Trip to the 'Potteries Connection' running day / First Adderley Green open day 18-09-2016

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
757	Gladstone pottery Museum	Adderley Green, adj First bus depot	Special	First PMT (Preserved)
757	Adderley Green, adj First bus depot	Gladstone pottery Museum	Special	First PMT (Preserved)
419	Gladstone pottery Museum	Hanley, Bethesda Street	Special	Trent (Preserved)
GSO 90V	Hanley, Bethesda Street	Gladstone pottery Museum	Special	Bluebird (Preserved)
SN1128	Gladstone pottery Museum	Foxfield Railway	Special	PMT (Preserved)
SN1128	Foxfield Railway	Gladstone pottery Museum	Special	PMT (Preserved)

Today was the annual Potteries Connection bus rally held on the site of Gladstone Pottery museum. This year First were also holding a garage open day at Adderley Green. Matthew got up and had a giant Crumpet and orange juice for breakfast. Matthew had to wait patiently for me to return from work before we went out today. I got back around 11:15, and atound 10 minutes later we got in the car and we drove to Finstock Avenue so I could get some money. We continued through Blurton onto Beaconsfield Drive and then left onto Church Road. We continued down onto Blurton Road and in Heron Cross we joined the Eastbound A50. We came off the A50 at Longton and we drove onto Baths Road past the bus station which was completely empty! We turned right onto Market Street and followed the one way system around onto Commerce Street. We parked on the car park on commerce Street opposite to the old bus station that at one time has housed both PMT and D&G buses. Form the car park we walked around the corner onto the rally site. As we entered the site we saw required Merseybus 0238 coming in off a service. The first bus we saw was an ex Travel West Midlands Volvo 1415.

Travel West Midlands 1415 in the Gladstone Pottery Museum

When we got there we decided to have a look around at what unusual buses were around today. The control bus was PMT 466, which wasn't out on any service.

PMT 466 in the Gladstone Pottery Museum

One we had seen before was former Stagecoach Manchester / GM Buses double decker 2032, which also wasn't running today.

GM Buses 2032 in the Gladstone Pottery Museum

One that was was running was former PMT / First PMT Leyland Olympian 30031.

First PMT 30031 in the Gladstone Pottery Museum

There didn't seem quite as many buses has there had been in previous years, and most of the one's that were there we had already been on! One we have been on several times, but not in preservation was former PMT & Copeland's Tours Dart 917 which had now been returned to PMT colours.

PMT 917 in the Gladstone Pottery Museum

Another bus that we had been on quite a few time over the last few years was former PMT / Crosville Leyland Olympian which had been returned to NBC Green for a few years now...

Crosville DOG 104 in the Gladstone Pottery Museum

We located the control bus and we brought the programme for £3. The first thing that we wanted to do was to visit Adderley Green garage as First were having an open day there to coincide with the bus rally. The next departure was going to be at 12:05 and was booked to be Tim Deakin's well turned out Leyland Olympian 757 in silver, complete with branding for the #320 from Hanley to Crewe. The buses pulled onto the stop and Matthew got a picture of the fne bus before we jumped on it.

PMT 757 in the Gladstone Pottery Museum

We got on the bus and we went upstairs and sat down. he bus set off out of the site and onto the one way system down The Strand and right onto Market Street. We turned left onto Anchor Road and we climbed the hill to the top and we ran down towards the roundabout about the gasworks. All the full length single decker buses had been removed from the depot and parked in a yard owned by the territorial army so there was enough room at the back of the depot for the driver experience course at the back of the depot. We turned left at the roundabout onto the A5272 and we stopped at the bus stop outside the depo. We walked in through the gate and we turned left in foront of the main garage. Ghis is where the modern classics were being displayed. The nearest bus was recently repainted First Potteries 32634 which been dooe in NBC red and cream colours.

First Potteries 32634 at First Adderley Green open day

First had also brought in other buses from around the Midlands. First Leicester 66965 was there in a heritage Leicester tram livery, and First Worcester 32404 in Midland Red colours was also there. Another new re-paint was First Potteries 37146 in silver, just like the bus we had travelled down on.

First Potteries 37146 at First Adderley Green open day

Also at the garage was the 'Borismaster' that we saw in Shelton the other day. It was Arriva London LT840.

Arriva London LT840 at First Adderley Green open day

We walked arund the side of the garage where we saw all the Darts and Solo's that weren't in service today parked up for the day. On example in the row was First Potteries 41499.

First Potteries 41499 at First Adderley Green open day

At the bottom end of the depot was First Potteries double decker 32627. We also saw required First Potteries 67642 giving rides through the bus wash. The bottom end of the depot had been coned off and they were giving driver experience courses for £20. We went back to the front of the depot and Matthew used the toilet. Around the opposite side of the depot we saw an unidentified First Potteries double deck in all over primer grey. They were also showing the work of the upholstery department. At the bottom of the depot was Chase playbus K890 CSF.

Chase playbus K890 CSF at First Adderley Green open day

We then went inside the shed and we saw buses in various staes of repair. Some had panerls removed and most of the buses had been lifted to give acces to the underside. After we had finished going around the depot we had an ice cream from the van by the playbus and we walked back up to the main road. We then saw a few hundred motorbike go past towards Weston Coyney on some kind of charity bike run. We finished of our ice creams and waited for the motorbikes to pass and then we walkd back to the bus stop. After around a 5 minute wait the next bus to turn up was PMT 757 again! We got on the bus and after if had filled up we set off towards Bentilee. At the first roundabout we did a u-turn and we headed back to Adderley Green where we turned right onto Anchor Road. At the bottom of Anchor Road we joined the one way system onto Market Street and right onto Commerce Street. We turned left and we ran up to the Gladstone Pottery Museum Car park where the bus terminuted and unloaded. Before we got off Matthew took a picture inside PMT 757.

