Trip to Kidderminster / Bewdley 18-02-2017

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
30803	Bromsgrove BS	Kidderminster BS	42	Rotala Diamond
30932	Kidderminster BS	Bewdley, Load Street(W Bound)	2L	Rotala Diamond
211	Bewdley, Load Street(E Bound)	Kidderminster BS	125	Central Buses
20104	Kidderminster BS	Bewdley, Load Street(W Bound)	2	Rotala Diamond
255	Bewdley, Load Street(E Bound)	Kidderminster BS	125	Central Buses
BX61 VLP	Kidderminster BS	Kidderminster, Oxford Street(Stand B)	9A	Woosh

Today we decided to re-visit Bromsgrove. We checked the weather for today and it was for cloudy dry weather all over the North West and Midlands. We gave Matthew a list of destinations from the area, and from the list Matthew chose Bromsgrove. Matthew got up around 10:00 and had toast and orange juice for breakfast. We set off around around 11:45 and we ran down to the A5035. We headed West into Trentham and we passed D&G 100 on the #14 to Hanley. We turned right onto the Northbound A34 and then we turned left onto Whitmore Road. At the end we joined the Northbound A519 before we joined the Southbound M6. The motorway was busy but was moving very well. As we travelled South we saw an unidentified DJ Coaches coach, An unidentified Swans (Chadderton) coach, Eagle YJ08 EGC as well as another unidentified Eagle coach, and an unidentified white Volvo coach. At junction 8 we joined the Southbound M5 and we ran down junction 4. We joined the Southbound A38 and we passed First Worcester 32066 on a #144 to Birmingham. We crossed over the M42 and we joined Birmingham Road. We ran into town and we parked up at Asda. When we got there we set of to The Market Plaice for dinner. We crossed over the A448 and as we walked towards chip restaurant we saw First Worcester 66693 on a #144 to Birmingham.

First Worcester 66693 in Bromsgrove bus station

Matthew went to the toilet and mum and uncle Dave went to order the food and secure a table (lessons were learnt from our last visit!). We joined mum and Dave in the Restaurant where Matthew ate his sausage chips & gravy with a bap. He washed it down with a can of Coke. Whilst we ate we saw dud Euroliners DK55 NLF on the #97 Sidemoor circular. with that bus being a non required one, we could go in a different direction to start. Once we had finished eating we said goodbye to mum and we walked across onto the bus station. We gave Matthew a choice of direction in which we should go and Matthew chose to go towards Kidderminster. Whilst we waited for the Kidderminster bus we sat on a bench waiting for the bus. We saw Clearway PEZ 3058 on the #93 to Charford.

Clearway PEZ 3058 in Bromsgrove bus station

A few minutes later we saw required First Worcester Enviro300 67663 on a #144A to Worcester.

First Worcester 67663 in Bromsgrove bus station

Just after 14:00 running a few minutes late we saw the Kidderminster bus approaching. As it got closer we saw that it was required Rotala Diamond 30803 on a #42 to Kidderminster Hospital.

Rotala Diamond 30803 in Bromsgrove bus station

We got onto the Bus and we purchased Connecta County Day tickets at £7.20 each before we sat down towards the back of the bus. We set off out of the bus station and onto the A448. At the first roundabout we followed the A448 to the right and out of town. We then had a spirited run out into the countryside and through a few small villages and hamlets. As we travelled West just out of town we passed Rotala Diamond 30931 on a #42 to Redditch. We travelled through Chaddesley Corbet, Mustow Green & Stone and then we entered Kidderminster from the Eastern end. We ran past the railway station and across the ring road onto Green Street. We followed the one-way system around onto Dixon Street & New Road. We then entered the bus station up Corporation Street. When we got off the bus we had a look around to see what we could catch. On layover in the centre of the bus station was Ex First Dart Rotala Diamond 30932.

Rotala Diamond 30932 in Kidderminster bus station

We also saw Woosh (Worcester County Council) minibus BX61 VLP on layover in between #9A services to Caunsall.

