road. The bus carried on along this road and then we turned tight onto the A58. We headed East towards Littleborough and we turned into Station Street and we called at the railway station. I knew the #454 took a different route into Stansfield that the #457 did but I didn't know exactly where we were heading... We headed back onto the A58 and then up Hare Hill Road. Hare Hill Road became Shore Road and we carried on climbing up the hill we could see a distant hill to the left of us and we thought we were in the same valley as the A6033, but we were actually heading in a different direction. The bus was nearly empty now so Matthew got a picture inside the bus.

Inside First Manchester 60254

The bus came into a turning circle and we decided to get off. A quick glance at the timetable saw there 4 buses an hour from this stop. Matthew got another picture of 60254 as went back towards Rochdale.

First Manchester 60254 in Shore

A closer inspect of the timetable reveal that the bus came 3 minute and then 27 minutes apart! It was 14:39 and then next bus was due until 15:06! I was hoping that we were on the 14:36 and the we were running a few minutes late. Luckily almost as soon as the bus was out of ear shot, we heard the roar of another bus coming up the hill. It was First Manchester 60276.

First Manchester 60276 in Shore

We got on the bus and we sat down near the back. We headed back down the hill and across the A58 to Littleborough station. we then went back on the A58 and headed West towards Rochdale. We stopped at almost every stop and the bus filled up as we headed into town. We were then overtaken by First West Yorkshire 60815 on a #590 from Halifax. We carried on into Rochdale along the A58 and we passed First Manchester 40364 on a #452 Littleborough service and First Manchester 69186 on a local service. We carried on until we reached Entwistle Road and we turned left. As we crossed into Smith Street we saw 60815 again coming down John Street. When we reached the interchange Matthew let the bus empty before getting a picture inside the empty First Manchester 60276.

Inside First Manchester 60276

I asked Matthew if he wanted to do First West Yorkshire 60815 and he said no, so we had a short spell in the bus station taking picture whilst we thought about what to do next. We visited the McCoy shop in the bus station and Matthew had a can of Coke and some chocolate. We sat down on a seat and we shared most of a large bar of galaxy Caramel and Matthew had a small bottle of Vimto from out of the trip bag. had he had finished eating we walked up to the top of the of the bus station where we saw required 'Rosso' 110 on a #464 to Accrington.

Rosso 110 in Rochdale Interchange

We were considering doing 110, but the driver wasn't on the bus yet. Behind 110 on layover was First Manchester 37389.

First Manchester 37389 in Rochdale Interchange

We walked around the other side of the bus station and we saw newly repainted First Manchester 60234 on the #6 kirkholt circular service.

First Manchester 60234 in Rochdale Interchange

We then saw required First West Yorkshire arrived on the #589 from Burnley.

First West Yorkshire 66713 in Rochdale Interchange

We briefly considered doing on the newer Enviro 400's on the #409 to Ashton, but then Matthew changed his mind and decided to do First Manchester 37389 on the #17 Manchester service. We decided to do this down to Castleton to catch another #17 back again. We got on the bus and we went upstairs and sat down. There were people front and back on this bus so Matthew didn't take a picture inside. The bus set off out of the bus station and onto the Westbound A640. The bus the went onto the Westbound A58. We then headed into Castle and onto Manchester Road towards Castleton. Just after we passed the cafe at which we had eaten earlier, we got off the bus. We didn't get a very good picture of First Manchester 37389 at this point, so we crossed over the road to wait for the #17 back down to Rochdale. Matthew ate the rest of the Galaxy caramel we had started earlier and a couple of minutes later we saw a bus approaching. We could see that it was the Manchester City Transport liveried First Manchester 37289.

First Manchester 37289 in Castleton

We got on the bus and we went upstairs. The bus returned back up the Manchester Road and onto the eastbound A58. We then headed into town and into Rochdale Interchange. When the bus emptied out Matthew took a picture inside First Manchester 37289.

Inside First Manchester 37289

We now had time to do another couple of buses before we went home. Matthew visited the toilet and we had a quick look around the bus station to see what we could catch. We photographed First Manchester 60244 which was on a #6 Kirkholt circular service.

First Manchester 60244 in Rochdale Interchange

We then photographed First Manchester 33694 which was on the #182 to Manchester.

