Trip to Newcastle / Kidsgrove 16-05-2015

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
65706	Magdalen Road, Blurton	Trentham, adj Man-in-Space	22	First Potteries
40378	Trentham, adj Man-in-Space	Stoke-upon-Trent, adj stop R	21B	First Potteries
108	Stoke-upon-Trent, adj stop Q	Newcastle BS	The Orange One	D & G
60128	Newcastle BS	Burslem, Town Hall (stop G)	98	First Potteries
66314	Burslem, Wedgwood Street (stop A)	Tunstall (Stoke-on-Trent), adj stop A	29	First Potteries
41500	Tunstall (Stoke-on-Trent), adj stop B	Newcastle BS	99	First Potteries
37157	Newcastle BS	Hanley BS	4A	First Potteries
40805	Hanley BS	Kidsgrove, Adj Queen Street	7A	First Potteries
66849	Kidsgrove, Adj St Johns RC Primary School	Newcastle BS	4A	First Potteries

Today we decided to go out on a local trip, as we were attending. We had checked the weather and it was for cool cloudy conditions. Research consisted of making a new D&G list so we knew which of the buses we had travelled on and which ones we hadn't, following their takeover of Wardle Transport from Arriva. Matthew got up around 10:00 and had toast and orange juice for breakfast. We decided we were going to do the 12:17 #22 to Trentham in order to do a #21/21B forward to Stoke for dinner. 30 minutes before we were due to go out I went out to see what bus was on the Longton bound #22. It was dud first Potteries 65706. Just after 12:00 we set off on foot all the way to the bus stop on Magdalen Road. We saw the 12:17 to longton, which was dud First Potteries 60202. Bang on time, First Potteries 65706 rounded the corner out of Finstock Avenue as expected...

First Potteries 65706 in Blurton

We got on the bus and we booked a Smart day ticket at £5.30. We sat down near to the back of the bus and the bus was nearly empty. Before we turned onto the A5035 Matthew took a picture of the empty rear of First Potteries 65706.

Inside First Potteries 65706

The bus turned right and we carried on along the A5035 into Trentham. Near to the Trentham Hotsl we passed First Potteries 40028 on a #21. We turned right into New Inn Lane and when we got to the Man in Space we got up and got off the bus. Matthew took another picture of First Potteries 65706 before it carried on towards Newcastle.

First Potteries 65706 in Trentham

We must have beaten dud First Potteries 40028 back to the Man in Space via Brough Lane and The Lea as a couple of minutes later it appeared on the #21.

First Potteries 40028 in Trentham

We decided to turn this down and wait for the next #21B bus. Almost immediately we saw it, dud First Potteries 40378 heading towards Trentham Gardens. It took just under 10 minutes to go up the the gardens and back. It turned up as expected... First Potteries 40378.

First Potteries 40378 in Trentham

We got on the bus and we flashed the Smart Day ticket to the driver. We sat down near to the back of the bus. Matthew photographed the empty rear seat behind us.

Inside First Potteries 40378

The bus climbed the hill and we turned right into Wilson Road. We turned left to go down Chuch Lane before we joined onto the Northbound A34. Here we saw First Potteries 32630 on a #10 to Stafford. We carried on under the A500 and into Trent Vale before we turned right into London Road. We then ran the last mile and a half along London Road through Oakhill and into Stoke town centre. We got up and got off the bus in Campbell Place, and Matthew took another picture of First Potteries 40378 before it carried on towards Hanley.

First Potteries 40378 in Stoke

We walked down Campbell Place onto Church Street to the Stoke cafe. Matthew went to the toilet with uncle Dave and I ordered the food. Matthew had a small breakfast washed down with a can of Orange Fanta. After we had finished eating we set off down Church Street to get a bus to Newcastle. On the way to the stop we saw First Potteries 40029 on a #23A to Hanley.

First Potteries 40029 in Stoke

Further down the road we saw required D&G 108 on 'The Orange One' to Newcastle.