Woosh BX61 VLP in Kidderminster bus station

We considered doing the minibus but it wasn't due off until around 14:55. We saw Rotala Diamond 30930 move off layover onto stand and Matthew decided he wanted to do this. We got on and we flashed the Connecta County Day tickets to the driver. The display said Kidderminster so we asked how long a round trip would be and he told it was going to Ludlow and it was 3 hours! It was going out of town via the hospital and Bewdley so we decided to ride as far as Bewdley. We set off out of the bus station and onto Corporation Street. We turned left turned left into Exchange Street and then right into Oxford Street. We turned left onto the ring road and then we turned left onto Coventry Street. We stopped outside the Swan Centre and we followed the road to the right onto Blackwell Street. We re-joined the ring Road and we ran out of Town Westwards along the A456. When we got to the hospital we Veered left onto Blakebrook. On the main road we saw Rotala Diamond 30803 sat at the terminus ready to work the #42 back to Redditch via Bromsgrove. We ran through an housing estate along St Johns Avenue and Cantebury Road. We turned left onto the B4190 and we ran through Catchems End and into the East end of Bewdley. We went under the railway line and we crossed over the river into the town centre. Once we had crossed the river we got up and got off the bus. Matthew took another picture of Rotala Diamond 30932 as it carried on towards Ludlow.

Rotala Diamond 30932 in Bewdley

We had a quick look around as it was our first visit to Bewdley. We spotted an ice cram parlour by the bus stop where we got off and we went in. Matthew wanted to use a toilet but there was not toilet in this shop, so I asked the lady behind the counter where the nearest public toilet was, which just happened to be across the other side of the road just up from the bus stop. It was a busy so road so we walked past the toilets to the pelican crossing before crossing over the road and going down the side street to the toilet. After Matthew had used the facilities we walked to the bus stop to see when the next bus to Kidderminster was due. There were two buses due in around 15 minutes so we went to the Tesco Express store which was close to the bus stop. Matthew chose a can of Coke and a small bottle of Coke as they had no Irn Bru!. We also chose 2 chocolate bars as they were 3 for £1.20. After paying for the stuff we still had 10 minutes, so we walked down to the river. We saw there was a chip shop restaurant as well as benches where you could eat outside. After taking a few picture by the rover we walked back to the bus stop to wait for the bus. Both buses came a couple of minutes before they were due and they came together, the Central Buses bus on the #125 leading the Rotala Diamond bus on the #2. We asked Matthew which one he wanted to catch and he chose dud Central Buses 211 on the #125 to Stourbridge.

Central Buses 211 in Bewdley

We got on the bus and we flashed the Connecta County Day tickets to the driver before we sat down towards the back of the bus. We didn't realise it at the time but we had been on this bus before. We had travelled back into Lichfield from Freeford on this bus when it was on the X55 service back in December 2014. The bus behind us was required Rotala Diamond 30930 on the #2L. The bus set off along Load Street and over the river. We followed the road around onto the B4190 and we went under the railway line and up to Catchems End. At the roundabout we joined the A456 and we ran past the entrance to the West Midlands Safari Park. There was then a long sweeping hill down into Kidderminster. Part way down the Hill we saw G R Mole minibus FD53 UNV. We continued past the hospital and we ran onto the ring road. We ran into town along Blackwell Street and left onto Coventry Street. We turned right into Bromsgrove Street and we ran past a health centre and a modern building possibly from the 1980's which was being demolished. We followed the road onto Prospect Hill and at the end we ran forwards onto New Road. We turned left onto Corporation Street and we ran into the bus station. The bus didn't empty out as it was a through service to Stourbridge. We got off the bus and Matthew took another picture of Central Buses 211 before it carried on towards Stourbridge.

Central Buses 211 in Kidderminster bus station

We got off the bus and we saw Rotala Diamond 20104 on a #2 to Bewdley.

Rotala Diamond 20104 in Kidderminster bus station

We decided to do this bus so we got on the bus and we flashed the Connecta County Day tickets to the driver before we sat down towards the back of the bus. A quick check of the Buses I have travelled on page revealed that we had been on this before. We set off out of the bus station onto Corporation Street and we turned left onto Exchange Street and then right into Oxford Street. We turned left onto the ring road and then we turned left onto Coventry Street. We stopped outside the Swan Centre and we followed the road to the right onto Blackwell Street. We re-joined the ring Road and we ran out of Town Westwards along the A456. When we got to the hospital we Veered left onto Blakebrook. We ran through the housing estate along St Johns Avenue and Cantebury Road. We turned left onto the B4190 and we ran through Catchems End and into the East end of Bewdley. We went under the railway line and we crossed over the river into the town centre. Once we had crossed the river we got up and got off the bus. Matthew took another picture of Rotala Diamond 20104 as it carried on towards the other end of Bewdley.

Rotala Diamond 20104 in Bewdley

Once off the bus we decided to go back to the ice cream parlour. Me and Matthew had a vanilla cone with strawberry sauce. We walked down by the river and we sat on a bench whilst we ate the ice cream. We took a few more pictures by the river and we crossed under the road by the river and we walked up to the Kidderminster bus stop. The timing for the return buses were different in this hour. The #2 was due at 16:25, but the #125 wasn't due until 16:33. The #2 appeared and it was Rotala Diamond 20104 returning from the other end of town as we suspected it might be. We decided to turn it down and wait 8 minutes for the #125. The bus appeared and it was required Central Buses 255.

