Trip to Bury 16-11-2013

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
37291	Bury BS	Heap Bridge, o/s Old Boars Head Bury New Road/Heap Bridge	471	First Manchester
37431	Heap Bridge, Bury New Road/Heap Bridge (W-bound)	Bury BS	163	First Manchester
30871	Bury BS	Unsworth, o/s Hse 165 Parr Lane/Kennedy Drive	93	First Manchester
60282	Unsworth, o/s Hse 204 Parr Lane/Kennedy Drive	Bury BS	93	First Manchester
106	Bury BS	Radcliffe BS	486	Rossendale Easyride
33867	Radcliffe BS	Bury BS	512	stagecoach Manchester

Today we decided to re-visit Bury for the first time in nearly a year. The last time we visited Bury there were still step entranced Volvo operating for First Manchester. We didn't do any research for this trip other than to check the weather, which was forecast for grey, overcast skies but no rain! We did find our old Bury bus map to take with us. Matthew got up around 10:00 and had some toast and orange juice for breakfast. We set off around 11:45 and we headed onto the A5035. We headed along Stanley Matthews Way and onto the A50. We then went North on the A500 and up to Etruria to pick up LPG. We got onto the Westbound A53 and then back onto the Northbound A500. The traffic seemed much clearer today, perhaps this was related to there being no Premiership and Championship football during the international break. We carried on North on the M6 and we were overtaken by Parks of Hamilton / National Express LSK 513 on a #570 to Blackpool. We then went East on the M62 and clockwise on the M60. We headed North on The M66 and then we did the last mile into Bury along the A58 through Pimhole and into town. The traffic on this road was horrendous and it took us a while to get into town. We parked up near to the library and we walked over to Radleys which Matthew requested to visit for dinner. The downstairs area was full so after Matthew had used the toilet we took a seat upstairs. Breakfast had finished serving at 11:30, so Matthew had chips sausage and beans with bread and butter. This was washed down with a bottle of Coke. The food took a while becasue they were busy, and we didn't get out of there until after 14:30. The one good thing about being there was that we were able to see what buses were around even if we couldn't identify them. We saw 69166 in Ramsbottom livery, and we also saw a Rosso double decker and a First Manchester ALX400 Volvo. After we had finished eating we went down to the end of the bus station to take a few pictures before we caught our first bus of the day. As we walked up we saw recent arrival Rosso 232 on a #494 Bury - Fishpool circular.

'Rosso' 232 in Bury transport interchange

We also saw First Manchester 69186 on a #524 Bolton service.

First Manchester 69186 in Bury transport interchange

As we had been delayed in getting some food, we had to do a bus quickly. We then saw required First Manchester 37291 on a #471 to Rochdale.

First Manchester 37291 in Bury transport interchange

We walked down to the stop and we waited for the driver change to take place. We got on the bus and booked our System One bus tickets. We then went and sat upstairs. The bus was quite full and we didn't manage to get a picture inside. The bus set off out of the bus station and onto the ring road. The bus came to a stand out the market and the traffic was very slow all the way down to the M66. We decided to get of just the other side of the M66 as we were running out of time. We got off and Matthew decided to chase after another one of the passengers getting off to say hello. He was very lucky not to scare her... We then crossedthe road to wait for the next bus back. After a couple of minutes we saw #471 service coming down the hill. Just before it reached us another bus came out of Heap Brow on a #163 from Manchester so we decided to get on that instead. It was required First Manchester 37431.

First Manchester 37431 in Heap Bridge

We got on the bus and sat down upstairs. as it was around 15:00 now the bus was nearly empty. The bus went back up the A58 into Bury. We did the trip into town much quicker than we did the trip out. As we came past the market we saw Wints Mercedes coach NIL 8261 loading up with shoppers for their return trip to the Staffordshire Moorlands. When we got back to the bus station we spotted a First Manchester ALX400 Volvo in the bus station. We waited for 37431 to empty out and Matthew got a picture inside the empty bus.

Inside First Manchester 37431

We got off the bus and we walked straight to the crossing so we could get a picture of required First Manchester 30871.

First Manchester 30871 in Bury transport interchange

The driver set the destination to #93 Manchester and we got on the bus and booked to Unsworth. We went upstairs and Matthew took a picture inside the bus.

