Trip to the 'Potteries Connection' running day / First Adderley Green open day 24-09-2017

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
FD02 SFK	Gladstone pottery Museum	Burnley BS	Special	Andrews
67158	Adderley Green, adj First bus depot	Gladstone pottery Museum	Special	First Potteries
GFN 273	Gladstone pottery Museum	Foxfield Railway	Special	East Kent
917	Foxfield Railway	Gladstone pottery Museum	Special	PMT
2599	Gladstone pottery Museum	Trentham Gardens	Special	Ulsterbus
2599	Trentham Gardens	Gladstone pottery Museum	Special	Ulsterbus

Today Matthew was in the residential unit and he was also going out to the Potteries Connection running day. It was Holly's birthday too. I just discovered this post about the running day. I went to this event myself with a group of enthusiasts from the Bristol area but I opted to catch a bus to Hanley from outside the depot and then catch First Potteries Service 3 to Crewe (although I got off in Haslington and had a stop off there). Matthew got up around 08:00 and had toast and orange juice for breakfast. Matthew chilled out in his room on his computer and waited for me to come and pick him u after work. I got to the residential unit just after 11:00 and we picked up some batteries and his bus pass and we went down to the car. Uncle Dave had time his run to meet us perfectly and just turned the corner as we got back to the car. We set off onto Temple Street and we turned right onto Christchurch Street. We turned left onto baker Street and left again onto Glebedale Road. At the end we turned right onto City Road and we ran through Fenton onto King Street. We ran under the railway bridge into Longton and forwards onto Market Street and onto the one-way system. We followed the road around onto Commerce Street and we parked up in the car park. We walked around the corner onto Millbank Street and we turned left onto Normacot Road. We turned left onto Chadwick Street and we saw the buses parked on the car park of the Gladstone Pottery Museum. As there were more buses than usual the were also buses & coaches parked up by the Plumb Centre. We walked onto the site and we found the program seller by PMT 466 and we brought a program at £3. There was no local fleet book for sale this time. We then walked around taking pictures. We saw required Robin Hood Duple Laser coach RIB 8289 at the event for the first time in recent history.

Robin Hood RIB 8289 in the Gladstone Pottery Museum

We also saw required West Midlands Travel Leyland Lynx 1266.

West Midlands Travel 1266 in the Gladstone Pottery Museum

We looked at the program to see what required buses we could catch next. We decided that as we wanted to go to Adderley Green the next required bus was due to be Andrews FD02 SFK in around 20 minutes. We continued looking around the site and then we stood next to the stop to wait for the bus. As we waited we saw dud PMT Dennis Dart 917 returning after working a service.

PMT 917 in the Gladstone Pottery Museum

We stood at the entrance and we took a few more pictures. We saw required Bassetts Leyland Leopard JRE 354V on a returning form a run to Hanley.

Bassetts JRE 354V in the Gladstone Pottery Museum

As we waited for the bus a closer look at the program revealed the bus was booked to do a service to Hanley at 12:20 and as well as a Adderley Green shuttle at 12:25! Luckily for us it worked the 12:25 to Adderley Green. We got on the bus and we sat down in the middle and the bus filled up quickly. We set off out of the car par and onto Chadwick Street and onto Normacot Road. We crossed over the roundabout onto The Strand and we ran down the one-way system onto to market Street. We turned left onto Anchor Road and we ran up the hill and and down the other side to Adderley Green. At the roundabout we turned left onto the A5272 and we stopped at the bus stop outside the bus garage. Matthew took a picture of Andrews FD02 SFK before it returned to Longton.

Andrews FD02 SFK at First Adderley Green open day

Once we let the bus go we walked into the depot and took lots of pictures. Just inside the yard we saw First Potteries 65005

First Potteries 65005 at First Adderley Green open day

At the depot were First Worcester Streetdeck 35158 as well as demonstrator bus SK17 HHC. We also saw First Potteries 53124 & 53207 in the corner of the depot seemingly withdrawn from service. The driver for £5 double deckers were First Potteries 32632 / 32649. First Potteries 67649 was giving rides through the bus wash. Inside the shed we saw First Potteries 67154 running through diagnostic with all the light flashing on and off. In the main shed 65036 / 66962 / 67641 were all being lifted. We walked around to the other side of the depot and we tried to buy one of the moquette cushions but they had all sold out! Matthew used the toilet and then we went to a food van and Matthew had a cheeseburger washed down with a bottle of Coke. After sitting down and eating the food we went back to the trim shop to try and get a cushion but they weren't able make any others up by then. We had a quick look around the depot and then we returned to the main road to wait for a bus back to the Gladstone Pottery Museum. A quick check of the program revealed that the next bus was going to be a First Potteries one. A few minutes later we saw a bus approaching and it was required First Potteries 67158.

First Potteries 67158 at First Adderley Green open day

We got on the bus and we sat down towards the back of the bus. A quick look at the page revealed that this was Matthew last E200 MMC from this batch. We set off along the A5272 to the next roundabout and then we did a u-turn. We ran back past the depot and at the roundabout we turned right onto Anchor Road. We ran up the hill and down the road into Longton and we joined the one-way system. We ran onto market Street and we followed the road around onto Commerce Street. At the roundabout we turned left onto Normacot Road and left into Chadwick Street. We turned right into the car park and we ran up to near the top end where we got off the bus. We had already checked the next bus out of the site and it was required East Kent single decker GFN 273 on the 13:30 to Foxfield.