First Manchester 33694 in Rochdale Interchange

We got on the bus and we were about to go upstairs when Matthew changed his mind again and we got off. We then considered doing a West Yorkshire Volvo B7RLE on the #590. Then we saw Rossendale Easyride Dart 145 on a #469 to Jericho.

Rossendale Easyride 145 in Rochdale Interchange

We got on this bus and it was nearly empty. Matthew stood beyond the last person on the bus and took a picture of the empty rear of Rossendale Easyride 145.

Inside Rossendale Easyride 145

We sat down near the back and the bus set off out of town. We had never done a #469 so we had to rely on using the map to work out where to get off. The bus set off in a North West direction out of town up College Road. The bus then headed West along Bury Road. We saw the Rossendale bus depot in the valley to the left of us as we left town. It was now starting to go dark. We headed West to war Office Road and then we headed North up to a turning circle. The bus then went South and back onto to Bury Road. When we turn left into Fairfield General Hospital, we thought we had reached the end of the run. we asked the driver and he said he was now going forward to Bury! He told us that there were more return buses operated by First on the main road. We got off and Matthew took another picture of Rossendale Easyride 145.

Rossendale Easyride 145 in Jericho

We walked up to the main road and waited at the stop. A quick glance at the timetable revealed that there were buses every 10 minutes. Just under ten minutes later we saw a Citaro approaching from out of the darkness. It was First Manchester 60254 which we had done earlier in the day. We flagged the bus bus down and we got on. He asked us where we were going and we answered 'Rochdale' and he told us that he was only going to Jericho. We got off and the bus disappeared into the darkness. We looked at the timetable and we saw that only every third bus went to Rochdale and the other two terminated in Jericho. I thought that we were in Jericho! The next bus was another one that terminated and the bus to Rochdale wasn't until 16:58. It was cold and dark so we decided that we would catch the other bus to Jericho and the 16:58 forward so we could get out of the cold for a while. Going the other way we saw a Rossendale Solo on a #475 service which turned into the hospital and we also saw a Scania on another #469 to Bury turn in the hospital too. First Manchester 60282 came up the hill and went straight past us. The driver seemed to try and indicate he was only going a few stops up the road. Just before the bus was due we saw a #469 to Rochdale Rosssendale bus turn into the hospital. I thought the timetable may be wrong and the bus didn't call at the stop we were at. So I suggested to Matthew and uncle Dave that we ran to the next stop along the road. We were approaching the stop and and we could see the bus about to turn out of the hospital. I ran ahead to flag the bus down and Matthew and uncle Dave followed on behind me. It was required 'Rosso' 231. We got on the bus and sat down near the back. The bus headed back along Bury Road before going up to the turning circle on War Office Road. It occurred to me that this must have been where the First buses turned before retuning to Tottington! Looking at the timetable when we returned home it could be seen if we had waited where we were a few minutes that eventually there would have been a First bus to Rochdale. The bus went back South to Bury Road and back into Rochdale along College Road passed Asda and the college. When we got back into Rochdale we waited for the bus to empty before Matthew got a picture inside 'Rosso' 231.

Inside 'Rosso' 231

As we didn't get a picture as we ran down the road to catch the bus, we got a picture of 231 in the Interchange.

'Rosso' 231 in Rochdale Interchange

We had a quick look around the Interchange and Matthew visited the toilet again. We walked down to the bottom of the bus station just as First West Yorkshire 66776 arrived on the #590 from Halifax.

First West Yorkshire 66776 in Rochdale Interchange

We then walked back through the town to the car. At the car mum was waiting with sausage rolls. We set off back out of town and onto the A58. We then turned onto the M627 before heading homeward along the Westbound M62. At the M60 we went anti-clockwise to the M62 and the onto the Southbound M6. We did the M6 down to the A500. As we traveled South on the A500 we passed Z Car D104 XAN going North. We carried down to the A50. At Sideway we saw there had been an accident where a car had been crushed by a lorry. The car now looked like a convertable. We headed East on the A50 to Longton where we diverted to see the Z Carz depot. There was only one vehicle at the front of the depot, but it was a new one to Z Carz. It was a silver Van Hool bodied scania CNZ 3828, which was formerly with Ausden Clark.