Inside First Manchester 30871

As we waited to go we saw another First Manchester ALX400 Volvo. It was required First Manchester 30873 on a #98 to Manchester. We set off out of the bus station and we saw Wints NIL 8261 was still loading up. We went down Market Street towards Fishpool. We passed the rows of coaches parked up. we then turn onto Manchester Road and headed South. As we passed Hollins Brow we passed First Manchester 60270 on a Northbound #92 service. The #92 replaced the old #137 service, a bus that we have not been on since we went to Bury regularly back in may 2011. We carried on South and then we went East along Sunny Bank Road. When we got onto Parr Lane we got off the bus and Matthew got another picture of First Manchester 30871 as it went South towards Manchester.

First Manchester 30871 in Unsworth

We crossed the road and consulted the bus stop timetable. We had around 5 minutes to wait, which was quite fortunate as the #93 was now only a 30 minute frequency! Bang on time we saw a Mercedes Citaro heading up the hill. We knew there was a good chance of it being required as we have avoided these buses in the passed when we used to chase after the step entranced Volvo's. As it got closer we saw that it was required First Manchester 60282.

First Manchester 60282 in Unsworth

We got on the bus and we sat down near the back. The bus was nearly empty as would be expected on an inbound bus at this time of the day. The bus set off back through Unsworth and along Sunny Bank Road. The bus then went North on the A56. We turned right at Fishpool and then headed into Bury up Market Street. When we got back to the bus station we waited for the bus to empty and Matthew got a picture inside the empty First Manchester 60282.

Inside First Manchester 60282

Almost immediately we saw Ross 106 on Stand C. It was on a #486 to Radcliffe so we decided to do this bus.

'Rosso' 106 in Bury transport interchange

We got on the bus and we went upstairs. Matthew got his empty bus picture as he got on the bus.

Inside 'Rosso' 106

Matthew decided he was going to say hello to someone in the bus station.Luckily for Matthew the bus was not due to depart until 16:10, so we were able to get back on it. Whilst we waited for the bus to depart we saw Rossendale 148 on the #480 to Bolton and 147 on the #483 to Burnley. The bus set off West towards Elton and then headed North towards Ainsworth. The bus then headed South down Bradley Fold Road and dark. We crossed the A58 and headed down into Bradley Fold. We passed the garden centre, and headed into Radcliffe. At the bus station we then got another picture of Rossendale Transport 106.

'Rosso' 106 in Radcliffe bus station

After using the disabled toilet by Radcliffe Market we walked back to the bus station to see what we could catch back. The #524's seemed to be all new buses, and there wasn't a #98 imminent. There was an #512 due just before 17:00. We had seen Stagecoach Manchester 25343 & 33867 working the #512/513's so we thought it would probably be one of these required buses. Just before 17:00 required Stagecoach Manchester rolls up into the bus station.

Stagecoach Manchester 33867 in Radcliffe bus station

The bus set off out of town. The bus down had taken close to 30 minutes to get into Radcliffe, and we were a little surprised at how quick the #512 takes to get to Bury. The bus headed North East along Bury Road. We were expecting a 20-25 journey back and we were back in just over 10 minutes! When we got back Matthew waited for the bus to empty before getting a picture inside Stagecoach Manchester 33867.

Inside Stagecoach Manchester 33867

We got off the bus and we decided to have a quick walk around taking picture before we set off homeward. On Stand R was Rosso 258 on a #483 Burnley service

'Rosso' 258 in Bury transport interchange

We walked around to the other side of the Tram terminus and we saw Stagecoach Manchester 33867 parked up between duties.

Stagecoach Manchester 33867 in Bury transport interchange

As we walked back passed the end of the bus station we saw another Ross double decker. It was Rosso 103 on the #487 to Nangreaves.

