Trip to Stoke / Tunstall 04-10-2014

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
41497	Magdalen Road, Blurton	Trentham, adj Man-in-Space	22	First Potteries
41540	Trentham, adj Man-in-Space	Stoke-upon-Trent, adj stop R	21B	First Potteries
66962	Stoke-upon-Trent, adj stop Q	Newcastle BS	3	First Potteries
4809	Newcastle BS	Chesterton (Newcastle Under Lyme), Adj Rosevale Court	34	Wardle Transport
66851	Chesterton (Newcastle Under Lyme), Opp Rosevale Court	Newcastle BS	4	First Potteries
2254	Newcastle BS	Tunstall (Stoke-on-Trent), adj stop A	91	Wardle Transport
4854	Tunstall (Stoke-on-Trent), adj stop B	Newcastle BS	91	Wardle Transport
32053	Newcastle BS	Hanley BS	4	First Potteries
61245	Hanley BS	Middleport, adj Dale Street	9A	First Potteries
MX60 BXC	Middleport, adj Dale Street	Newcastle BS	94	Bakerbus

Today we decided to goon a local trip. On Friday the weather had been give out for heavy rain all morning and afternoon. Uncle Dave isn't well and has a bad back was struggling with long car journeys. some of which we haven't been on. On Saturday we woke Matthew up just before 10:00 and told him we were going on a local trip. He didn't seem very pleased when we first told him. Matthew got out bed and had toast and orange juice for breakfast. Matthew seemed to cheer up a little as the morning went on. It had also stopped raining! We planned to do our usual move of going to Stoke for dinner and then heading to Tunstall for a cake later on. There are quite a few required Darts that currently work on the #21's, and also there is a very low chance of us catching an Optare Solo! We set off just before 12:00 to walk to the bus stop all the way to Magdalen Road. I hadn't been out to view the buses today so I didn't know which bus to expect. The bus was a couple of minutes late which is very unusual on a Saturday. We were beginning to think that we had missed the bus. The bus turned the corner and we saw it was dud First Potteries 41497.

First Potteries 41497 in Blurton

We got on the bus and booked a Smart Day ticket at £5.30. We sat down towards the back of the bus. The bus was reasonably well filled and he didn't attempt to get a picture inside this bus. It had been a regular on the #2s since then end of July anyway, and we had been on it before that on the #23 back in April anyway. The bus turned onto the A5035 and we passed First Potteries 41494 on a Dresden bound #22, and also Arriva Midlands training bus 9526. We carried on into Trentham to the roadworks and waited at the lights. Once through the lights we turned onto New Inn Lane. We got up and got off the bus outside the man in Space, and Matthew got another picture of First Potteries 41497 before it carried on towards Newcastle and Hanley.

First Potteries 41497 in Trentham

At the stop opposite was First Potteries 41499. The majority of the Adderley Green Caetano Darts tend to be on the #21 group of service these days. The only one of this batch that we have previously ridden on is First Potteries 41499! It set of towards Pacific Road and we were expecting it back in a few minutes on the next bus into Stoke. The previous service must have been running a few minutes late, as another bus came straight down New Inn Lane. It was required First Potteries 41540 on the #21B from Trentham Gardens.

First Potteries 41540 in Trentham

We got on the bus and flashed the Smart Day ticket. The bus was empty when we got on it, so Matthew took a picture inside First Potteries 41540 before we sat down.

Inside First Potteries 41540

The bus set off up New Inn Lane and into Hanford. we went down Church Lane and onto the A34 we crossed the A500 into Trent Vale and then turned into London Road. The bus picked up a few people on the way and by the time we reached Stoke the bus was nearly full. As we approached Campbell Place I got up and Matthew and Uncle Dave. I put my hand out to hold Matthew's hand, but it wasn't Matthew standing behind me it was a middle aged gentleman! We got off the bus and Matthew said hello to someone. Matthew then took another picture of First Potteries 41540.

First Potteries 41540 in Stoke

We crossed the road and walked along Campbell Place to and into Church Street. At the cafe uncle Dave escorted Matthew down to the toilets and I ordered the food. Matthew had an English breakfast washed down with a can of orange Tango. When we had finished eating we walked down Church Street to catch a bus towards Newcastle. As we considered doing next bus we saw required Scraggs blue Buses step entranced Mercedes minibus 29 on a #31 service. We though it was going to Newcastle, but it was Hanley bound and stopped at a different stop than it used to. We crossed over to catch the bus but we missed it. Going in the same direction was dud Wardle Transport 2263 on a #41 service.