Inside PMT 757

When we got off the bus we had had a quik walk around whilst we waited for mum to appear with some food. Back into it's parking space was Merseybus Alexander bodied double decker 0238.

Merseybus 0238 in the Gladstone Pottery Museum

We also saw PMT Bristol VR double decker 604.

PMT 604 in the Gladstone Pottery Museum

Mum arrived with the food and we sat down on the bench whilst Matthew tucked into his breakfast box. Whilst we ate we checked the programme to see what new buses we could pick up today. There were only 2 buses on the programme that we hadn't been on before left to work this afternoon. One was a Hlton Transport Leyland National that we hadn't actually seen yet, and the other was Bournemouth 103 we we had seen quite a few time but never actually done. Everything else had already worked or was not working a service today. Having not seen the Hlton Transport bus I went to one of the marshalls to see where it was... It hadn't shown up due to it being under repair back in the workshop. The bus booked to work it's was booked to be Merseybus 0238! We waited until nearly time and the bus didn't look like it was going to move. There must have been a change of plan as it had been replace with required Trent Leyland National 419.

Trent 419 in the Gladstone Pottery Museum

After getting a quick picture we got on the bus and we sat towards towards the middle of the bus. It was very warm and quite uncomfortable! With big windows the bus was like a greenhouse on this warm sunny day. The bus set off out of the site and we went around the one way system onto King Street. We ran down the hill and forwards onto City Road and we joined the A52 towards the railway station. After a brief stop we turned right onto College Road and we ran past the university. We turned left onto Avenue Road and at the end we went right onto Stoke Road. At snow hill we joined Etruria Vale Road and we ran down the hill, stopping briefly outside the Etruria Industrial Museum. We carried on u the hill and we turned right onto Clough Street past the site of the old Hanley bus garage. We turned right onto the ring road and we ran around to Bethesda Street. The bus stopped outside the museum and we got off to get a picture of Trent 419.

Trent 419 outside Hanley museum

The plan was to get back onto the bus, but Matthew had other ideas... We had a look at the programme and there was another service due in less than 10 minutes. we saw First Potteries 66845 which was on a #3 service.

First Potteries 66845 outside Hanley museum

We decided to go onto the musues so matthew could use the toilet. Whilst we were the the following bus pulled up. It was dud Bluebird GSO 90V. We came out of the museum and we got oa picture of it before we jumped on.

Bluebird GSO 90V outside Hanley museum

We sat down towards the middle of the bus which was considerably cooler than the previous vehicle. Where we sat there was a wasp which Matthew tried to swat. The wasp took revenge and stung him twice. We set off out of Bethesda Street and we turned left into Broad Street. We crossed over the ring road and we ran down the hill and we turned left onto College Road. We stopped outside the railway station and then we went forwards onto the A52. At the end we turned left onto City Road and we ran up the hill. We went forwards onto King Street and we ran into Longton, We joned the one way system onto Market Street and we turned right into Commerce Street before we ran up to the pottery museum. We let the bus empty before Matthew got a picture inside Bluebird GSO 90V.

Inside Bluebird GSO 90V

When we got off we had a few minutes before Bournemouth 103 was due to work up to the Foxfield Railway. We had a quick walk around and Matthew brough some bus photo's from a stall. When we got to the bus stop we saw dud PMT 128, which for some reason had replace Bournemouth 103 on the Foxfield railway service.

PMT 128 in the Gladstone Pottery Museum

We got on the bus and we sat down towards the fornt of the bus. The bus set off onto Commerce Street and we joined the Eastbound A50. We ran fast through the tunnel and under Meir. When we passed the Copeland's Tours depot we could see their two orange coaches MIB 116 & MIB 118 in their usual parking spots. We came of the A50 at Catchem's corner and we ran up towards Blythe Bridge. We got stopped at the level Crossing as we waited for a class 158 unit go past towards Stoke. Once the train had passed we continued over the crossing and turned left and we climbed up the hill approximatley 1/2 mile to the entrance of the railway. We turned into the railway and and the bus turned around and parked up before we got off. matthew took another picture of PMT Marshall bodied single decker 128.

PMT 128 at Foxfield Railway

We had around 10 minutes to look around before the return journey. We took a few pictures of the steam engines and the diesels, and we went in the tea rooms and brought a couple of cans of pop. When it was time to go we got back onto PMT 128. We set off out of the railway and we turned left onto Blythe Brdige Road. At the bttom of the hill we were stopped again at the level crossing, this time waiting for a Derby bound class 153. Once the brrier had left we continued onto A521 and we ran West to the A50. We joined the dual carriageway and we ran fast under Meir tunnel and up to Longton. We cam off the A50 and we went u Chadwick Street back into the pottery museum. We waited for the bus to empty and Matthew got a picture inside PMT 128.

Inside PMT 128

By the time we go back there were no more return journey back to the site, sowe took a few last pictures and we walked back to the car. We went around the one way system and down the Strand and we turned left into Baths Road. We joined the Westbound A50 and we came off at Heron Cross. We dropped down into Fenton and dropped off uncle Dave before returning back up to Heron Cross. We ran along Blurton Road through Blurton and we turned right onto Church Road. e turned roght into Beaconsfield Drive and we got home around 16:45. We looked at our pictures and did some writtig of the Blog from the day before. For tea we had fish and chips. Later on Matthew had a bath and we comtinued writing. Matthew then chilled out on his computer and we went to bed around 00:00... Mark