Trip to Stoke / Tunstall 31-01-2015

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
60073	Magdalen Road, Blurton	Trentham, adj Man-in-Space	22	First Potteries
41522	Trentham, adj Man-in-Space	Stoke-upon-Trent, adj stop R	21B	First Potteries
111	Stoke-upon-Trent, adj stop Q	Newcastle BS	The Orange One	D & G
60175	Newcastle BS	Tunstall (Stoke-on-Trent), adj stop A	99	First Potteries
32053	Tunstall (Stoke-on-Trent), adj stop B	Hanley BS	29	First Potteries
42727	Hanley BS	Smallthorne, adj Ford Green Hall	8A	First Potteries
150	Smallthorne, adj Hadfield Green	Biddulph BS	9	D & G
40383	Biddulph BS	Chell, opp Beswick Road	7B	First Potteries
60196	Chell, opp Beswick Road	Newcastle BS	99	First Potteries

Today we decided to do a local trip. We hadn't been on a local trip since the end of last year. I had been ill last week an the weather had been poor. So it seemed logical to go local for this weekend. Matthew got up around 10:15 and had toast and orange juice for breakfast. The weather forecast was for dry but cold weather. I had checked what buses were out at the time we wanted to travel. The 11:37 was going to be First Potteries 60072 and the 12:07 was going to be First Potteries 60073. We decided to go for the 12:07 departure. As I was going outside to do something I spotted dud First Potteries 37157 on the #22 going towards Dresden. I thought about doing this on the 12:37, but that would have delayed our departure by 30 minutes which at this time of the year isn't a very good option. We set off to the bus stop just after 12:00 and we walked to the bus stop. A minute or so late we saw a Scania turn the corner. As expected it was First Potteries 60073.

First Potteries 60073 in Blurton

We got on the bus and we booked a Smart Day ticket at £5.30. We sat down towards the back of the bus and the bus set off onto the A5035. This is a bus that we can not find a record of travelling on previously, although it was down on the page as a bus we had been on. We turned right and as we were passing Stanley Matthew Way we saw First Potteries 65705 on the next #22 towards Dresden. As we entered Trentham somebody behind us got off so Matthew took a picture of the empty rear seat.

Inside First Potteries 60073

We turned into New Inn Lane and we got up and got off outside the man in Space. The #21B had just pulled off the stop in front of us as we approached the bus stop. Matthew took another picture of First Potteries 60073 before it carried on towards Newcastle.

First Potteries 60073 in Trentham

As we waited at the stop we saw First Potteries 41522 heading into Pacific Drive. We knew that this would be the next bus s I tried to see if this was a required bus. The Internet wasn't working where we were so we just had to wait to find out. As expected around 12:31, First Potteries 41522 turned the corner out of Pacific Drive and approached us on the next #21.

First Potteries 41522 in Trentham

We got on the bus and flashed the tickets. The bus was empty as we got on so Matthew took a picture inside First Potteries 41522.

Inside First Potteries 41522

We set off up New Inn Lane. I got the Internet up a we found that First Potteries 41522 was a required bus. We headed through Hanford and down onto the A34. We crosed under the A500 and we went into Trent Vale. When we got to London Road we turned right and we headed through Oakhill and into Stoke. When we got to Campbell Place we got up and got off the bus. Matthew then took another picture of First Potteries 41522 as it carried on towards Hanley.

First Potteries 41522 in Stoke

We set off on foot towards the cafe in Church Street. On the way we saw First Potteries 40003 on a #21A to the Trentham Hotel.

First Potteries 40003 in Stoke

We carried on around the corner and into the cafe. Matthew disappeared down the stairs to the toilet with uncle Dave and I saved the table by the window. It was a match day, so everywhere was a little busier than usual. When they got back I ordered Matthew a small breakfast ans a can of Orange Tango. As well as eating and watching buses Matthew had spied a lady bouncer outside of the Wheatsheaf that he wanted to say hello to. When we had finished eating we walked across the the Wheatsheaf and Matthew said hello to the lady bouncer. We walked back down Church Street to the Newcastle bus stop. On the way Matthew got a picture of First Potteries 43875 on a Hanley bound #3 service.

First Potteries 43875 in Stoke

As we got to the stop, we saw dud First Potteries 32055 pull up opposite.

First Potteries 32055 in Stoke

It appeared to be there to sell tickets for the Stoke City shuttle bus service, so that passengers could get on the shuttle buses quicker. The next Newcastle bound bus was unusually dud First Potteries 40020 on a Madeley bound #3 service.