'Rosso' 103 in Bury transport interchange

We headed back to the car and Matthew had a sausage roll washed down with Irn Bru. We set off back onto the ring road and then East on the A58 to The M66. We headed south onto the M60 where we headed in the anti-clockwise direction. We headed West on the M62 and then South on the M6. On the M6 we passed Chalton Minicoaches KF52 UAG. We did the M6 down to the A500. We did the A500 South passing Z carz M372 NWN going north. We did the A500 down to the A50 and then into Longton to check out the buses parked up at Z carz. There were only 2 buses on the spare ground. At the back of the site was Mercedes minibus W221 CDN VW minibus OV05 WSW

Z Carz OV05 WSW in Longton

In front of the Mercedes minibus W885 PTS was volvo coach M534 RSO.

Z Carz M534 RSO in Longton

We went passed the Willow Row compound, were LDV minibus T408 JUX was still parked at the back of the yard with it's bonnet up. We headed Down Longton Hall Road and into Blurton. We headed onto the A5035 and we got back home around 18:45. For a late tea Matthew had bangers and mash followed by cheesecake. He then chilled out on his computer until around 01:00...Mark

Trip to Bury 03-03-2012

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
MIB 246	Longton Hall Road, Blurton	Market Street, Bury	Charter	Copeland's Tours
31814	Bury BS	Unsworth, o/s Hse 165 Parr Lane/Kennedy Drive	93	First Manchester
60239	Unsworth, o/s Hse 204 Parr Lane/Kennedy Drive	Bury BS	93	First Manchester
37391	Bury BS	Tonge Fold, Bury Rd/Tonge Fold Post Office (W-bound)	471	First Manchester
37391	Tonge Fold, Bury Rd/Tonge Fold Post Office (E-bound)	Bury BS	471	First Manchester
31812	Bury BS	Radcliffe BS	98	First Manchester
34028	Radcliffe BS	Bury BS	524	First Manchester
34291	Bury BS	Prestwich Hospital, opp Supermarket Bury New Road/Tesco	93	First Manchester
31814	Prestwich Hospital, o/s Superstore Bury New Road/Tesco	Fletcher Fold, Manchester Road/Dumers Lane (Stop A)	93	First Manchester
60223	Fletcher Fold, Manchester Road/Dumers Lane (Stop A)	Bury BS	524	First Manchester
MIB 246	Market Street, Bury	Longton Hall Road, Blurton	Charter	Copeland's Tours

Today was our first coach trip of the year. As this was a short run we booked from Longton Hall Road so Matthew could have a longer ride on the coach. We had booked this trip a while a go and when we were sure that it was going ahead, research consisted of downloading all the timetables for Bury from the Transport for Greater Manchester website. On the night before departure we checked the time of the departure from Longton Hall Road on the invoice, and we found it was 08:24 which earlier than we had anticipated. This would mean we would have to get up shortly after 07:00. On the day we arrived in Longton Hall Road just after 08:20 and the coach was already waiting! We quickly jumped out of the car, locked up and then got on the coach. Matthew didn't have time to get a picture here... The journey was quick. We left Newcastle which was the final pick-up around 09:20 and we traveled non-stop to Bury. As we left Newcstle the driver announced "by the way my name is John...If you have a good trip feel free to write to Copeland's to tell them... If you have a crap day my name is Keith!". We arrived in Market Street bury at approximately 10:25 and Matthew got his picture at last.

Copeland's Tours MIB 246 in Bury

We had a short walk up the hill and across the main road and then we were in Bury town centre near the bus station. Having used the facilities, we walked up to the bus station and decided what we would do. The weather forecast had been for rain, so the plan was to keep moving as much as we could. We immediately spotted a different type of bus that we had not previously seen in Bury and that was an Alexander bodied Olympian. We walked up to see what bus it was and it was required First Manchester 31814. It was parked up with no driver so we walked back to the crossing and Matthew got a picture of this fine beast.

First Manchester 31814 in Bury

Whilst we were at the crossing we also saw a Wright bodied Volvo double decker, another type which we have never seen in Bury before. Matthew got a picture of this too, First Manchester 37393.

First Manchester 37393 in Bury

We then walked back to 31814 which was about to work on a #93 service. After the drive had got on and sorted out the ticket machine, we got n and booked our system one bus only day saver tickets. The ticket machine was a new one which was only fitted about two week before our visit. We went upstairs and as it was empty at this point, Matthew got a picture of the empty top deck.