Z Carz CNZ 3828 in Longton

At the back of the spare land was Z Carz minibus S952 VMY. In the willow row compound was a taxi fleet minibus YJ61 GYZ and SORN LDV minibus T408 JUX. We headed back onto the A50 and we came off at Heron Cross. We then headed come along Blurton Road and onto the A5035. We got home around 19:00. For a late tea we had mini bangers and mash with carrots followed by cheesecake. Matthew then chilled out on his computer until bedtime around 00:30..Mark

Trip to Trent Vale 27-12-2013

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
42892	Magdalen Road, Blurton	Trent Vale, opp Chubb Way (Unmarked)	22	First Potteries

Today we decided to catch a bus and travel up to meet mum. Matthew got up around 11:30, just after I got back home from work. He had some toast for breakfast washed down with orange juice, and later he had some chicken goujons and fries for a late dinner. We had planned to catch the 15:50 from Longton to Newcastle #22 bus as far as Trent Vale where we were going to meet up with mum. We set off just before 16:00 and walked all the way to the stop on Magdalen Road. Whilst we waited for our bus we saw one of the other two buses on the #22, Longton bound First Potteries 40015.

First Potteries 40015 in Blurton

This was followed shortly by Wardle Transport 2963 on the Plumline service. A few minutes later our bus appeared from around the corner and it was dud First Potteries 42892.

First Potteries 42892 in Blurton

We got on the bus and sat down near the back. 42892 was a bus that we only had for the first time last month. The bus turned onto the A5035 and headed towards Trentham. We passed First Potteries 41512 on the #21A to Hanley as it was waiting to start it's journey from outside the Toby Inn. We turned into New Inn Lane and we paused for a short while outside the Man in Space. First Potteries 41512 passed us on it's way to Hanley and then we headed into Hanford. We passed First Potteries 60011 on a Trentham bound #21 as we passed the Wrights Pies shop. We headed along Wilson Road and then down the hill to the A34 down church Lane. At the A34 we saw Robinsons Coaches PO62 LVA going North. We carried on towards Newcastle and crossed the A500. As we headed through Trent Vale we passed First Potteries 40007 on the third and final #22 turn. As the bus was nearly empty in front of us Matthew took a picture facing forwards.

Inside First Potteries 42892

We turned the corner off the A34 and onto Harpfields Road. At this point we decided to get up and get off. We got off the bus and Matthew got another picture of First Potteries 42892.

First Potteries 42892 in Trent Vale

We then walked back onto the A34 and towards the pub. We went through the door just as mum arrived in the car park. Matthew had his usual meal of two sausage, chips egg and beans with extras of bacon and two rounds of bread and butter. The was followed by toffee sponge pudding and ice cream. After we had finished eating we decided to go home via Z Carz as I had seen some different coaches parked there earlier in the morning. We drove back down the A34 and onto the Northbound A500. At Sideway we got onto the Eastbound A50 which we did up to Longton and to the Z Carz depot. By the time we go there there were only the usual vehicles parked up. First in the row was Scania Coach D104 XAN.

Z Carz D104 XAN in Longton

Behind D104 XAN was M534 RSO which appear to have had it's nearside panel replaced since we last got close to the bus on Saturday.

Z Carz M534 RSO in Longton

Way back in the shadows was Mercedes minibus S952 VMY. Next to this was another Mercedes minibus W221 CDN.

Z Carz W221 CDN in Longton

We turned left into Wilow row where we saw airport transfers bus DL03 HHU and SORN LDV minbus T408 JUX. We turned the car in the road and headed back to Heron Cross along the A50. We headed into Blurton along Blurton Road and onto the A5035. We got home around 17:30. We then chilled out and watched some Christmas telly and ate snakcks. We also watched bus DVDs and of course wrote some of the Blog. Matthew went to bed around 00:00...Mark

Trip to Uttoxeter 24-12-2013

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
3714	Uttoxeter BS	Sudbury, adj Portway Head	1	Arriva Midlands
3615	Sudbury, opp Portway Head	Uttoxeter BS	X50	Wardle Transport
2622	Uttoxeter BS	The Wharf, nr The Fire Station	841	Arriva Midlands
3709	Uttoxeter BS	The Wharf, nr The Fire Station	4	Arriva Midlands
736	Uttoxeter BS	Denstone, adj Hawthorn Close	Swift	Trent Barton
738	Denstone, opp Hawthorn Close	Uttoxeter BS	Swift	Trent Barton
3714	Uttoxeter BS	Sudbury, adj Portway Head	1	Arriva Midlands
4808	Sudbury, opp Portway Head	Fenton, adj Travers Court	X50	Wardle Transport