D&G 108 in Stoke

We decided to do this bus... We got on the bus and we flashed the Smart day ticket to the driver. We sat down near to the back of the bus. the bus set off along Church Street and straight up Hartshill Bank. We passed through Hartshill and into Newcastle. We ran down George Street and we turned into Barracks Road and into the bus station. We let the bus empty and Matthew took a picture inside D&G 108.

Inside D&G 108

We decided to have a walk around the bus station whilst we decided what to catch. parked in Stubbs Street was required First Potteries 43875.

First Potteries 43875 in Newcastle bus station

Also in Stubbs Street acting as the drivers mess for D&G driver was dud D&G 196.

D&G 196 in Newcastle bus station

behind the D&G bus was parked dud First Potteries 37158.

First Potteries 37158 in Newcastle bus station

We walked to the top of the bus station to take a few more pictures. Since D&G had taken over Wardle Transports old routes and buses, they had cut the services up to Trubshaw Cross. The #91 to Bradeley and the #92 to Ball Green had been cut. D&G now only had the #94 to Biddulph along this corridor. First still had their services. On the #99 to Bradeley was First Potteries 60128

First Potteries 60128 in Newcastle bus station

We decided to take a few more picture before we caught a bus towards Tunstall. We saw dud First Potteries 6073 on a #3 to Madeley.

First Potteries 60073 in Newcastle bus station

Entering the bus station was D&G Solo 136 on a #74 from Audley.

D&G 136 in Newcastle bus station

We decided to dud First Potteries 60128 on the #98. We could do this bus to Burslem and then catch a bus to Tunstall. We walked over to the Scania and we got on it. We flashed the Smart day ticket to the driver and we sat down near to the back of the bus. The bus set off out of Newcastle over the Jubilee roundabout and along the A527. We passed through Wolstanton and we turned right to go down Porthill Bank. We crossed the A500 and we headed up through Longport, passing preserved PMT 128 running the other way, presumably on test for the POPS rally on Sunday. At Trubshaw Cross roundabout we turned right and as the bus behind us was now empty Matthew took a picture of the empty rear of the bus.

Inside First Potteries 60128

We travelled through Middleport and we rocked up into Burslem town centre. Matthew took another picture of First Potteries 60128 before it carried on towards Ball Green.

First Potteries 60128 in Burslem

We walked around the corner onto Wedgwood Street. We could see down the road into Cobridge so when the bus was approaching we could see it for about 3 or 4 minutes! It was a Cherry Route liveried bus. When the bus got closer we saw that it was required Volvo First Potteries 66314.

First Potteries 66314 in Burslem

The bus was quite full. We got on the bus and we flashed the Smart Day tickets at the driver and we sat down towards the back of the bus. We set off north up scotia Road and we turned left into Wiliamson Street. The bus turned right into the high street and we passed required D&G 33 on the #94 to Newcastle. The bus still carrying South Lancs Travel colours. We went to the top end of the High Street and we got up and got off the bus. Matthew took another picture of First Potteries 66314 before it carried on towards Talke.

First Potteries 66314 in Tunstall

We were going to get a cake from the cafe. On the way we saw D&G 118 on a #94 to Biddulph.

D&G 118 in Tunstall

We walked down to the Cafe and Matthew went to the toilet whilst I ordered his slice of toffee Cheesecake and a can of Coke. He quickly ate it, and then we went back out onto the High Street to catch another bus. We considered doing a #29 towards Bradeley, but we crossed over the road and we decided to go the other way. We didn't have to wait long before dud First Potteries 41500 came around the corner.