Wardle Transport 2263 in Stoke

We crossed back over to the Newcastle stop and there was a #3 to Newcastle just after 13:00. As time approached we saw a Wright bodied Volvo approaching. After all of the arrivals from First Leicester we knew there was a good chance it would be a required bus. As it got closer we saw it was required First Potteries 66962.

First Potteries 66962 in Stoke

We got on the bus and flashed the Smart Day ticket before sitting down at the back of the bus. The bus was nearly full and it set off up Hartshill bank before turning left onto the Avenue. We turned left again onto Albany Road / Hilton Road and then we turned into the hospital. We came out of the other side onto the A34 before going up into Newcastle town centre and into the bus station. We waited for the bus to empty and Matthew got a picture inside First Potteries 66962.

Inside First Potteries 66962

As we entred the bus station we saw two First Potteries ALX400 double deckers. As we have only been on on one of the five buses that arrived from First Leicester earlier in the year, we knew there was a good chance of these buses both being required ones. Both of the buses were leaving as we got off the bus. First Potteries 32053 was going towards Hanley on a #4A, and First Potteries 32056 was on a #4A to Kidsgrove.

First Potteries 32056 in Newcastle bus station

Matthew went touse the toilet, and then we headed down to the bottom end of the bus station to take pictures whilst we waited for something good to catch. On layover at the bottom of Stubbs Street was First Potteries 66964.

First Potteries 66964 in Newcastle bus station

A few minutes later we saw an unusual bus for the area. Arriva Midlands Volvo B6 2630 came into the bus station and went on layover.

Wardle Transport 2630 in Newcastle bus station

Paper legals in the window stated that it was on loan to Wardle Transport. Usually on the #21's, First Potteries 41495 was seen on a #8 to Ball Green. We walked up towards the top end of the bus station. Matthew saw and said hello to someone he knew from his day service, and then we carried on going towards Hassell Street.

First Potteries 41495 in Newcastle bus station

We had walked to the top end of the bus station to catch something going towards Tunstall or Burslem. Just as we were thinking about catching something else, we saw required Wardle Transport 4809 come into the bus station on a #34 to Chesterton.

Wardle Transport 4809 in Newcastle bus station

We got on the bus and we flashed our Smart Day tickets. We went upstairs and Matthew took a picture inside Wardle Transport 4809 before we sat down near to the back of the bus.

Inside Wardle Transport 4809

As we waited for departure time, required Wardle Transport East Lancs bodied double decker 4854 appeared on the #91 to Bradeley. This was the first time we had been on this route since Wardle Transport started to run this service at the end of August. The bus set off out the bus station and went up to the Jubilee Bath. The bus turned onto Ryecroft before turning again to service Merrial Street and Liverpool Road. We went back onto the A34 and we passed the First Newcastle depot. The depot was nearly empty. There were 2 Olympian on show 30031 & 34311 ant there were 3 Solo's at the back of the depot. There was one Scania at the front 60205, and the others were under repair in the depot. We carried on up the A34 until we got to MacDonalds and then we turned towards Chesterton. We then turned right into London Road. We got off the bus at Dragon Square and crossed the road for the bus back into town. Matthew used to go to Dragon Square a long time ago... The pub that he escaped to and sat on the pool table Chesters, appears to not to be a pub anymore. We looked at the timetable on the stop and there was a short wait for the next #4 to Newcastle. operated by First Potteries. The bus appeared and it was dud First Potteries 66851.

First Potteries 66851 in Chesterton

We got on the bus and flashed the Smart Day ticket. We sat down near to the back of the bus. The bus we back down London Road before going through the Lymedale Business Park, rejoining the A34 off Brymbo Road. We carried on south down the A34 and we passed the First bus garage. We went down Liverpool Road onto Ryecroft before coming into the bus station from barracks Road. As we came into the bus station we spotted a dart on the #91 to Bradeley. We got off the bus and walk over to where the #91 departs, and we saw that it was required Wardle Transport 2254.

