Trip to Sandbach 02-02-2013

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
N472 XRC	Chell Heath	Sandbach, o/s Common	Charter	Winsford Taxis
3330	Sandbach, o/s Common	Wharton, nr Wharton Road	37	Arriva NW&W
7628	Wharton, Wharton Road (cnr)	Middlewich, Queen's Drive (cnr)	37	Arriva NW&W
4156	Middlewich, Queen's Drive (cnr)	Wharton, opp Wharton Gardens	37	Arriva NW&W
3349	Wharton, nr Wharton Gardens	Winsford, Town Bridge (W-bound)	31	Arriva NW&W
3330	Winsford, Town Bridge (W-bound)	Sandbach, o/s Common	37	Arriva NW&W

Today we went on another relatively short trip. Matthew had something on at Heathfield and so we weren't going to set off until after 12:00, so we chose to go to Sandbach. Matthew got up around 08:30 and had some toast and orange juice for breakfast. We left home at 09:40 ans we went past the Hem Heath pub and along Stanley Matthews Way. We joined thee westbound A50 and then went along the A500. We passed City buses & coaches TJI 3131 as we went along. We then did the Tunstall bypass the High Lane and then we cut down to Heatfield School. We got there just after 10:00. Matthew went to the toilet and did some cooking before we returned to pick him up at 12:30. After saying goodbye to his friends we saw Mercedes Minibus N472 XRC which we got on to Winsford.

N472 XRC in Chell Heath

we sat down near the back and the bus set off the 25 coach seat bus back on to the Tunstall bypass and then onto the A500 and though the roadworks. Just before we reached the motorway we passed Copeland's Tours MIB 236 heading South. We did the M6 up to the A54 and we did this through Middlewich past the new Morrison to Winsford Morrisons, as this one has a cafe! We visited the toilet before going into the cafe. In the cafe Matthew had a breakfast and 2 cakes. It was quite busy so the meal took a while. He had the Bakewll slice first as a starter as he was a little impatient. after the breakfast he ate his favourite lemon meringue pie. We then moved on to Sandbach. We headed back to middlewich and then down the A533 to Sandbach. i made a slight error and we ended up going through Middlewich town centre and through some backstreet to The Cheshire Cheese pub. As we went South alongside the Trent and Mersey canal we saw a southbound bus and it was a double decker. We also saw a Northbound bus and it was a Centro. We got off headed into Sandbach and got another picture of this bus. The double decker we saw arrived and it was Arriva NW&W 4156.

Arriva NW&W 4156 in Sandbach

We decided not to do 4156 and Matthew went to the toilet by the market. Matthew saw the #319 and it was GHA S280 AOX. When we got back to the stop the Northwich bound #37 was there and it was Arriva NW&W 3330.

Arriva NW&W 3330 in Sandbach

We decided to do this and we got on and booked Arriva NW&W Daysavers and went upstairs. It was empty so Matthew photographed the empty up stair of 3330.

Inside Arriva NW&W 3330

Whilst we waited for time we saw D&G 64 on a #78 service.

D&G 64 in Sandbach

Time passed and we set of towards Northwich. We passed the first Southbound #37 in the estate South of Middlewich and it was 2613. When we got to Middlewich we diverted around town due to roadworks. We passed the new Morrisons and then set off towards Winsford. We passed the next bus just before Road One and it was another Centro 2614. In Winsford we saw a Crewe bound #31A and it was 2610. We decided to get of in Wharton so we could get back for 4156. We rounded the corner into Crook Lane and got off. Matthew got another picture of 3330.

Arriva NW&W 3330 in Crook Lane

We crossed the road and immediately spotted this Gailsway Travel LDV minibus T834 JVR come around the corner.

Gailsway Travel T834 JVR in Crook Lane

We only had to wait 2 minutes and then we saw a bus approaching. It was Arriva NW&W 7628 and Matthew got his picture.

Arriva NW&W 7628 in Crook Lane

We decided to do this 2 buses back through the rota to get another ride on 4156. We went down into Winsford around town and back down the hill. Whilst we were at the bottom stop on the high Street we saw Arriva NW&W 4042 heading towards Crewe running out of service. Almost immediately we saw Arriva NW&W 4040 going in the opposite direction. We passed the Northbound Centro on the #37 on Station Road and then we continued East to Middlewich. As we passed back through Warmingham Lane we decided to get off for 4156. We cut it a bit fine as we didn't have time to get a picture of 7628 as it went or 4156 as it approached. We ran across the road and flagged down 4156 an got. As the upstairs was empty behind us Matthew got a picture of the top deck.