First Potteries 40020 in Stoke

Didn't really fancy doing that on a #3. It would have probably been a bit full at times. On Glebe Street we saw First Potteries 32054 departing towards the Britannia Stadium on on of the shuttle buses.

First Potteries 32054 in Stoke

Around 13:20 we saw an orange coloured D&G 'Orange one' Enviro 200 approaching. There was a 2/3 chance that it would be a required bus. As it got closer we saw that it was required D&G 111.

D&G 111 in Stoke

We got on the bus and we flashed the Smart Day ticket. We sat down near to the the back of the bus and the bus set off out of town. We climbed the hill and traveled into Hartshill. We carried on to the edge of Newcastle and we went down George Street and into Newcastle. When we pulled into the bus station we let the bus empty and Matthew took a picture inside D&G 111.

Inside D&G 111

As we got into the bus station we saw required First Potteries 32056.

First Potteries 32056 in Newcastle bus station

It was displaying #98 so Maybe we could do this to Tunstall later. It would be either that or it was going to work the 14:00 to the Britannia Stadium. On a #34 to Chesteron we saw required Wardle Transport 2167.

Wardle Transport 2167 in Newcastle bus station

We stood at the bottom of the bus station for a while taking few bus pictures.On a #101 to Hanley was dud First Potteries 65036.

First Potteries 65036 in Newcastle bus station

This was followed by First Potteries 41501 on a #3 to Crewe.

First Potteries 41501 in Newcastle bus station

We decided to go and use the toilet before we caught the next bus. On the way there we saw First Potteries 65564 on a #2 to Meir.

First Potteries 65564 in Newcastle bus station

After using the toilet Matthew took a few more picture whilst we waited to see what First Potteries 32056 was going to work. On a #4 to Audley was dud First Potteries 42893.

First Potteries 42893 in Newcastle bus station

We then saw Wardle Transport 2265 on a #41 hospital hopper service.

Wardle Transport 2265 in Newcastle bus station

On D&G's #94 service to Audley was D&G 138.

D&G 138 in Newcastle bus station

We then saw First Potteries 60202 on a #3 to Keele University.

First Potteries 60202 in Newcastle bus station

It looked like the next #91 to Bradeley was going to be worked by Wardle Transport Volvo 3601.

Wardle Transport 3601 in Newcastle bus station

The final bus that we hadn't previously seen on 'The Orange One' was being worked by former required Transdev Burnley & Pendle Optare Versa 264, which was now carrying the number 158 in the D&G fleet.

D&G 158 in Newcastle bus station

This was followed by dud First Potteries 60175 on the #99.

First Potteries 60175 in Newcastle bus station

We now knew that First Potteries 32056 wasn'tgoing to work towards Longport and it was on the 14:00 Britannia stadium shuttle. We had a choice of buses we could do towards Tunstall. First Potteries 60175 was on the #99 to Chell and Wardle Transport 3601 was going to work the #91 to Bradeley. We decided to do First Potteries 60175... we got on the bus and we flashed the tickets to the driver before sitting down towards the back of the bus. This was the first time we had done the #99 since the January timetable change. The bus set off out of the bus station and out of town along Brampton Road. We headed through Wolstanton and then down Porthill Bank. We crossed over the A500 and into Longport. We noticed that the old BP garage has now been knocked down. The bus carried on to Trubshaw Cross and we turned left onto Brownhills Road. We carried on climbing the hill and onto Tunstall High Street. At the top end of the Street we got up and got off the bus. Matthew then took another picture of First Potteries 60175 before it carried on towards Chell.

First Potteries 60175 in Tunstall

Once we had let the bus go we headed off to the Tunstall Cafe for a cake and a drink. Matthew went to the toilet and I ordered him a slice of toffee cheesecake and a can of Coke. After we had finished eating and drinking we went out on the High Street to see what we could catch. There was dud First Potteries 66845 on a northbound #3 and required First Potteries 65733 on a Southbound #3 service. Both bus departed before we could really think about waht we ere going to do. We then saw dud First Potteries 32053 on a #29 to Hanley.

First Potteries 32053 in Tunstall

We decided we were going to do this bus to Hanley so we could spend a short while taking pictures. We got on the bus and we flashed the Smart day ticket. We went upstairs and the bus was empty behind the front seat, so Matthew took a picture inside First Potteries 32053.