First Potteries 41500 in Tunstall

I asked Matthew if he wanted to do this bus and he said yes. We got on the bus and we flashed our Smart Day tickets before sitting down towards the back of the bus. The bus set off down the High Street and we passed First Potteries 60176 on the #29. We carried on straight onto Brownhills Road and we headed through Trubshaw Cross into Longtport. We crossed the A500 and we climbed up Porthill Bank. At the top of the hill we turned left and we ran through Wolstatnton and into Newcastle down the A527. We turnd into the bus station and we waited for the bus to empty before Matthew took a picture inside First Potteries 41500.

Inside First Potteries 41500

We decided to head towards Hanley now. There were a few options. On the circuitous #17 was required First Potteries Solo 53119, and on the #41 to Birches head was dud D&G 194 (formerly Wardle Transport 2265). As we were considering what to do, dud First Potteries 37157 came into the bus station on the #4A to Hanley.

First Potteries 37157 in Newcastle bus station

We decided to do this bus. We waited for the driver to swap and then we got on the bus. We flashed the Smart day tickets to the driver and then we went upstairs. The rear of the top deck was empty so Matthew took a picture inside First Potteries 37157.

Inside First Potteries 37157

As we sat on the bus waiting to depart, we saw required D&G 189 on a #41 to Clayton.

D&G 189 in Newcastle bus station

The bus set off out of the bus station and we headed towards Basford on the A53. We crossed over the A500 and we turned left onto Forge Lane. We travelled through the industrial parts of Festival park and we turned right onto Festival Way. We crossed back under the A53 and we headed into Hanley up Etruria Road. We headed into the bus station via Trinity Street, Stafford Street and Bagnall Street. When we got to the bus station we got up and got off the bus. Matthew visited the toilet and then we set off on foot to John Street multi storey car park. As we crossed the entrance / exit of the bus station we saw First Potteries 53828 on a #8 to Ball Green.

First Potteries 53828 in Hanley bus station

This was followed by required First Potteries 41493 on a #8A to Endon.

First Potteries 41493 in Hanley bus station

We headed through the door and up the steps to the first floor. On layover in the layover area was First Potteries 53118 which was about to do the #23 to Eccleshall.

First Potteries 53118 in Hanley bus station

Also on layover was First Potteries 32627.

First Potteries 32627 in Hanley bus station

Just going onto layover after working a #42 service was required D&G 188.

D&G 188 in Hanley bus station

The buses stared to come out of the bus station. We saw dud First Potteries 41501 on a #17 to Newcastle.

First Potteries 41501 in Hanley bus station

This was followed by dud First Potteries 53207 on a #23A to Newstead.

First Potteries 53207 in Hanley bus station

Matthew had a bottle of dandelion and burdock and a milky way in between buses. We then saw dud First Potteries 40028, the bus we turned down earlier in Trentham on a #21B to Trentham Gardens.

First Potteries 40028 in Hanley bus station

Another relatively new bus to the area was dud D&G 159, which was on the #9 to Biddulph.

D&G 159 in Hanley bus station

We had been on the bus when it was with Transdev Lancashire United. we had this bus from Accrington to Blackburn back on November 2014. We then saw First Potteries 65004 on a #18 to Leek.

First Potteries 65004 in Hanley bus station

We also saw dud D&G 199 on a #16 to Leek via Cellarhead.

D&G 199 in Hanley bus station

This bus was formerly Wardle Transport 2278. This was followed by a couple of Cherry Route buses, being led by dud First Potteries 66841.

First Potteries 66841 in Hanley bus station

We then saw required First Potteries 41521 on a #29 to Bradeley.

First Potteries 41521 in Hanley bus station

We decided to head back to the bus station at this point. We went down the stairs and out of the door. before we crossed the road we saw dud First Potteries 65039 on a #10 to Stafford.

First Potteries 65039 in Hanley bus station

Before we crossed the road we saw First Potteries 37156 on a #3 to Madeley.

First Potteries 37156 in Hanley bus station

We walked into the bus station and we visited the shop. Matthew had a can of Coke and a bottle of Irn Bru and some chocolate. Matthew said hello to the shop assistant and we paid for the stuff. We then considered what to catch next. On a Northbound #3 was First Potteries 32054.