Inside Arriva NW&W 4156

We passed the New Morrisons and I managed to get a picture of the Blimp. We carried on North and passed the next bus which was Arriva NW&W 3334. We went through Winsford and back towards Wharton. We were going to get off on Crook Lane again but as we climbed the bank out of Winsford we passed a Centro on the #37. We decided to stop on he bus and go to Wharton Gardens and wait for the next #31. We got off at Wharton Gardens and crossed the road. There was a #31 in 5 minutes and a #37 15 minutes later. The #31 appeared and it was Arriva 3349.

Arriva NW&W 3349 in Wharton

This was only our second trip on this bus as we scored it last week on the #29A. We only had a short trip on this bus today. It did go via the morrisons store which we had eaten at earlier. At the roundabout at the bottom we passed GHA SB38 on the X20 service. We got off at the bottom of Winsford High Street and he got another picture of this fine beast.

Arriva NW&W 3349 in Winsford

We now had around 12 minutes to wait for the next bus which we worked out should be Arriva NW&W 3330 again. As we waited we saw 7628 return North on a #37. We also saw 2613 on a #31. Eventually we saw a double decker approach from across the roundabout and it was as predicted Arriva NW&W 3330.

Arriva NW&W 3330 in Winsford

We got on and sat upstairs for our last journey. We went past The Red Lion and we saw the De Bees Music Bar N469 AWB Mercedes minibus that parks at the back. I called mum to let her know when to meet up. The bus emptied out so Matthew got another picture of the top deck.

Inside Arriva NW&W 3330

It was now going dark as we approached Sandbach. When we got to Sandbach we got of and got another picture of this bus.

Arriva NW&W 3330 in Sandbach

We went to the chip shop and Matthew pick a can of Ben Shaws dandelion and burdock and a can of Coke for later. The toilet was out of order so we went to the toilet by the market. We then met up with mum at the car to eat chips. Whilst we sat there we saw D&G 66 on a #78 service and Arriva NW&W 3334 returning north on a #37. After we had finished eating we set off back home. We headed out of town on the A534 to the M6. We did the M6 down to the A500. As we went down the A500 we passed D&G 26 running empty back to Crewe. We also saw Mercedes minibus N769 EWG. We got on the A50 and headed to Longton. We then went past Z Carz to see what was on. First in the row was Scania coach D104 XAN.

Z Carz D104 XAN in Longton

The we saw DAF minicoach W344 WNS.

Z Carz W344 WNS in Longton

We then saw Mercedes minibus T131 SGA.

Z Carz T131 SGA in Longton

Finally we saw LDV minibus T408 JUX.

Z Carz T408 JUX in Longton

We then passed Z carz minibus CE02 LYX from the taxi fleet before going down Longton Hall Road. we passed 40151 on a 22 and 40030 on a #23A. We got hoe around 18:30. For a late tea tonight had sausages potatoes and carrots. He washed this down with a glass Shandy Bass. He went to bed just before midnight...Mark.

Trip to Northwich 26-01-2013

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
876	Northwich Interchange	Northwich, Iron Bridge (SW-bound)	1	Arriva NW&W
7628	Northwich, Iron Bridge (NE-bound)	Northwich Interchange	1	Arriva NW&W
2497	Northwich Interchange	Leftwich, opp Shops	29A	Arriva NW&W
2497	Leftwich, opp Shops	Northwich Interchange	29A	Arriva NW&W
2616	Northwich Interchange	Leftwich, opp Shops	29A	Arriva NW&W
2616	Leftwich, opp Shops	Northwich Interchange	29A	Arriva NW&W
4156	Northwich Interchange	Leftwich, opp Shops	29A	Arriva NW&W
4156	Leftwich, opp Shops	Northwich Interchange	29A	Arriva NW&W
3349	Northwich Interchange	Leftwich, opp Shops	29A	Arriva NW&W
3349	Leftwich, opp Shops	Northwich Interchange	29A	Arriva NW&W
869	Northwich, opp Tesco	Barnton, Broomsfield Lane (cnr)	4	Arriva NW&W
869	Barnton, Broomsfield Lane (cnr)	Northwich Interchange	4	Arriva NW&W

Today we decided to go to Northwich. No research was done other than to check the weather and it was to be a tropical 6' C and sunny! Matthew got up around 09:30 and had toast and juice for breakfast. We set off a little earlier today at 11:45 to try and avoid some of the football traffic. That had been heavy snow the night before so driving was a little tricky on the side streets. We got on the A5035 and headed down to the A34. We did this West to the A500 and we did this North. As we headed up past the Britannia Stadium we passed Wardle Transport 4547 & 4898 and a Stanways coach on football specials. We got on the M6 and we took it steady up to the A54. As we headed North we were passed by Selwyn's SEL 133 and expat explorer YJ11 ANX. when we reached the A54 we did this into Middlewich where we stopped at The Country Kitchen. We were hoping the New Morrison's was going to be open, but it doesn't open until Monday. So we had dinner at the food van with a promise to re-visit Middle sometime in the near future! Whilst we ate our Dnner we saw 2 Northbound #37's Arriva NW&W was the first one, and this was followed by 2497 30 minutes later. We caried on to Northwich along the A533 and we reached there a little before 13:30. We parked up at the car park adjacent to Watling Street Northwich and walked back to the interchange. The #37 and the #29A were both Centro's so we scratched our heads for a few minutes wondering what to do. First we visited the toilet by the markets. We then saw required Arriva NW&W 876 on the #1 so we decided to do this up to the bridge. Matthew got a picture of this fine bus before we got on it.