Central Buses 255 in Bewdley

We got on the bus and we flashed the Connecta County Day tickets to the driver. Matthew decided he was going to try and honk the horn on this bus, so we had to steer him away from the front of the bus and we sat down towards the back. We set off out of town as we had done earlier. The bus set off along Load Street and over the river. We followed the road around onto the B4190 and we went under the railway line and up to Catchems End. At the roundabout we joined the A456 and we ran past the entrance to the West Midlands Safari Park. We ran down the hill and past the hospital and we ran onto the ring road. We ran into town along Blackwell Street and left onto Coventry Street. We turned right into Bromsgrove Street and we followed the road onto Prospect Hill and at the end we ran forwards onto New Road. We turned left onto Corporation Street and we ran into the bus station. Once again we had to steer off the bus so he didn't try and honk the horn... When we got off the bus we went over to stand 6 to see what time the bus was due to depart. The #42 was due at 16:51 and it was about that time now... On layover we saw Arriva Midlands 2502 which was about to work the next #297 to Bridgenorth.

Arriva Midlands 2502 in Kidderminster bus station

We also saw the Woosh minibus BX61 VLP, which moved of layover and onto stand 9.

Woosh BX61 VLP in Kidderminster bus station

Matthew decided he wanted to do this bus, so we got on and we flashed the Connecta County Day tickets to the driver for what turned out to be the last time today. We asked the driver which way the bus left town. The plan was to do this bus out a couple of stops and then return to Kidderminster on the #42. Whilst we worked out what we were going to do Matthew took a picture inside Woosh BX61 VLP.

Inside Woosh BX61 VLP

We set off out of the bus station onto Corporation Street and then left onto Exchange Street. We followed the road around onto Oxford Street and then we got up and got off the bus. When we got off the bus Matthew had a sudden urge to use the toilet, so we walked down onto New Road only to find that the toilet block was shut and we had just missed it by 5 minutes. We walked along a pedestrianised street up to Exchange street and we decided to go across to Tesco to us the toilet. We walked alongside the river Stour and we went into Tesco. After Matthew had used the facilities he went into the cafe which was deserted, but still open and he decided to pour himself a cup of Coke. We paid for the drink and we sat down for a couple of minutes whilst he drank it. We then went back outside to meet up with uncle Dave and we walked back to the bus station. When we got back we though we would probably stuck there for most of hour. We took a few a few picture whilst we tried to get hold of mum to tell her about the change of plans. We saw R&B Travel Solo YK05 CBY about to work a #291 to Tenbury Wells.

R&B Travel YK05 CBY in Kidderminster bus station

We also saw Rotala Diamond 30801 which was on layover in the centre of the bus station.

Rotala Diamond 30801 in Kidderminster bus station

Unexpectedly, we saw a #42 come into the bus station which must have been the bus we were going to catch running late, but Matthew refused to get up and the bus left the bus station promptly. We were definitely stuck there now! We managed to get in touch with mum and we arranged for her to come to us and pick us up. We would have around a 20 minute wait for her to turn up so we sat and watch the buses as the daylight faded. We saw Rotala Diamond 20500 which was about to work a #294 to Worcester.

Rotala Diamond 20500 in Kidderminster bus station

We guessed when mum was about to turn up and we walked over to the Tesco car park. About a minute later the car appeared and and we jumped in. After a quick driver swap we set off onto Corporation Street and onto New Road. Matthew tucked into his sausage roll washed down with a can of Vimto. We turned right onto Oxford Street and at the roundabout we went left onto the A451. At the next roundabout we left town along the A456. As we travelled north we saw Hansonbus 2150 on a #318 to Stourbridge that we had seen earlier in the day at Bromsgrove. We continued through Hagley and close to Halesowen before we joined the Northbound M5 at junction 3. As we travelled North up the M5 we saw Den Caney Coaches DEN 80D and Rotala Diamond 20738 running empty back to the depot. We ran along the elevated section of motorway near to West Bromwich and we joined the northbound M6. It was now gone 18:00 and traffic wasn't too bad so we made good progress. As we travelled North we saw grey minibus PO16 WCE & Travelmaster M800 TMG. We came off the M6 at junction 15 and we ran North uo the A500. At Sideway we went went Eastwards to Longton where we came off. We went into the petrol station at Tesco and we filled up with diesel. once we had done that we crossed over the A50 so that we could see what was parked up at Z Carz this evening. In the first row was Z Carz Volkswagen minibus OV05 WSW.