Inside 31814

We decided to do this to Unsworth and then see what came back on the next #93. The journey was swift and uneventful ans we got off just South of the shops and were Matthew got another picture of this bus.

31814 in Unsworth

We crossed the road and then waited for the return service. We let the #154 service go which was now worked by Stott's Tours. Last time we had been this way the #154 was a Bluebird service. Within a few minutes the #93 appeared and it was slightly disappointingly a Mercedes single decker. As it got closer we could see it was required First Manchester 60239.

First Manchester 60239 in Unsworth

We boarded the bus and did it back to Bury. Matthew got a picture of this bus empty.

Inside 60239

At this point we had already done 2 buses and it was only just after 11:00! The coach wasn't due to return until just after 16:00. As we realised we had nearly 5 hours left, we decided to go a little further afield on the next trip. We saw 34023 on a #524 Bolton service, but this was not required. Within a few minutes First Manchester 37391 appeared on a 471 to Bolton, which I decided it would be a good idea to go to the point where the #471 meets the #510 on the outskirts of Bolton. This would give us a choice of service on which to return on. Matthew got a picture of required 37391 just before we boarded it.

First Manchester 37391 in Bury

On the bus, Matthew photographed the empty rear of the bus as we sat down.

Inside 37391

On the way we made good progress until we reached the junction Bury & Bolton Road and Starling Road. An accident on the crossroads was preventing traffic going straight on, so the driver decided to divert the bus and turn right onto Starling Road. The bus then went into Ainsworth and then turned left onto Bradley Fold Road rejoining the original route a few hundred yards further on. Having passed a Morrison's supermarket on our right, we decided to get off and wait for a return service. Matthew got another picture of 37391 as we got off.

37391 at Tonge Fold

As we were next to some local shops at Tonge Fold and it wasn't raining, we decided to have some dinner from a local take away. We had 2 bacon barms and a sausage barm. As I ordered the food, Matthew was outside with Uncle Dave taking pictures of buses on this busy stretch of Road. This included 37302 on a following #471. There was also bendy bus 12011 on a Rochdale bound #471.

37302 at Tonge Fold

We sat down on a bench and ate the food. Matthew helped Uncle Dave finish off his sausage barm, as he not been quick enough! This was washed down with Coca Cola. After we had eaten dinner on a bench. Another Bolton bound #471 turned up and this was 37291.

37291 at Tonge Fold

Whilst we waited we also saw a few of the local services. 40350/359 and 404 were seen on Whithins circulars, as well as disappointingly 60283 on a #510 to Bury. This must have meant that Bury had taken over the running of the #510 and that First's Plaxton Pointer bodied Darts from Bolton would no longer come to Bury. After dinner we crossed the road to wait for the return to Bury. It turned up and it was 37391 again. I think the accident had messed up the running of the #471 today...

37391 at Tonge Fold

As we re-entered Bury we passed 10017 on a Bolton bound #471. When we got to Bury 31812 was waiting to work a #98 service. We got straight on this and decided to do it to Radcliffe bus station. We got on and Matthew got a picture of the inside of this bus.

Inside 34812

We also saw 31811 depart from stand B-D but we didn't see what this was on. The journey to Radcliffe was uneventful. There was an obnoxious child at the front of the bus who had apparently "beaten everybody up" or "smashed someone's kneecaps" even though he was only about 10! He decided it was a good idea to lie across the front window of the bus on the shelf under the window. I was praying that the driver would floor the bus and he would fall off but it didn't happen :-( We got to Radcliffe and Matthew was able to get a good picture of the fine beast in a rare moment in which the sun came out.

34812 in Radcliffe bus station

After using the facilities outside Radcliffe Market, we returned to the bus station. We let go Scania 61140 on a #524 service and we also saw 34023 on a Bolton bound #524. There were a couple of Maytree Travel vehicles on #512 and #513 services and then 34028 turned up on a #524 to Bury. The bus was dud, but we decided to do this beast again anyway.

34028 in Radcliffe bus station

We boarded and went upstairs, and Matthew got a picture of the empty rear of the top deck. It turned out that this was our third run on this bus, having previously had a short run on a Ramsbottom circular on our first coach trip to Bury. We had also been on this bus between Radcliffe and Bury before, albeit on a different route.

