Trip to Bilston / Walsall 25-02-2017

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
GX53 MWP	Bilston Interchange	Walsall Bradford Place BS	334	Thandi
4125	Walsall St Pauls BS	Pelsall Cenotaph	89	NX West Midlands
4339	Pelsall Cenotaph	Bloxwich, Bulls Head (Stop BA)	89	NX West Midlands
1751	Bloxwich, Bulls Head (Stop BD)	Walsall St Pauls BS	302	NX West Midlands
4155	Walsall St Pauls BS	Wolverhampton BS	89	NX West Midlands
4136	Wolverhamton BS	Bilston, Loxdale St(nwmjgdjw)	79	NX West Midlands
820	Bilston, Loxdale St(nwmjgdma)	Bilston Interchange	43	NX West Midlands

Today we decided to go to Bilston. We checked the weather for today and it was forecast for unsettled windy weather with some rain. The better weather appeared to be to the South. We gave Matthew a list of destinations in the Midlands and from the list Matthew chose Bilston. Matthew got up around 10:00 and had toast and orange juice for breakfast. We set off around 12:00 and we ran down to the A5035. We crossed over the railway into Trentham and we passed D&G Bus 170 on a #14 to Hanley. At the roundabout we turned right onto the A34 and at the next lights we turned left onto Whitmore Road. At the end of Whitmore Road we saw Longmynd Travel coach YX65 ZHW emerging from the A5182. We turned right the a519 and then we joined the Southbound M6. As we travelled down the M6 towards junction 10 we saw Park's of Hamilton (National Express) LSK 814 on a #570 service, an unidentified Yellow & red Cedar Coaches Solo on the back of a low loader and City Cabs DN56 HSX. At Junction 10 we headed West along the Black Country Route a few miles until we came to the edge of Bilston. We turned right onto the A41 and then left onto Church Street where we parked up. We walked a hundred or so yards along the street and we crossed over the tram line. We walked through to the Interchange and we saw National Express West Midlands 831 on a #43 to West Bromwich.

NX West Midlands 831 in Bilston interchange

The toilet in the interchange was busy, so we walked across the road to the toilets by the outdoor market. We then walked back into the bus station to have dinner in the bus station café. Matthew had a breakfast which he washed down with a can of Coke. he also helped mum eat her sandwiches! Whilst we ate we saw Thandi Dart T88 NND on a #334 to Walsall, Rotala Diamond 20003 on a #23 to Wednesbury, Costal Liners 'Bingo Bus' T183 CLO on the #905 service and Walsall Community Transport DK08 OSZ. When we had finished eating we went into the bus station to see what we could catch. On layover we saw required Thandi Dart GX53 MWP which was about to work the next #334 to Walsall.

Thandi GX53 MWP in Bilston interchange

The bus moved off layover onto stand so we decided to do it. We got on the bus and we booked nBus day tickets at £4.30 each before we sat down towards the back of the bus. We guessed that it used to be a Stagecoach Bus and a quick search on the Internet revealed that it used to be 34449 in the Stagecoach South fleet. The bus set off out of the interchange and onto the Southbound A41. At the roundabout we turned left onto the Black Country Route and then we came off at the next roundabout. We headed into The Lunt along Vulcan Road. At the end we turned right onto Darlaston Lane. We crossed under the Black Country Route and we turned left into the Rough Hay estate. At the end of Hall Street East we turned right onto Willenhall Street. We stopped briefly at the main stop in Darlaston on St Lawrence way. Whilst there we saw Thandi Dart RN52 EOV on the #333X service to Willenhall and National Express West Midlands 4319 on a #79 to Wolverhampton. We ran Southwards to the A4038 and we turned left. We then ran long the road for around 2 miles into Walsall. On the way we saw Thandi Dart RN52 EOX on the #333X service to Willenhall and Fastline Travel coach BX14 KRD at the back of there depot. We came onto town along Bradford Street and when we got to the bus station we let the bus empty and Matthew took a picture inside Thandi GX53 MWP.

Inside Thandi GX53 MWP

We got off the bus and we had a good look around. Just after we got off the bus we saw Rotala Diamond 30886 on a #401E service to Yew Tree.

Rotala Diamond 30886 in Walsall bus station

We decided to walk the short walk across town to the other bus station so we set off along Bradford Street to the corner of Bridge Street where we spotted Ring & Ride 1123.

Ring & Ride 1123 in Walsall bus station

We also saw National Express West Midlands 4604 on a #10A Brownhills to Walsall service.

NX West Midlands 4604 in Walsall bus station

We walked up to St Pauls bus station and Matthew used the toilet. After we had been to the facilities we had a walk around to see what we could catch next. We walked out of the bus station onto Hatherton Street and we saw Arriva Midlands 3307 on a #1 to Cannock. We walked back into the bus station and we saw National Express West Midlands 4125 on a #89 to Wolverhampton.

NX West Midlands 4125 in Walsall bus station

We also saw National Express West Midlands 4140 on a #69 to Wolverhampton.