First Potteries 32054 in Hanley bus station

Whilst we considered doing this, we saw our last required classic Dart First Potteries 40805.

First Potteries 40805 in Hanley bus station

We decided to do the Dart instead. The Dart had a driver change and then went off stand as it wasn't due off for another 10 minutes. The bus went on layover, and say there until nearly time. Just before departure time the bus wheeled around from its layover slot and back into the bus station. The bus loaded up and we got on. After flashing the ticket to the driver we sat down near to the back of the bus. The bus set off North through Townsend and Along Hanley Road onto High Lane. We passed through Chell and we turned and travelled North through Packmoor. As we headed North we passed Paul's coaches M41 KCU. We though we were going on a more direct route to Kidsgrove, but it turned out to be via Mow Cop! we passed the Paul's of Stoke depot just before we passed the Mow Cop folly. we then travelled South through Dales Green and the Rookery before going through the estate Galleys Bank and King Street. When we got to the Kidsgrove terminus we waited for the bus to empty and Matthew took a picture inside First Potteries 40805.

Inside First Potteries 40805

We got off the bus and we saw that the sun was in a good position to take a picture of the bus from the opposite side of the road. So we crossed over and took another picture of First Potteries 40805.

First Potteries 40805 in Kidsgrove

We decided to catch a #4A back to Newcastle. It would be the last bus if the day. We walked down Attwood Street and Matthew used the toilet. We crossed the A50 and we saw Kidsgrove Taxi S77 KAN turn into The Avenue.

Kidsgrove Taxi S77 KAN in Kidsgrove

We stood on The Avenue for nearly 20 minutes and the bus came around the corner. It was dud First Potteries 66849.

First Potteries 66849 in Kidsgrove

We got on the bus and we Flashed the Smart day ticket to the driver for the last time today. The bus set off through Kidsrove through the numbers estate and we turned left onto the A34. Matthew took a picture of the empty seats behind us.

Inside First Potteries 66849

At the Caudwell Tavern junction we carried on straight onto Coalpit Hill. We passed through Talke and we turned right to head up to Freeport. We then went back South through Red Street into Chesterton. We joined the A34 and we went down into Newcastle past the bus depot. First Potteries 32056 which we had seen working earlier in the day had now retired to the depot for the evening. We went down Liverpool Road and left into Ryecroft and then Barracks Road. Once we got off the bus Matthew went to the toilet. When he came out we saw First Potteries 41512 on a #72 to Park Site.

First Potteries 41512 in Newcastle bus station

We walked up to the car on Barrack road and mum was waiting for us with sausage rolls and a bottle of Irn Bru for Matthew. We turned the car around on the Jubilee roundabout and we headed South down the A34. We stop in Trent Vale and we pick up some chips to share between us before heading back onto the road. We turned Northwards on the A500 and then we went eastwards on the A50. We came off the A50 at Longton to see what was parked up at Z Carz this evening. On the spare ground there were 4 buses. First in the row was Z Carz Mercedes minibus S952 VMY.

Z Carz S952 VMY in Longton

Next to this was another Mercedes minibus CE02 LYX.

Z Carz CE02 LYX in Longton

At the back of the spare ground was Z Carz Ford minibus LG09 JVX.

Z Carz LG09 JVX in Longton

The final bus on the spare ground was Z Carz minibus FP06 WTW.

Z Carz FP06 WTW in Longton

We turned left into Willow Row to see what was parked in the compound. Parked we saw Mercedes minibus M372 NWN.

Z Carz M372 NWN in Longton

We headed back onto the A50 and we came off it again at Heron Cross. We headed through Blurton and we turned into the Blurton Farm estate into Beaconsfield Drive. We got home around 18:00. For a late tea we had banger and mash with carrots followed by a millionaires shortbread. Matthew then chilled out on his computer, He went to bed around 01:00... Mark