Wardle Transport 2254 in Newcastle bus station

We got on the bus and flashed the Smart Bus ticket. The driver of this bus was very nice and asked if Matthew wanted to sit in the drivers seat to have a picture taken! We sat down toward the back of the bus which was quite full. The bus is the smallest vehicle we have seen work the #91 and also ironically the busiest. The bus set off out of the bus station and along the A527 we passed through Wolstanton and we went down Porthill bank and over the A500. We went through Longport and at Trubshaw Cross we turned left to climb out of the valley and towards Tunstall. The bus had emptied out in front of us so Matthew took a picture.

Inside Wardle Transport 2254

At the top of Newcastle Road we turned right onto Williamson Street and then onto Woodland Street before going up Tunstall High Street. This sight diversion must have been added at the last timetable change in August. It make sense have all the Wardle Services in Tunstall all serving the same Street. When we got to the top of the High Street we got off the bus and Matthew took another better picture of Wardle Transport 2254.

Wardle Transport 2254 in Tunstall

went into Tunstall Cafe. Matthew went to the toilet and I ordered him a slice of Toffee Cheesecake and a can of Coke. Whilst we ate I thought that we might be able to catch Wardle Transport 4854 back to Newcastle on the #91. When Matthew had finished we said goodbye and we headed to the stop across the road. The bus stop only had details of First Potteries buses, so I was about to look up the times on Nextbuses.mobi when Wardle Transport 4854 turned the corner!

Wardle Transport 4854 in Tunstall

We got on the bus and we flashed the Smart day ticket before going upstairs on the bus. The bus was empty behind the stairs so Matthew took a picture inside Wardle Transport 4854 with its interesting interior as we got on.

Inside Wardle Transport 4854

The bus set off southwards down the High Street before turning into Woodland Street. We saw Wardle Transport Volvo B10 3601 about to work to the #90 to Ball Green. We headed back to Newcastle Street along Williamson Street and then down through Trubshaw Cross to Longport. We crossed the A500 and we passed Wardle Transport 2409 on a Bradeley bound #91. We climbed the bank and turned left to head through Wolstanton. A few minutes later we were going down to Brampton and entering Newcastle. We pulled into the bus station and the bus unloaded on the stand. As we would probably to Newcastle or Burslem we stood by the stands at the top of the bus station taking picture of buses entering and leaving at this end. We saw First Potteries 65732 leaving the bus station 'Not in Service'.

First Potteries 65732 in Newcastle bus station

We also saw Roseville taxi vauxhall minibus NA56 NWD come onto Hassell Street.

Roseville NA56 NWD in Newcastle bus station

We then saw required Newcastle allocated First Potteries 41514 on a #37 to Meir Square

First Potteries 41514 in Newcastle bus station

Finally we saw required First Potteries 32053 on a #4 to Hanley.

First Potteries 32053 in Newcastle bus station

We decided to do this bus to Hanley, so we walked down to the relevant stand. We got on the bus and flashed the Smart day ticket before going upstairs. The bus set off out of the bus station an up the A53 towards Basford. We crossed the A500 into Etruria before heading around the industrial parts of Festival Park. We headed up to Hanley up Etruria Road and Trinity Street. As we crossed marsh Street we saw First Potteries 40029 in the new interurban livery. We carried on up Trinity Street before turning into Stafford Street. We passed the town hall and headed into the bus station along Bagnall Street. When we got to the bus station we let the bus empty and Matthew got a picture inside First Potteries 32053.

Inside First Potteries 32053

Matthew went to the toilet and then we headed up to John Street car park to take a few bus pictures. On the way we saw Wardle Transport 2249 on a #42 to Ball Green.

Wardle Transport 2249 in Hanley bus station

On layover in the designated parking spaces was Wardle Transport 3604.

Wardle Transport 3604 in Hanley bus station

First Potteries 41499 caught up with us again and was on layover. Matthew noticed that it had lost it's 'Bentilee Buzz' branding some time since the middle of September.

First Potteries 41499 in Hanley bus station

We also saw Scraggs Blue Buses 29 again, heading towards Newcastle on a #31.

Scraggs Blue Buses 29 in Hanley bus station

Another unfamiliar looking bus was Wardle Transport 2253 which was on the #16 to Leek.

Wardle Transport 2253 in Hanley bus station

In between #164 to Shrewsbury duties, was Arriva Midlands 2744.

Arriva Midlands 2744 in Hanley bus station

We saw required First Potteries Scania 61245 come into the bus station on a #9 service. we headed down to the bus station to see if we could catch this bus. We got down to the bus station in plenty of time and Matthew took a picture of the bus just before we boarded it.

