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 Hanley 19-01-2013

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
40375	Ladybank Grove, Blurton	Hanley BS	23	First Potteries
2203	Hanley BS	Birches Head, adj Shops	41	Wardle Transport
41500	Birches Head, adj Shops	Hanley BS	38	First Potteries
4692	Hanley BS	Tunstall, adj stop M	61	Wardle Transport
60173	Tunstall, adj stop M	Hanley BS	21	First Potteries
183	Hanley BS	Biddulph, adj South View	9	Bakerbus

Today was going to be a walk at Westport Lake. Matthew was due to go to Heathfield in the morning and we were going to go walking in the afternoon. But the event at Heathfield was canceled the day before due to the heavy snowfall. We knew Matthew wouldn't be happy stuck at home on a Saturday, so we decided to travel on a few local buses. Matthew got up at 08:00 which is very unusual for him. We checked the weather and there was no more snow due today. I also checked the First Staffordshire sight to see if buses were running. The site showed that al services were running but there were some minor diversions around un-gritted or impassable roads. we also checked the Arriva site and there was no disruptions noted on their site either. Matthew had some toast for breakfast washed down with orange juice. I decided it would be a good idea to take some sandwich in case of emergency but we didn't have any sandwich meat in, so I waked to Aldi to pick some up. Whilst I was out i was able to check out how the buses were running locally and all seemed fine. Whilst out I saw Wardle Transport 2998 on the Plumline, Wardle Transport 2224 on a #350 to Newport. First Potteries 40147 & 40150 were out on #22's and 40175 on a #23 service. Back home today I decided it would be a good idea to have some hot food before we left. Matthew had a bacon sandwich and me and Uncle Dave had a stir fry. Matthew got dressed and we left home around 13:20. As we walked to the bus stop we spotted the 3rd #22 turn and it was First Potteries 40145. Matthew got a picture on the corner of Finstock Avenue.

First Potteries 40145 in Blurton

We carried onto the stop on Beaconsfield Drive missing a new Solo on a #23. As 40145 was still at the stop I asked Matthew if he wanted to go to Hanley or Longton and he chose Hanley. Whillst we waited we saw 40375 heading towards Newstead which we thought would probably our bus to Hanley. we also saw required First Potteries 42727 on a #23 to Longton. A few minutes later 40375 rounded the corner and Matthew got a picture.

First Potteries 40375 in Blurton

We tried to book a Smart ticket but the driver didn't have any of the protective wallets so one of us had a free ride to Hanley at least for now. We sat down near the back to enjoy our journey. It was the third time in the last year we had been on this bus, the last time was on a similar trip to Hanley back in November. We travelled through Blurton and Heron Cross, and through Fenton to Stoke. In Stoke we passed required First Potteries 32635 on a #25 Keele - Hanley service. We taveeled around the stoke one way system and on to the railway station. There were 2 coaches parked outside the station, presumebly on rail replacement work these were Global Travel T5 XLA and Hanley Travel G97 RGG. We carried on up past the college and then into Hanley. when we reached the bus station we entered the bus station but there were no empty stands so we went back out of the bus station onto Birch Terrace and back onto Lichfield street before re-entering the bus station to get onto a stand. The bus emptied and Matthew got a picture of the inside of the now empty 40375.

Inside First Potteries 40375

We went up on the balcony to look at buses. It was clear in part but there was some ice on the steps so we had to be careful going up and down. I went to fetch some chips whist Matthew and Uncle Dave stopped on the balcony. Dud Wardle Transport 4898 was on the X50 which is unusual, but not unusual enough for us to catch it over eating chips. However, he did get a picture of this bus.

Wardle Transport 4898 on the X50 in Hanley

We finished off our chips and we contemplated what to do next. Wardle transport 4687 was on the #61 which is unusual to get a decker on a Saturday, but we had been on this twice on New Years Eve. It was very cold and we knew had to do something quickly or get very cold indeed. We also saw Wardle Transport 2230 on the Northbound #500 to Norton. I tried to steer Matthew on one of the #25's so he could do one of the newer double deckers all of which are required. Eventually, we decided to do a #41 to Birches Head with Wardle Transport 2203. Matthew got a picture of this bus before we carefully went down the steps into the bus station to get on this bus.

Wardle Transport 2203 in Hanley bus station

We tried once again to get a Smart day ticket but the driver didn't have a wallet so that was another free journey! This was a bus that Matthew had done previously back in June last year. Whilst we waited to depart I noticed First Potteries 41500 was on stand on a #38 to birches Head. Also we saw Wardle Transport 3611 arrive on a #62 which is not an everyday sight. We had never done a Birches Head service before which is unusual considering all the interesting bus that have worked on the #38 in previous years. Also there has been some good buses working on the #41 with RML, D&G and latterly Wardle Transport too. We weren't familiar with the route but I thought the end of the route was circular, down through the newer houses and back through the terrace streets to edge of Hanley. As we left Hanley we saw required wardle Transport 4692 arrive on a #61 service. It is a bus that we have missed on a couple of occasions, on New Years Eve and the Wardle Transport running day. We saw a point which looked like the end, it was some shops on Diane road so we got off here. Not before Matthew had taken a picture of the empty bus.