NX West Midlands 4140 in Walsall bus station

After a short while we decided to do National Express West Midlands 4125 as the service was going via Bloxwich and it was somewhere we knew. We got on the bus and we flashed the nBus day tickets to the driver before we went upstairs.The top deck was empty so Matthew took a picture inside National Express West Midlands 4125.

Inside NX West Midlands 4125

We set off out of the bus station onto Hatherton Street and we turned right onto the clockwise ring road. A quick check of the page Buses I have Travelled on revealed that we had already been on this bus. We had been on this bus from Bloxwich to Walsall back in December 2016. At the next junction we turned left onto Lichfield Road. We ran North for around a mile and we passed through Rushall. We continued to Shelfield and then we turned left into Mill Road. We followed the road into Pelsall Common and we turned right into the centre of Pelsall where we decided to get off the bus. Matthew took another picture of National Express West Midlands 4125 as it carried on towards Wolverhampton.

NX West Midlands 4125 in Pelsall

We watched the bus go Northwards through town and then we went into the local Co-operative food store. Mathew brought a can of Coke as well as a couple of chocolate bars. Once we had paid for the stuff we returned to the same stop. I had suggested we crossed the road and went back to Walsall but Matthew wanted to stay at this stop and go towards Walsall. The frequency of the #89 was every 20 minutes so we had around 15 minutes to wait. Whilst we waited we saw Walsall Community Transport WX57 TBO going Northwards.

Walsall Community Transport WX57 TBO in Pelsall

Whilst we waited Matthew ate a double Milky Way. We also saw National Express West Midlands 4330 on a Walsall bound #89 and National Express West Midlands 4353 on a #8 to Walsall. A few minutes later we saw the bus approaching across the common. As it got closer we saw that it was required National Express West Midlands 4339.

NX West Midlands 4339 in Pelsall

We got on the bus and we flashed the nBus day tickets to the driver before we went upstairs.The top deck was empty so Matthew took a picture inside National Express West Midlands 4339.

Inside NX West Midlands 4339

We set off Northwards up to Wolverhampton Road and we turned left. We ran down around the estate and and then we continued South. We ran forwards onto Lichfield Road and we passed WX54 NLP which was in the Walsall Community Transport depot and Rotala Diamond 30929 which was on a #302 service to Lower Farm. A few minutes later we saw an American school bus parked in someones garden! As we approached the A34 we saw an unidentified Daish coach. We turned left onto the A34 and we got up and got off the bus.Matthew took another picture of National Express West Midlands 4339 before it continued towards Wolverhampton.

NX West Midlands 4339 in Bloxwich

It had now started to rain a bit so we decided not to hang around. We went to the Shelter to wait for the next. Whilst we waited we saw required National Express West Midlands 4155 on a #89 to Walsall. We also saw National Express West Midlands trainer 1434 go Southwards down the High Street. A few minutes later we saw a Rotala Diamond bus approaching on a #302 service. We flagged it down but the driver decided to carry on regardless... Not far behind it was a National Express West Midlands single decker on a #302 service. As it got closer we saw that it was required National Express West Midlands 1751.

NX West Midlands 1751 in Bloxwich

We got on the bus and we flashed the nBus day tickets to the driver before we sat down towards the back of the bus. We deviated off the A34 onto Stafford Street and we ran the 2 or so miles into Walsall. As we travelled down the road we passed National Express West Midlands 2116 on a #302 to Lower Farm. We crossed over the A4148 and we saw an unidentified TNS minubs go past. We ran down onto St Pauls Street and we entered the bus station and we got up and got off. Matthew wanted to get off the bus pretty sharpish, I reckon he had already seen the bus he wanted to catch next. He lead us over to the middle stands and we saw required National Express West Midlands 4155 about to do the #89 to Wolverhampton.

NX West Midlands 4155 in Walsall bus station

We got on the bus and we flashed the nBus day tickets to the driver before we went upstairs.The top deck was empty so Matthew took a picture inside National Express West Midlands 4155.

Inside NX West Midlands 4155

We set off out of the bus station onto Hatherton Street and we turned right onto the clockwise ring road. At the next junction we turned left onto Lichfield Road. We ran North for around a mile and we passed through Rushall. We continued to Shelfield and then we turned left into Mill Road. We followed the road into Pelsall Common and we turned right into the centre of Pelsall. We then set off Northwards up to Wolverhampton Road and we turned left. We ran down around the estate and and then we continued South. We ran forwards onto Lichfield Road and we passed WX54 NLP again in the Walsall Community Transport depot. We turned left onto the A34 and then right into Wolverhampton Road. As we turned left into Bell Lane we saw National Express West Midlands 4125 again on the #89 to Walsall. We ran West for a couple miles under the M6 and into New Invention. As we waited time we saw required National Express West Midlands 4126 on a #41 to Walsall. We continued West along the A4124 and then we ran inti the centre of Wednesfield. We then continued around the Bentley Bridge retail park before getting back onto the A4124 for the run into Wolverhamton. We passed under the railway line just North of the railway station and we crossed over the ring road and onto the contraflow bus lane that enters the bus station on the West side. As we entered the bus station we saw Travel Express Y864 TGH on a #32 service. Ou stand was blocked so after a while we ran around to the West side of the bus station and we set down in an empty stand. We saw a double decker on a #82 that would have got us back to Bilston, but Matthew didn't want to do it. Matthew went to the toilet and this time we worked out to use the radar key to get through the security gate instead of paying 40p for Matthew to use the toilet! Whilst we worked out what we could do we saw Arriva Midlands 3750 on a #9 service to Telford.