Z Carz OV05 WSW in Longton

Also in the first row was Z Carz minibus Vauxhall X599 WDY.

Z Carz X599 WDY in Longton

We also saw one of there newest arrivals, Z Carz Citroen minibus LV10 OTM.

Z Carz LV10 OTM in Longton

Closest minibus in the first row was Z Carz Ford minibus PY08 KDX.

Z Carz PY08 KDX in Longton

In the second row we saw Z Carz Renault minibus PE10 MJK.

Z Carz PE10 MJK in Longton

We turned left into Willow Row to see what was in the compound this evening. We saw Z Carz Vauxhall minibus DG10 VMO.

Z Carz DG10 VMO in Longton

Also in the compound was Z Carz Mercedes minibus LV52 TZY.

Z Carz LV52 TZY in Longton

We also saw Z Carz Renault minibus BU04 GYW.

Z Carz BU04 GYW in Longton

parked on the road outside the depot we saw Z Carz Vauxhall minibus DG10 VMJ.

Z Carz DG10 VMJ in Longton

We turned around and we got back onto the Westbound A50. We ran fast to Heron Cross before going onto Blurton Road. We ran through Blurton and right onto Church Road before we turned right onto Beaconsfield Drive. We got home around 19:30. For a late tea Matthew had bangers and mash with carrots followed by millionaires shortbread biscuit. Matthew then chilled out on his computer until 00:00... Mark

Trip to Rochdale 31-03-2012

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
40677	Rochdale BS	Littleborough, o/s 191 Todmorden Road/Ferrand Lodge	589	First West Yorkshire
40675	Littleborough, o/s 191 Todmorden Road/Ferrand Lodge	Rochdale BS	589	First West Yorkshire
40407	Rochdale BS	Kirkholt, nr Open Land Baldestone Road/Hill Top Drive	6	First Manchester
34295	Kirkholt, nr Open Land Baldestone Road/Hill Top Drive	Rochdale BS	6	First Manchester
511	Rochdale BS	Castleton, o/s Shops Manchester Road/Church Inn	17	JPT
37287	Castleton, opp Church Manchester Road/Church Inn	Rochdale, Drake Street/Fleece Street (NW-bound)	17	First Manchester

Today Matthew wanted to go to Rochdale. He chose this destination after last weeks trip to Bolton, pointing at the LED display of a bus that he had photographed last week. As usual a period of research was taken including asking a question on the Dennis Dart forum with regards to buses in Rochdale. With information gathered I also visited the Transport for Greater Manchester site to download timetables and maps to my phone. Also researched before we left was a place to eat. Mm found a cafe about a mile off route in Castleton called Mighty Bite. The weather was cool and cloudy, having just come out of a week of warm unseasonable weather. Today we set off around 12:20. We picked up mum's friend in Blurton and then we headed onto the A50. We headed north along the A500 and then North onto the M6. We took the motorway route via M62, M60, back onto the M62 after the ring road and then the A627(M). At the end of the road we turned left and headed into Castleton.The cafe wasn't hard to spot and after we had seen it we turned around and parked up. We ordered 2 breakfasts, a pastie and a drink and it came to £7.60. The breakfast was really nice and it set us up nicely for the day ahead. Before we left Matthew spotted a sink behind the counter, and so he insisted on photographing it! You can take the boy out of Stoke but you can't take Stoke out of the boy...We set off to Rochdale, and we parked in the town centre not far from the bus station around 14:30. We walked around the corner to the bus station and we walked up the outside taking pictures of the vehicles parked on these stands. You can get some nice pictures of buses from around these stands, but it became apparent that a lot of the interesting stuff goes from inside under the canopy. We carried on walking around the bus station and we noticed all the double deckers parked along the other side. As we walked around, 30806 arrived to join the other vehicles.

First Manchester 30806 arrives in Rochdale

We carried on walking around and the other interesting bus in this row we could photograph was 30803.

First Manchester 30803 in Rochdale

Whilst we were wondering what bus we could catch when an ALX200 Dart came into the bus station on a #589 which was 40677.

First West Yorshire 40677 arrives...