Inside 34028

Another good journey was had on 34028. the highlight of which was watching a drunk load shopping into his bag only for shopping to fall out of the huge hole in the bottom. this action was repeated many time and still the penny didn't drop. We arrived back and there seemed to be a bit of a lull in activity. Matthew got a picture of 37297 as it left Bury.

First Manchester 37297 in Bury

Having taken a few more pictures there seemed to be several buses in at once. 34028 had come off the #524's and was now standing spare on the other side of the bus station. Then 3 double deckers came in in quick succession. A Rochdale bound #471 appeared, closely followed by 31816 which came in to work a #98. The driver was changing over on the #98 and there was a really long queue of passenger to get on this service. As we waited 34291 appeared on stand B so we assumed it was about to work a #93. matthew decided he wanted to abandon 31816 and go for a North Counties bodied bus instead which as this was very lightly loaded this was probably the best plan. As we waited for the bus to be readied, Matthew got a picture of 34291 through the glass.

First Manchester 34291 in Bury

As we boared we were delight to see that 34291 had the Manchester Orange and Brown squares patten moquette on the seats, so as we went upstairs Matthew got a picture of the empty top deck.

Inside 34291

With a little elass then 2 hours before the coach was due to return home, we decided to do this as far as we could. We had never been further South than Unsworth on the #93 service, and the Bury area map ran out just South of Unsworth anyway. The journey would take us into new territory and as such I could only rely on the timetable to work out how far we could go as the map in the timetable didn't render very well on the Acrobat/Blackberry software. First we passed the Whitefield transport interchange. this looks a great place to get off as buses in both directions stop in the same place, there are bus shelters and you can a get a picture of the bus before it turns back to the stop. Then we passed Bess o' the Barn which looks another good place to go. Stops on opposite sides of the road have shelters and the #93 and #137 are both served on this stretch of Road. We eventually got of at Prestwich Tesco. I wasn't sure if this was going to be a mini bus station or stops on the road. It turned out to be stops on the road but it is a very wide and busy road to cross. Matthew did get another picture of 34291 before we crossed to wait for either a 93 or 98 back to Bury. We didn't have to wait long before w spotted a double decker in the distance heading our way. Unfortunately for us it was 31814 which was the first bus we had been on when we arrived at Bury! We dedied to do this anyway as we did not know what else was going to be heading North and it might have been a mammoth trip on a full Mercedes single decker if we were unlucky... As the journey back seem to be taking a lot less time than we had anticipated we were approaching Bury just after 15:00. We decided to get off on the Manchester Road and then catch something else into Bury just to get one more bus in before we were due home. as we approached Dumers lane we saw a Scania on a #524 go ahead of us. We also saw a bendy bus on a #135 stop at the same time but we did not rush to do this. So we waited and the next service to come along was another #524 which was another Mercedes. As it approached we could see it was required 60223, numerically the first in the batch. Matthew got a picture and then we boarded the bus.

First Manchester 60223 on the Manchester Road

We did the short trip into Bury and Matthew got another picture before we met up with mum.

60223 in Bury

We then had a quick sausage roll break on stand A before we walked back towards the coach. Stopping at the Market toilets on the way, we arrived back at the coach just before 15:45. There were 6 coaches parked up and got a few picture before we got on ours. Out of these coaches 3 were from North Staffordshire operators. We set off a little after 16:00, and the journey back was swift. We did not stop at any services and we were back on Longton Hall Road at just after 18:00. The driver had said that he had recognised Matthew from a visit he had had to Copeland's depot back in 2009 with outreach. He was certainly the most entertaining driver we have had on a coach trip so far...Mark

Trip to Bury 19-03-2011

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
164	Bury BS	Walshaw, Church Street/Moyse Avenue (N-bound)	481	Easyride
40371	Bury BS	Walshaw War Memorial	510	First Manchester
34019	Bury BS	Unsworth, Parr Lane/Castlebrook High School	137	First Manchester
34263	Unsworth, Hollins Lane/Parr Lane	Bury BS	137	First Manchester
40356	Bury BS	Walshaw War Memorial	510	First Manchester
40371	Walshaw War Memorial	Bury BS	510	First Manchester