Arriva Midlands 3750 in Wolverhampton bus station

We needed to get back to Bilston to met mum, and we had let the #82 to so we needed to do a different bus back. Across the way we spotted a #79 and we had seen one of these on the A41 outside the bus station earlier in the day. We spotted on on stand and it was required National Express West Midlands 4136.

NX West Midlands 4136 in Wolverhampton bus station

We waited for the bus driver to ready the bus for service and whilst we waited we saw Travel Express Y244 FJN on a #1 service. Just before time the bus loaded up and we flashed the nBus day tickets to the driver before we went upstairs. We set off out of the bus station and onto Pipers Row. We crossed over the roundabout onto the A41 and we ran South-Westward down the main road which was also the tramline. We crossed under the main line to Birmingham by the steelyard and and the road and the tramline separated by Priestfield tram stop. We saw that the front of the top deck was empty so Matthew took a picture inside National Express West Midlands 4136.

Inside NX West Midlands 4136

We continued down for around a mile and we found ourselves on the edge of Bilston. The bus stopped for a while and we weren't sure if the #79 went into the bus station. We decided to stop on and if it went straight over the A463 instead of in to the bus station we would go a couple of stops South and catch something back up into town. The bus set off Southwards and we did cross over the roundabout and not go into the bus station. A couple of stops down the road we crossed over a large crossroads and we got and got off the bus. Matthew took another picture of National Express West Midlands 4136 as it carried on towards West Bromwich.

NX West Midlands 4136 in Bilston

We crossed over the crossroad to the Northbound bus stop and we just missed Rotala Diamond 20003 which was on a #23 to Bilston. A few minutes later we saw a bus come around the corner. As it got closer we saw it was required National Express West Midlands 820.

NX West Midlands 820 in Bilston

We got on the bus and we flashed the nBus day ticket to the driver for the final time today before we sat down towards the back of the bus. We set off Northwards and we crossed over the A463 before we entered the bus station along Hall Street. We let the bus empty and Matthew took a picture inside National Express West Midlands 820.

Inside NX West Midlands 820

We got off the bus and we had a look around. Mum was still in Morrisons across the road so we decided to take a few bus pictures. We saw National Express West Midlands 1893 on a #34 to Walsall.

NX West Midlands 1893 in Bilston interchange

We also saw Arriva Midlands 2276 go on layover after working a #229 service from Dudley to Bilston

Arriva Midlands 2276 in Bilston interchange

Matthew went to the toilet and then we stood outside to wait for mum to arrive. Whilst we waited we saw iGo KX57 FMJ on a #53 service to Rocket Pool.

iGo KX57 FMJ in Bilston interchange

Mum turned up and we got in the car. Matthew tucked into his Greggs sausage roll and small bottle of Irn Bru. We set off out of Hall Street onto the A463 and we ran Eastwards up to the M6. We joined the Northbound carriageway and as we went North we saw we passed an unidentified Greys coach. We came off the M6 at Junction 16 and onto the A500. At Sideway we went east along the A50 up to Longton where we came off and onto Baths Road. We stoped at Tesco to fill up with diesel and than we ran around to Carz to see what was parked up at their depot tonight. In the first Row was Z Carz Mercedes minibus LV52 TZY.

Z Carz LV52 TZY in Longton

Also in the first row was Z Carz Ford minibus LG09 JVX.

Z Carz LG09 JVX in Longton

Another vehicle in the front row was Z Carz Volkswagen minibus OV05 WSW.

Z Carz OV05 WSW in Longton

We also saw Z Carz Vauxhall minibus X599 WDY.

Z Carz X599 WDY in Longton

Closest vehicle in the front row was Z Carz Citroen minibus LV10 OTM.

Z Carz LV10 OTM in Longton

In the second row was Z Carz Renault minibus PE10 MJK.

Z Carz PE10 MJK in Longton

We turned into Willow Row to see what was in the compound this evening. On the road we saw Z Carz Iveco minibus GK02 NWJ.

Z Carz GK02 NWJ in Longton

Also on the road was Z Carz Renault minibus BU04 GYW.

Z Carz BU04 GYW in Longton

In the compound we saw Z Carz Citroen minibus LV59 DZC.

Z Carz LV59 DZC in Longton

We got back onto the A50 and we went Eastwards and we passed Silverdale PK13 GCX. At Heron Cross we came off the A50 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 jam filled shortbread biscuit. Matthew then chilled out on his computer until 00:00... Mark