Inside Wardle Transport 2203

We were considering going to the shop when we saw First Potteries 41500 approaching. I asked Matthew if he wanted to get the bus or go to the shop and he opted for the bus. He got a picture of required 41500 before we got on it.

First Potteries 41500 in Birches Head

On our third journey of the day we managed to get our Smart day ticket. The bus was empty so he got a picture of of the empty 41500 before we sat down.

Inside First Potteries 41500

We set of back into Hanley, and as we reached the townsend area I asked matthew if he wanted to get of and wait for 4692 on the #61 (it was 1459 and I thought the #61 left hanley at 15:00). He said no and it turned out to be a good move by him. We got into hanley bus station around 15:10 and we went up to the balcony to see that 4692 was still over in the parking area. I downloaded the #61 timetable and saw that the Saturday #61 left at half past the hour. By this time we only had around 12 minutes to wait for the bus. So we took a few picture before we saw 4692 move out of the parking area around 15:25. The bus pulled on stand and we got pictures of the bus before we carefully went down the steps again to catch the bus.

Wardle Transport 4692 in Hanley

We got on the bus and waited for time. Matthew got his empty bus picture as we awaited time.

Inside Wardle Transport 4692

As we set off we went down the row and we spotted 41540 'Not in Service' parked up in the parking area along with Wardle Transport 1406 and 1460 and Bakerbus step-entranced Volvo B6 227. We set off to Sneyd Green and then into Smallthorne as we headed to Chell we passed a couple of #21/29s in Bradeley. Dud 60136 was on a hanley bound #29 and 60173 was on a Trentham bound #21. We got to Tunstall and got off at the top of the high street so we could visit the public toilet. Matthew used the disabled toilet and inside there was a leaflet for the park and ride service. The fare was £1 and the bus on the leaflet was a step entranced Mercedes minibus so how old this leaflet is I don't know. I had asked Matthew if had wanted to go to Longport to meet mum and he had said no as he wasn't done for the day yet. That left us with perhaps a trip to Biddulph on a #99 or maybe back to Hanley on either a #20/20 or #21/29. We saw 60189 on a Kidsgrove bound #20A and we also saw 60173 again on the #21 to Trentham. I asked Matthew if he wanted to do 60173 and he said yes. He didn't get a picture of 60173 before we boarded but here is one he took in November 2011.

First Potteries 60173

When we got on 60173 it was almost empty and he got one as we got on.

Inside First Potteries 60173

I texted mum to say we were probably on our penultimate bus, and we would let her know where we were going to be picked up from if indeed we did need picking up. I thought the journey was going to take around 40 minutes and I was surprised when it only took around 25. We got into Hanley bus station just as it was going dark. We got off and Matthew immediately spotted a step entranced Mercedes at the other end of the bus station. It was dud Bakerbus 183 which he hadn't been on since he had a very short run on it in Stone back in June 2011. He got a picture of this bus and then we got on it.

Bakerbus 183 in Hanley bus station

We set of out of Hanley and then down Smallthorne bank. We passed 41498 on a Hanley bound #8 service. It was now fully dark and we headed up through Fegg Hayes and Brindley Ford. I had called up mum to arrange to meet her at Biddulph Sainsbury's. Eventually we pulled up in Biddulph High Street and we got off the bus. Matthew got another picture of this fine beast before we set off towards mum.

Bakerbus 183 in Biddulph High Street

We walked down to the car to meet mum. The plan had been to drop the bag off at the car and then go into sainbury's to get lottery tickets and some food, but Matthew decided to get n the car. We Drove out of Biddulph Southbound on the A527. We passed First Potteries 61237 on a Biddulph bound #7A. We got to the top of high lane and we spotted the Tesco express on the left so we decided to stop here. We saw First Potteries 60063 go past on a 21. In the shop Matthew had some coke, a milky Way and a chocolate cake for later. We got the lottery tickets and Matthew said hello to a couple of people in the shop. We carried on along the a527 nd we decided to take Matthew to the MacDonalds on the A50. After we had picked him up some food from the driver through we got back on the A527 and e did it down to the A500. We did this southbound to the A50 and we went to Longton so he could see what was on the Z Carz depot. There were only 3 buses there, and one of them was Mercedes minibus T131 SGA.

Z Carz T131 SGA in Longton in the snow

We then went down Longton Hall Road and then home, getting in around 18:15. Matthew finished off his MacDonalds and then settled down for the evening. For a late tea he had Sausage carrots and mash and his chocolate cake he brought earlier. He then spent time on his computer before bedtime around 00:00...Mark