Today we decided to re-visited Uttoxeter. Usually when we went to Uttoxeter we would go on a Wednesday so we could travel on the Wednesdays only #184 to Weston Coyney operated by Phil Smiths Travel. This bus is now operated by JST International and only runs as far as Cheadle. It is a Tuesday, so we had the chance to do some different buses than we usually cover. Research for today consisted of checking the weather for the trip (cold and sunny), and to have a quick look at some of our previous visits to Uttoxeter on the Blog. Matthew got up around 09:30 today and had some toast and blackcurrant juice for breakfast. Later in the morning he had a Fudge flavoured yoghurt. We set off from home around 12:15 heading out onto the A5035 towards Longton. At Z Carz was M534 RSO which still has missing panels on the nearside of the coach. We turned onto the East bound A50 which we did to the outskirts of Uttoxeter. We did the last mile or so into Uttoxeter along the A522 before parking up behind the bus station. We went to the cafe in the arcade behind the bus station. He visited the toilet and then had a brunch with bread and butter washed down with a can of Coke. After we had finished we headed into the bus station to see what was working. It was around 13:20 and there was a bit of a gap in the service. Bakerbus 254 Arrived on the #428 from Lichfield before going onto the #402 to Burton.

Bakerbus 254 in Uttoxeter bus station

This was the first time we had seen this service since it went over to Bakerbus operation in August. We didn't have to wait long before another couple of buses arrived into the bus station. Arriva Midlands 3708 came in on the #4 town circular service and then Arriva Midlands 3714 arrived on the #1 to Burton.

Arriva Midlands 3714 in Uttoxeter bus station

We decided to do the #1 up too Sudbury for an X50 back. We got on the bus and sat down near then back. Matthew took a picture of the seats behind us.

Inside Arriva Midlands 3714

At 13:35 the bus set off out of town and onto the A50. We then headed up the hill and then into Doveridge. This was the first time we had done a long bus on this service. Previous trip on this service have been on Darts and double deckers. It was quite interesting seeing a bus of this length turn into Bell Lane. The bus carried on towards Sudbury and just after the junction for the A515/A50 we got off the bus and crossed over for the return service. We only had around 5 minutes to wait and then we saw the bus round the corner. It was dud Wardle Transport 3615.

Wardle Transport 3615 in Sudbury

We got on the bus and it was nearly empty, so Matthew took a picture inside the bus when we got on.

Inside Wardle Transport 3615

We sat down near the back of the bus. The bus set off and joined onto the A50 before heading into Uttoxeter. When we got into the bus station we saw another bus arrive. It was required Arriva Midlands 2622. It went on layover for a short while and it was going to do the next #841 to Stafford.

Arriva Midlands 2622 in Uttoxeter bus station

When it was time for the bus to leave it came on stand. I wasn't sure which route the bus was going to take out of town and whether we could catch it or not. It turned out the bus left town towards the bakery so we decided to catch the bus bus a few stops out of town. We got on and Matthew took a picture of the empty rear of the bus.

Inside Arriva Midlands 2622

We sat down near the back and the bus set off out of town. When we got to the bakery we got off. We were trying to use the Firstbus bus app to see if there was a bus due back into town. As we were looking at the phone we saw Wardle Transport 4808 on the X50 to Derby! We walked back into the bus station and we stopped at The Smithfield to say hello to someone. Matthew used the toilet and then we saw Arriva Midlands 3708 arrive. It was coming off the town service and going onto the #1 to Burton. The #1 from Burton came in and it was required Arriva Midlands 3709. This was now going onto the #4 town circular.

Arriva Midlands 3709 in Uttoxeter bus station

We decided to do this out of town to the bakery again. This would give us a chance to do the Trent Barton Swift service later. We got on and sat down near the back. Matthew got a picture of the empty seats behind us.

Inside Arriva Midlands 3709

The bus set off out of town and we got off by the bakery again. We thought about catching the Swift back into town as the logos are on the inbound stops, but luckily as will be seen later we decided to walk back. We turned the corner into the bus station and we were surprised to see the Swift bus already in the bus station. Matthew took a picture of the bus before we walked into the bus station up to the bus.