Inside First Potteries 32053

First Potteries 32053 was a bus that we first rode on back in October 2014. The bus set off down the High Street and onto Brownhills Road. At the roundabout in Trubshaw Cross we turned left and we headed towards Burslem Town Centre. In Burslem we turned right onto Waterloo Road and we headed up towards Cobridge. We tyrned onto the Festival Park and we swept down the hill towards the statue of John Baskeyfield. We headed through Festival Park and we turned towards Hanley and headed up Etruria Road. When we got to the bus station we got off the bus and we went to the toilet. We then walked to john Street car park to take a few bus pictures. One of the first buses we saw was a very recent repaint into the new livery. First Potteries 40024 is the second of the X reg Solos to be repainted into the new 'unbranded' version of the route branding colours.

First Potteries 40024 in Hanley bus station

Seen heading towards Keele earlier in the day, First Potteries 60202 was now working a #3 back towards Crewe. Another bus seen earlier in the day was First Potteries 40003. This was now doing a #21 to Pacific Avenue in Trentham. We then saw First Potteries 66308 on #3 to Madeley.

First Potteries 66308 in Hanley bus station

On a #5 to Abbey Hulton was First Potteries 40009 which is painted in the 'Olympia' 2012 version of the new livery.

First Potteries 40009 in Hanley bus station

On layover in the bus station was dud First Potteries 60173.

First Potteries 60173 in Hanley bus station

We then saw former First Northanpton bus First Potteries 65578 which was On a #7B to Biddulph.

First Potteries 65578 in Hanley bus station

Within a few mintes of each other we saw both of Wardle Transports former Yorkshire Tiger Scania's 3581 & 3582. Required Wardle Transport 3581 was seen working on the #16 to Leek.

Wardle Transport 3581 in Hanley bus station

I was starting to get a bit cold so we decided that we wouldn't stop much longer. Matthew had a can of Barr Limeade and a couple of Milky Ways. Whilst he was eating we saw D&G's Plumline liveried Versa 170 on the Plumline service to Trentham.

D&G 170 in Hanley bus station

On a #42 to Ball Green was Wardle Transport 2254.

Wardle Transport 2254 in Hanley bus station

This was followed by #18 branded First Potteries 65003 which was on a #18 to Leek.

First Potteries 65003 in Hanley bus station

Going onto layover after working the #17 from Newcastle to Hanley was First Potteries 42877.

First Potteries 43877 in Hanley bus station

We decided to head back to the bus station. On the way we stopped to get a picture of First Potteries 50296 which was on the #43 to Badderley Green.

First Potteries 50296 in Hanley bus station

We headed into the bus station and I asked Matthew if he wanted to do Arriva Midlands 3697, which was on the #164 to Market Drayton.

Arriva Midlands 3697 in Hanley bus station

He turned it down, along with Wardle Transport 3582 which was on the #15 to Leek via Milton. We headed into the shop so that we could stock up with snacks and drinks in the trip bag, and also so that Matthew could say hello to the lady who was working there. When we came out of the shop we spotted required First Potteries 42727, which was on the #8A to Endon.

First Potteries 42727 in Hanley bus station

We got on the bus and we flashed the Smart day ticket at the driver before sitting down near to the back of the bus. The bus set off out of the bus station and onto Bethesda Street. We went onto Marsh Street before turning back into Hanley on Trinity Street. we turned onto Stafford Street and we picked up more passengers before heading out of town along Quadrant Road. We headed through Townsend an onto Chell Street. We went through Sneyd Green and we turned left at Smallthorne Roundabouts onto Ford Green Road. The bus emptied out a little and Matthew took a picture inside First Potteries 42727.

Inside First Potteries 42727

We carried on down Ford Green Road and we got off at the stop near to Ford Green Hall. Matthew took another picture of First Potteries 42727 before it carried on towards Endon.

First Potteries 42727 in Smallthorne

We went around the corner to wait for another bus towards Bradeley. We were planing to do a #29 or #99 towards Tunstall. Whilst we waited we saw Intercity minibus SF58 HGE going towards Bradeley.

Intercity SF58 HGE in Smallthorne

As we waited we saw a D&G bus turn the corner on a #9 to Biddulph. I asked Matthew if he wanted to do this bus to Fegg Hayes and he said 'Biddulph'. As it got closer we saw that it was dud D&G 150.