I had been told that these services were sometimes Darts and so I thought that this would be a good start to the afternoon. As it was a Halifax based bus and we had never been on any First West Yorkshire buses both the out and the back were certain to be required. Matthew was keen to do this move too and so we looked up and then waited at the relevant stand. Sure enough, just before 14:55 the bus came onto the stand. we brought our System One bus tickets which did prove a little tricky for a Halifax driver until he worked out how to do it. The journey Eastward out of town was swift. The bus emptied quickly and by the time we reached Littleborough most of the passengers from Rochdale had disembarked. We passed 66790 on the #590 service, and we had worked out that if we went just the other side of Littleborough that we would have an approx 15 minute wait. As we got off in the Gale area of town, Matthew got a better picture of this fine beast.

40677 in the Gale area of Rochdale...

With a bit of time to wait and with another bus towards Rochdale we decided to cross the road and sit on the grass until closer to the due time. The sun had now come out and it was nearly warm. We had seen that the other service the #457 was being worked by Mercs so we would be OK chilling on the grass and maybe we could even get a picture. The Merc sailed past which was if I recall correctly 60245. As we got closer to the time we crossed back over the road to wait for the #589. We could see in the distance that it was another ALX bus, and as it came closer we could see it was required 40675.

Return Power...First West Yorkshire 40675

We boarded the bus and sat near the back. It was another swift journey and bizarrely the bus also empty out as it headed into town. When we got back into the bus station Matthew took a picture of the empty ALX200 bus.

Inside 40675

As we were getting off I was sure I saw a NC double decker in the gloom of the middle stands. Matthew however spotted a Wright bodied Dart, and as it was on a #6 and I planned on covering this service I thought it was an excellent idea. No photographs of this from the bus station as we just leapt straight onto it. we set off and as we left Rochdale we passed another vehicle from this batch in the shape of 40411. The sun had gone in again and it was now quite grey overhead. As we went around the bus emptied out as you would expect. The bus didn't completely empty, but as this was a circular and there were few passengers on the bus I suggested that he took a picture of the inside of the bus at that point.

Inside First Manchester Dart 40407

We carried on a little further, and I saw a point on the route that was a nice open space so we decided to get off there. As we got off Matthew was able to get a good picture of the bus.

40407 on Balderstone Road Kirkholt

With a 10 minute frequency we knew there would be a bus quite soon, the 10 minutes passed quickly and we were both surprised and pleased to see a NC double decker coming towards us down the bank. As we had only ever been on Bury based examples of these it was bound to be required and we weren't disappointed. 34295 rolled down the back towards before coming to a stop where Matthew got his picture.

Nice surprise! First Manchester 34295

Apart from a couple of people at the front of the bus, the top deck was empty and so Matthew took a picture of the empty rear of the top deck.

Inside 34295

The journey back was quite bouncy as we returned through an estate with plenty of potholes and speed humps. We passed 40426 on another #6 circular as we headed back into town. When we got back we wondered if we could get one of the 2 NC double decker we had seen on the #17 operated by JPT and First Manchester. The First buses were low floor with some of the buses been hybrid's too. Whilst we waited for a JPT bus. Matthew got a bit hyper running up and down from stand to stand in the middle section of the bus station. We had to sit him down for a bit and we had a quick drink whilst he calmed a little. Then a JPT NC double decker bus appeared and it was JPT 511. We had to wait a few minutes before it cam on stand as it appeared to have been blocked out by on of the competing First Manchester buses. After a lap of the bus station and a bit of horn honking 511 eventually pulled up on stand C. We got on and went upstairs where Matthew got a shot of the then empty top deck.

Inside JPT 511

We did the bus to castle as we had seen them here earlier in the day and we knew the route and layout of this area of town. Just after the Co-op store we got off and Matthew got a picture of this fine beast.

JPT 511 in Castleton

It had now gone 17:00 and we knew that the next bus would be the last ride of the day. We had passed a JPT single decker before we got to Castle ton and so we knew the next bus was most likely to be First Manchester example. With both hybids and buses in the new First livery seen working this service, we saw that our bus was in standard livery. Having only been on Bury examples of these we knew it would also be required. It came closer and matthew got a picture of required 37287.

First Manchester 37287 in Castleton

As the route of the bus was going slightly closer to the car than the bus station was to the car, we decided to get off at the bottom of the hill as we got to the centre of the town. As we walked back to the car an interesting coach came to a stop across the road and Matthew got a picture of this coach.

Interesting sighting...Healings G25 WNF in Rochdale

We had a quick toilet stop before we set off home around 17:40. The sun had forced it's way out again and we had a very pleasant journey home. We saw the Almin Travel garage through the trees as we passed the Heywood area on the M62 and then we returned back via the same route as we had come. On the A500 we stopped for LPG in Longport an surprisingly the forecourt was empty. The panic buying of fuel must have slowed for the time being. Having dropped off mum's friend again, we got home a little after 19:00...Mark.