First Potteries 61245 in Hanley bus station

We got on the bus and it was empty so Matthew took his picture immediately.

Inside First Potteries 61245

We flashed the Smart day ticket and sat down towards the back of the bus. The bus left town via Bethesda Street and Marsh Street before going up Trinity Street onto Stafford Street. We went under the Potteries shopping centre bridge on Quadrant Road before leaving town along Town Road. Out towards Smallthorne we turned by the Green Star and went down Community Drive to the centre of Smallthorne. We went to the bottom of Ford Green Road before going through Bradeley and past Matthew old School. We went through Fegg Hayes and up Fegg Hayes Road up and onto High Lane. We then went into Tunstall via the Mill Hill estate and Queens Avenue. At some point along the journey the bus must have become a #9A service. The #9A runs to Hanley via Trubshaw Cross, Burslem and Festival Park. We didn't know we had become a #9A as will become apparent... We headed down the High Street and down onto Newcastle Road. At Trubshaw Cross we turned left and we realised we were heading towards Burslem and not Longport! We decided to get off before we went too far... After all, we could always walk back to Trubshaw Cross to catch any number of buses towards Newcastle. We got off and Matthew took another picture of First Potteries 61245 now displaying #9A!

First Potteries 61245 in Middleport

We were caught unawares because we didn't even know the #9A existed. It was a new thing that came about after the big timetable change of July. we thought about going to a shop but we had told mum we would be meeting in a few minutes! We thought that we best cross the road and check the timetable on the other side. Before we could do that we saw dud First Potteries 37157 on a #8 to Newcastle. We also saw Magnum taxi minibus LT03 RXZ.

Magnum LT03 RXZ in Middleport

We crossed the road and checked the timetable using the code from the bus stop at Nextbuses.mobi. There wasn't another bus for 15 minutes... It was a #92 and would migh be Wardle Transport 3604 that we had seen in Tunstall earlier. we decidedto walk the few hundred yard down to Trubshaw Cross. As we were approaching the roundabout we saw a strange looking bus approaching. I ran to the stop to flag the bus down and Matthew took a picture... It was Bakerbus Streetlite MX60 BXC on a #94 to Newcastle.

Bakerbus MX60 BXC in Longport

We flashed the Smart Day ticket for the final time that day and we sat down near to the back of this bus. The bus set off through Longport and we went up Porthill Bank for the final time today. We went through Wolstanton and down the Brampton into Newcastle bus station and we got off the bus at the bottom of Stubbs Street. We let the bus empty and Matthew took a picture inside Bakerbus MX60 BXC.

Inside Bakerbus MX60 BXC

Mum was waiting on Barrack Road today and we walked up to meet her. Matthew ran back to the car with a big smile on his face... After not seeming to be happy about going on a local trip this morning, he seem to have had a really good day. At the car Matthew had a bottle of Irn Bru. He also had a Wrights sausage roll but we forgot to hand those out! We went out of Newcastle up the A53 and onto the Southbound A500, we headed toward Longton along the A50 and we came off this road to go and check out the buses at Z carz depot. It was all minibuses again today... We think they may have sold their last coach. On the site today were a handful of buses. Front of the row was LDV minibus CN57 HWA.

Z Carz CN57 HWA in Longton

At the back of the site was Mercedes minibus S952 VMY

Z Carz S952 VMY in Longton

Next we saw maroon coloured Z carz Volkswaggen minibus S973 OVP.

Z Carz S973 OVP in Longton

There was another white minibus at the back of the site, with Z Carz DL03 HHU in front of it.

Z Carz DL03 HHU in Longton

The bus at the back was BN03 OVS. We turned into Willow Row to see what was in the compound. We saw Iveco minibus GK02 NWJ.

Z Carz GK02 NWJ in Longton

There was also long term SORN LDV minibus T408 JUX. We headed back onto the A50 and through Heron Cross where we saw Lightning Travel T2 DLT. We went through Blurton and back along Beaconsfield Drive where we passed First Potteries 41502 on a Dresden bound #22. We got home a little before 18:00. We ate the sausage rolls that we were meant to eat in the car and for a late tea Matthew had bangers and mash with carrots followed by a cake bar. Matthew then chilled out on his computer before going to bed very happy around 00:30...Mark