D&G 150 in Smallthorne

We got on the bus and flashed the Smart Day ticket to the driver. this is a bus that we had been on from Middleport to Newcastle whilst it was still operating with Bakerbus back in October 2014. The bus went through Chell Heath past Matthew's old school and we headed into Fegg Hayes. At the end of the road we turned right onto the A527 and we headed up though Brindley Ford. We left the A527 and turned left into Brownlees before crossing back over the A527 into Knypersley. Having run around the housing estate we headed onto Biddulph High street and the bus terminated. We let the bus empty and Matthew took a picture inside D&G 150.

Inside D&G 150

We walked around the corner to the bus station and we used the toilet. We also had a Milky Way each whilst we waited for the next bus back. I asked Matthew if he wanted get picked up from Townsend or Newcastle and he chose Newcastle. The next bus to turn up was First Potteries 40383 on a #7B to Hanley.

First Potteries 40383 in Biddulph bus station

It was cold and starting to go dark so we decided to this bus anyway as far as Chell. We got on the bus and we flashed the Smart day ticket. We sat down in the middle of the bus and the bus set off towards the estates. We passed through Knypersley and we crossed over the A527 into Brownlees. We rejoined the A527 further South and we headed through Brindley Ford. The bus had emptied out in front of us so Matthew took a picture inside First Potteries 40383.

Inside First Potteries 40383

We climbed the fill up to Chell and we turned left onto High Lane. We got up and got off the bus and Matthew took another picture of this Ex Manchester Dart 40383.

First Potteries 40383 in Chell

We didn't have to wait long for a bus. Opposite we saw First Potteries 40154 on a #7B to Biddulph.

First Potteries 40154 in Chell

We then saw a First Potteries 32634 on the opposite side of the road on a #99 to Brindley Ford. As Matthew was about to take a picture of the double decker, dud First Potteries 60196 came around the corner on a #99 to Newcastle.

First Potteries 60196 in Chell

We got on the bus and we flashed our tickets for the final time today. We saw that the bus was empty so Matthew took a picture inside First Potteries 60196.

Inside First Potteries 60196

The bus set off along High Lane before turning into the Mill Hill estate. I texted mum to tell her we would be in Newcastle in around 20-25 minutes. The bus climbed the hill into Tunstall and we rounded the bingo hall and we entered the top end of Tunstall High Street. After a brief pause we continued down onto Brownhills Road and down through Trubshaw Cross into Longport. We crossed over the A500 and we climbed Porthill Bank, turning left to head towards Wolstanton. We passed through Wolstanton and we entered Newcastle along Brampton Road. We entered the bus station via Barracks Road and we saw the car parked up in a lay-by. We got off the bus and we had time to take a quick picture or two before we jogged up to the car. Mum had brought some mini Wrights sausage rolls and Matthew washed his down with a bottle of Irn Bru. We set off towards the Jubilee roundabout and we did a U turn back onto Barracks Road. We joined the Southbound A34 and we did this down to Trent Vale where we stopped at the Riverside Chippy. We had 2 portions of chips between the 4 of us and we set of back onto the A34.We joined the Northbound A500 and as we passed under the Campbell Road link we saw dozens of people on foot. We had forgotten about the home football match. Stoke City had just beaten QPR by 3-1 and Jonathan Walters had scored Stoke City's first Premier League hatrick. We turned onto the A50 and we passed the Britannia Stadium. As you could imagine the A50 was a little busier than normal. We spotted Copeland's Tours MIB 246 & MIB 746 as we passed near to the ground. We continued to Longton and we came off the A50 to see what was parked up at Z Carz. Unusually there where vehicles on the spare ground today. First we had Z carz Ford minibus GL04 CVE.

Z Carz GL04 CVE in Longton

Next to this was another Ford minibus, Z Carz BN03 OVS.

Z Carz BN03 OVS in Longton

Finally on the spare ground was Mercedes minibus Z Carz CE02 LYX.

Z Carz CE02 LYX in Longton

We turned into Willow Row and parked in the compound was LDV minibus CN57 HWA.

Z Carz CN57 HWA in Longton

We headed back onto the A50 and into Heron Cross. The roads were still busy as people got away from the ground. We passed D&G 174 which was on the Plumline, diverted off Stanley Matthews Way to try and keep better time. We also passed Z Carz minibus YR06 NNV. We carried on into Blurton and we got home around 17:30. For tea Matthew had bangers and mash with carrots followed by a rice crispy cake. Matthew then chilled out on his computer until bedtime around 00:30... Mark