Arriva NW&W 876 in Northwich

We got on the bus and booked Arriva Daysavers before we sat down near the back. The journey out was quite pleasant in the sunshine and we arrived at the bridge in no time. We got off and Matthew got another picture of this bus as it powered away into the distance.

Arriva NW&W 876 by the Iron Bridge

We crossed the rod to wait for the other #1 turn. we only had to wait a couple of minutes and we saw a Marshall Dart approaching. As t is now the only one at Winsford we knew it was Arriva NW&W 7628.

Arriva NW&W 7628 by the Iron Bridge

We on got on this bus and it was nearly empty. we sat near the back and enjoyed the journey back into town on what is currently Winsford's finest Dart. When we got back the bus emptied out and Matthew got his empty bus picture.

Inside Arriva NW&W 7628

When we got off this time we saw Arriva NW&W 2497, which had caught us up and was now about to work the next #29A. I asked Matthew if he wanted to do this required cadet and he said yes. He got a picture of this bus and then we got on it.

Arriva NW&W 2497 in Northwich

As the bus was nearly empty, Matthew got a picture of the inside of the bus as he got on.

Inside Arriva NW&W 2497

We set off to the Leftwich estate on this bus. The melted snow had caused flash flooding in some parts and there was a gigantic puddle near the entrance of the estate on Old Hall Road. The bus went through the puddle and it caused a tidal wave. The bus went down to the shops and waited for a few minutes before returning, and back through the puddle as we have to go on the opposite side of the road to go around the parked cars. Before we knew it we were back in Northwich. We got back and the only choice was to do the next #29A which was required Arriva NW&W 2616. We waited for the driver to ready the bus for service and whilst we waited we saw Tomlinson's Mercedes minibus Y556 KSC run past out of service. A few minutes later 2616 was ready. Matthew got a picture of this bus.

Arriva NW&W 2616 in Northwich

Once again the bus was nearly empty as we got on. I think the weather must have been keeping people indoors today.

Inside Arriva NW&W 2616

We set off around to Leftwich again. Back down London Road and back through the gigantic puddle. back to the shops and then back into Northwich. This time as we approached we saw a double decker heading North onto town. As we entered Watling Street we saw 2 double deckers! Arriva 3334 was on the #31A and we assumed Arriva 4156 must be on the next #29A. The stand that we would usually go onto was blocked and so we parked up at stand B or C. As we walked back down to the double deckers we saw Network Warrington 63 and Matthew got a picture of it.

Network Warrington 63 in Northwich

Arriva 3334 set off before we got to it and that left 4156. There was also 2615 which was also displaying 37. We had noticed Arriva MPD Dart 866 was on stand every time we returned to Northwich. What appears to have happened is that 866 must have failed. It was decided to put a Centro of the #37 on the #2/4 diagram and this was taken over on #37/29A by 4156 which had run up empty from Winsford. We decided to do 4156 rather than anything else that was about at this time. i got a picture of this bus before we got on it.

Arriva NW&W 4156 in Northwich (Mark)

The top deck was empty and so Matthew got his empty bus picture.

Inside Arriva NW&W 4156

Whilst were waiting for time the #289 Altricham service arrived with GHA T789 KNW. Matthew got a picture of it out of the front window of Arriva 4156.

GHA T789 KNW in Northwich

At 15:00 we set of back to Leftwich. Back down london Road and back through the big puddle on Old Hall Road. We stopped at the shops and the bus had to move back to let a car through as someone had parked a car opposite the bus stop with almost as if they had stolen it! We set off back North into Northwich. As we passed he museum a Victorian gent doughed his bowler hat as we passed by. We arrived back and we didn't know what we were going to do next. The #31 was a Centro and then the next #29A mae an appearance. It was required step-entranced Arriva NW&W 3349. I knew this was the bus that we were going to to do next even though it meant a 4th spin around the leftwich estate! This is a bus we have only seen work once before back in March 2012 when we passed it whilst doing 4156 to Middlewich. We waited for the bus to be readied for service and we took a picture before getting on this fine beast.

Arriva NW&W 3349 in Northwich

Once again the top deck was empty and so he got his empty bus picture.