East Kent GFN 273 in the Gladstone Pottery Museum

We got on the bus and we sat down towards the back of the bus before the bus set off out off the site onto Chadwick Street. We got onto the roundabout and we headed onto the Eastbound A50. The bus was quite elderly and seem very slow to accelerate. We did manage to get onto the A50 without having to stop on the slip road and we slowly ran up the hill towards Meir. By the time we got to the tunnel we were close to doing the 40mph speed limit. We continued beyond the Copeland's Tours depot and we came off the A50 onto the A521. We ran to Blythe Bridge and we crossed over the railway line before turning left onto Caverswall Road. We ran up the hill for around 1/3 of a mile and we turned right into Foxfield Railway. Once we got off the bus we had a walk around. We took photographs of the the steam traction engines and steam rollers and then Matthew went to the toilet. We went onto the Platform and we saw Bellerophon and CEGB 15 shunting carriages around. Bellerophon took the empty North Staffs Railway carriage out of the platform and CEGB 15 shunted the mk1 carriages back into the platform. We then went into the tearoom and Matthew had a can of Coke as well as a slice of Victoria Sponge. We shared a bowl of chips between us. Once we had finished eating we rushed outside to see the next bus back to Gladstone. In the program it should have been required Warring Borough Transport 71, but this had been a no show due to last minute technical issues. The replacement bus was dud PMT Dennis Dart 917.

PMT 917 at Foxfield Railway

We got on the bus and we sat down towards the back. We set off out of the railway and right onto Caverswall Road. We ran down the hill to the A521 and we turned right, going over the Stoke to Derby railway line. We ran Westwards to the Meir Park and then we got onto the Westbound A50. We ran past the copeland's Tours depot at with 917 used to be based when it was with them, carrying the registration MIB 797 which Matthew had in February 2012. We continued through the tunnel and through Longton as far as Heron Cross. We did a u-turn at the roundabout and we went back Eastwards up the A50 and onto the high level road. We ran around the Trentham Road interchange roundabout and onto Normacot Road. We turned left onto Chadwick Street and right into the car park where we got up and got off the bus. The next few buses departing the site would be the last few services, apart from the ones running back towards Kidsgrove and Uttoxeter. The only required bus was Ulsterbus 2599 which was booked to do the 15:10 to Trentham Gardens. When PMT 917 pulled onto the stop to work a service to Trentham Gardens we thought we were going to get bowled out! We let the bus go and a few minutes later required Ulsterbus 2599 pulled on stand to work to Trentham Gardens.

Ulsterbus 2599 in the Gladstone Pottery Museum

We got on the bus and we sat down towards the back. A few minutes later we set off onto Chadwick Street and we ran down over the A50 onto the A5035. We ran through dresden into Blurton and close to the house before crossing over the railway line into Trentham. We continued to the end of the A5035 and we crossed over the A34 into Trentham Gardens. At the first roundabout We turned left and we ran to the end past the car parks and around to the coach pick up point where we stopped. We got off the bus and we saw Abacus coaches AM52 MXW. We then took another picture of Ulsterbus 2599.

Ulsterbus 2599 at Trentham Gardens

As we had a few minutes we walked up to the toilet and Matthew used the facilities. We then returned to Ulsterbus 2599 for the journey back to Longton. A few minutes later we set off out of the gardens and across the A34 onto the A5035. We ran over the railway line into Blurton and we continued into Dresden and Longton. After crossing over the the A50 we ran around the roundabout a full lap just for entertainment and then forwards onto Normacot Road. We turned left onto Chadwick Street and right into the car park. We got up and got off the bus and we had one last look around the site. We asked the controller what was working the Uttoxeter servie as if it had been a required bus we could have done it to Meir Broadway and back to Longton on the service bus. It was going to be PMT 604 which we have been on many time so we decided not to do it. Matthew took another picture of PMT 604 as it left the site for the day.

PMT 604 in the Gladstone Pottery Museum

We walked back to the car and we drove onto the one-way system and onto The Strand. We ran under the railway bridge onto King Street and we ran through Fenton. We went forwards onto City Road and we turned left onto Smithpool Road. We turned left onto Temple Street and back to the residential unit. Matthew went up to his room and we dropped off his batteries an bus pass before we said goodbye. For tea Matthew had Chicken and potatoes and gravy followed by a Bakwwell Tart. Matthew went back to his room ans started to do his Blog and put pictures on. Latr on he went to visit Holly. We set off onto Christchurch Street and we turned right onto Station Bridge Road. We continued onto Heron Street and through the traffic lights onto Blurton Road. We ran through Blurton along Blurton Road and we turned right onto Church Road. We turned right onto Beaconsfield Drive and to the house. Matthew had cake and party food. when we we were finished Matthew returned to the residential unit. We set off through Blurton onto Beaconsfield Drive and left Church Road and then we went Forwards onto Blurton Road through Blurton and across the A50. We went through Heron Cross and onto Heron Street. Having crossed the railway line we Turned left onto Christchurch Street and back to the residential unit. He then chilled out in his room until bedtime around 23:00... Mark.