Matthew had decided we were going to Bury on this day a few weeks ago... He likes to keep a full social calender. He was a bit lethargic today so we did not set off until nearly 12:30. It appeared to be a fine sunny spring day. An uneventful journey followed although it did seem a bit cloudier the further north we went. We parked as usual by the library. Arriving around 13:30 we had dinner in the Corn Market fish and chip restaurant today. The adults had pie peas and gravy, and Matthew had jumbo sausage chips and gravy. With drinks it came to around £18, although they did try and charge us £22 for the food! As we left I realised I could not find my phone, so I went back to the car whilst Matthew and UD stood at he end of the bus station taking bus pictures and mum called my phone...


Maytree Travel MX08 MYR enters Bury bus station (Matt)

The phone turned up in the footwell and must have fallen out of my pockets. When I returned to Matthew it seemed as if we had to wait around 20 minutes before we saw anything worth doing. Whilst I was away a NC's double decker had left on a 98, but we knew that it would not return for at least a couple of hours.


Easyride 164 Bury bus station on a 481 Ramsbottom (Matt)

We decided to try and catch a 510 to start, but there was a different bus on stand. luckily, GMPTE provide diagrams with services and the towns they visit, we saw that the 481 Ramsbottom goes via Walshaw. We decided to do this bus and, it was going to be our first journey on Easyride. We boarded 164 and purchased a system one day ticket. Whilst on the bus, we decided to go a stop further than usual and then walk back as we had a bit of extra time before the returning #510. I thought this would mean we would get a better picture of the bus and if photographed from the rear it would not be taken into the sun. As we left Bury we passed 2 NC's double decker coming into Bury and 60338 which I assumed was on the next 510. As the bus went through Walshaw it turned right, right again and the left. When we got off the rear picture was taken as the bus went off into the distance.


Easyride 164 Walshaw, Church Street on a 481 Ramsbottom (Matt)

There was a short walk back to the stop for the 510 and around a 15 minute wait. Whilst waiting a 510 towards Bolton came past with 40356, meaning 60338 must have been on something else! Eventually our bus turned up, 40371. This bus is right in the middle of the batch that were transferred to Adderley Green, with this bus and a couple of the others being exceptions. When we arrived at Bury, Matthew photographed the inside of the empty bus.


Inside 40371 on it's First arrival at Bury (Matt)

This time at Bury we didn't have to wait long for a NC's double decker. Required 34019 turned up on a 137 Manchester. There was a short layover whilst there was a driver change, and then we got on it.


34019 awaits time before working a #137 to Manchester (Matt)

As per usual, we did this to Parr Lane, Unsworth. On the way down Market Street we saw Copelands MIB 236 which we could have done this morning had we booked on it. Hopefully we'll get this one soon...
As we got off I could see another NC's double decker on the return. We did not have time to get a picture, as we had to quickly cross the road to get it. 34263 turned up.. Dud, but a NC's decker is always welcome.


On arrival at Bury, insude the top deck of 34263 (Matt)

When we got back it was gone 16:00, so there only time to go Walshaw and back. We knew we missed a 510, so the next bus was the 16:15 480... The time was closing in on 16:15 and the bus still hadn't turned up. the was a 98 on stand J and the next 510 arrived and Went straight past it went around again and by the time it did stand J was clear, the bus was 40356, oldest Dart on the #510 today. This bus is not as smart as the others we have seen in the P... LND batch, as some of the seats have been replaced with First purple and green ones. We did this up to Walshaw as usual and we were wondering what would be the return. I was hoping for 40404 which I'd seen early, but if I'd thought about it, I would have realised that it could only be 40371, which had passed 40356 in the Walshaw area earlier! So we did this back into Bury. After we returned Matthew photo graphed a couple more NC's Volvo Olympians...


34260 departs Bury bu station on a 98 Manchester (Matt)


34023 arriving in Bury on a 137 from Manchester (Matt)

Back to the car at around 15:45, just in time to here that Stoke had won 4-0 against Newcastle! One the way back we past quite a few coaches on the M6 and A500 from the North East. Back in Staffordshire we stopped for lottery tickets and Filled up with LPG in Longport. We were back home before it went dark (Mark)