Trent Barton 736 in Uttoxeter bus station

The bus wasn't quite ready for service. Whilst we were waiting for the driver, we saw First Potteries 65003 on the #32A to Hanley.

First Potteries 65003 in Uttoxeter bus station

When the bus had been readied for service we got on and Matthew took a picture inside the bus towards the rear and we sat down.

Inside Trent Barton 736

The bus set off out of town and past the bakery before forking right and crossing the A50 by MacDonalds. We headed out of town towards Rocester and we turned into town. due to roadworks there was a section of the route that was now one way. I wondered if this would have a bearing on the return service and it did. A lady tried to get on the bus trying to go to Uttoxeter and she had to wait for the other service to come the same way down the road. We came out of the other side of Rocester and then we headed into Denstone. I saw a place where there was a shelter on the opposite side of the road so we got off there. We crossed the road to wait for the return service. The bus appeared roughly on time at 15:10 and it was required Trent Barton 738.

Trent Barton 738 in Denstone

We got on the bus and sat down near the back. Due to the roadwork the bus went past Rocester along the main road and then headed in Rocester from the other end. The lady that tried to get on the bus earlier now got on the correct bus and we did a lap around Rocester before heading into Uttoxeter. The reason we didn't see the Swift coming into Uttoxeter earlier is that the route into town takes in the retail park stopping outside Tesco. After calling at Tesco the bus headed into town and into the bus station. Before we got off Matthew took a picture inside Trent Barton 738.

Inside Trent Barton 738

Opposite us was Bakerbus 257, which was on layover before working the #402.

Bakerbus 257 in Uttoxeter bus station

Matthew got another picture of Trent Barton 738, with Arriva Midlands 3714 sneaking into shot behind it.

Trent Barton 738 in Uttoxeter bus station

There was just time to go to the toilet before getting another picture of Arriva Midlands 3714 which was bout to work the next #1 to Burton.

Arriva Midlands 3714 in Uttoxeter bus station

Matthew was a little unsure about doing this bus, but it was the best way to get for Wardle Transport 4808 on the X50 without waiting in the cold! We set off out of town and through Doveridge. There seemed to be some kind of walk going on which caused us a slight delay. We got to the same point as earlier on the road to Sudbury and we got off the bus. We crossed the road to wait for the X50. I called mum to tell her our plans and how long the bus would take. The bus turned up and as expected it was dud Wardle Transport 4808.

Wardle Transport 4808 in Sudbury

We got on and went upstairs. When we got past the only other person on the top deck Matthew took a picture inside Wardle Transport 4808.

Inside Wardle Transport 4808

We sat down and the bus set off. We joined the A50 and we headed into Uttoxeter and then the bus station. Bakerbus 254 and Arriva Midlands 3709 were both on layerover in the bus station and I took pictures out of the window of the bus. When it was time the bus set off on it's journey towards Stoke-on-Trent. The bus did the A522 through Checkley and into Tean. We had another short pause here before carrying on through Draycott and into Blythe Bridge. We crossed the railway line and then headed over the A50 into Meir Heath. We went out towards Rough Close and then back into Meir along the A520. On the A50 we passed Wardle Transport 2204 on the X51 to Cheadle. This was the first time we had done this service since the route had been revised to take in Longton. We came off the A50 at the East end of Longton before heading down The Strand. As we travelled down The Strand we could see that most of the shops had shut early. The bus went past the bus station before we got back onto the A50. The bus came off the A50 at Heron cross and we did the A50 link road to city road. When we got to Travers Court we got off the bus. Mum had been to drop off a few Christmas presents and was a couple of minutes late picking us up. We were able to see First Potteries 40003/40373 and 42727 on the #23 service. mum picked us up and we headed into Heron Cross via Smithpool Road and Grove Road. We dropped off a few more presents before continuing through Blurton onto the A5035. We did the A5035 to Trenthan and then we did the Northbound A34 up to Trent Vale. We picked up a MacDonalds meal for Matthew before we headed home back down the A34 and A5035. We got home around 18:00. Matthew ate his chicken nugget meal and plain cheesburger washed down with a Coke. We then chilled out watching Christmas Eve televsion and writing the Blog. Matthew chilled out on his computer and is expected to got to bed around 00:00...Mark