Inside Arriva NW&W 3349

We set off down London Road again and through the puddle on Old Hall Road. We stopped at the shops and this time the car that had been parked like an abandoned vehicle had been moved. We then set off back to Northwich. We decided that the next trip would be the last of the day but we didn't know what we were going to do. We could do 3349 to Sandbach, do the Next warrington bus to the railway station or hopefully not the #29A was going to be required and useful. We got back and we saw that the next #29A was 2614. A required bus, but Matthew didn't want to do it today pass. The Network Warrington bus on the #45 was required 74 but he didn't fancy that either.

Network Warrington 74 in Northwich

We asked him if he wanted to do 3349 to sandbach and he didn't. We walked up and down the stands and he also visited the toilet. He eventually chose to do dud Arriva 869 on the #4. It was a good choice as we had never been on a #4 before and we got to see another part of Northwich.

Arriva NW&W 869 in Northwich

We got on and we sat at the back. we set off North out of town and past the hospital. we then crossed over a railway line and canal before climbing up into Barnton. We whizzed around the Barnton estate before returning to the main road and back down the hill. We passed the canal and the Chemical Work and went back down past the hospital and into town. back at the interchange, Matthew got his empty bus picture.

Inside Arriva NW&W 869

Mum was waiting for us and we took a couple more bus pictures before returning to the car. We ate a sausage roll and a small egg custard before heading out of town. We went east along the A559 until we met up with the A556. It was now going dark. We did this to the M6 and then South 14 or so miles to the A500. Today we went back down the A34 through Newcastle. As we passed the garage most of the bus were too far back to identify, but we did see an unidentified Marshall Dart. We presume this must be one of Adderley Green's old buses here for component retrieval. We then headed out of Newcastle along George Street and onto Shelton New Road. We joined the southbound A500 and did the A50 to Longton. At Z carz tonight we saw the following... Coach V690 EBC.

Z Carz V690 EBC in Longton

We then saw LDV minibus T408 JUX...

Z Carz T408 JUX in Longton

then we saw DAF coach W344 WNS...

Z Carz W344 WNS in Longton

next we saw another LDV minibus DS51 ZJU.

Z Carz DS51 ZJU in Longton

We the Willow Row pen and that was empty, so we turned in the Road before heading down Longton Hall Road. We stopped at the one stop shop and we brought some pop and a chocolate bar and some lottery tickets before getting home around 17:45. We chilled out at home before having a late tea of bangers and mash with cake. Matthew went to bed just before midnight...Mark

Trip to Northwich / Sandbach 10-03-2012

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
4156	Northwich Interchange	Middlewich, o/s Cheshire Cheese	37	Arriva NW&W
2619	Middlewich, opp Cheshire Cheese	Wharton, nr Wharton Road	37	Arriva NW&W
3329	Wharton, Wharton Road (cnr)	Sandbach, o/s Common	37	Arriva NW&W
3329	Sandbach, o/s Common	Elworth nr railway station	37	Arriva NW&W
3348	Elworth adj railway station	Sandbach o/s Common	37	Arriva NW&W

This week we gave Matthew a choice of some of our usual destinations and unexpectedly Matthew chose Northwich. As I wanted to try and get the best out of the trip I asked a question on the Dennis Dart Forum as to the best services to ride on Arriva Marshall Darts and double deckers in Northwich. After getting advice I downloaded most of the local timetables onto my hone along with the Nortwich and Winsford bus map as supplied by Cheshire West and Cheshire council website. We set off a little after 12:00 today. It was a fine sunny day, quite warm for the beginning of March. we picked up mum's friend on the way and we stopped for dinner at the Country Kitchen food van which is situated in Middlewich. Having filled up with food and drink we headed North to Northwich. On the way in we passed Arriva NW&W 2500 on the 13:30 #37 to Crewe & a Network Warrington bus. Having parked up in town we walk down past the buses on stand. The first bus we saw was Arriva NW&W 7644 on a #1 service.

Arriva NW&W 7644 in Northwich

There was also a #82 to Chester too, which was GHA ALX200 P804 NJN.

GHA P804 NJN in Northwich

We then went to use the facilities. By the time we got back the Network Warrington bus appeared on stand, and it was number 59.

Network Warrington 59 in Northwich

Just as we took the picture we turned and saw a double decker on stand on the #37. Closer inspection revealed it was Arriva NW&W 4156 which was required. I asked Matthew if that was the bus he wanted to do and he said "yes".

Arriva NW&W 4156 in Northwich

We got on board and we then had around 10 minutes to wait before it was due off at 14:00. I decided it was a good plan to do the bus South as far as we could until we passed something interesting, and then we could double back and then do the bus further South. On stand it appeared that many of the locals today were Plaxton Centros. We only saw one MPD Dart and that was Arriva NW&W 862. We set off on time and we wondered were e would pass the first bus coming the other way. I expected to pass a bus coming the other way after 10 minutes and then evry 15 minutes therafter. The first bus we passed must have been on part of the route where the bus goes along different streets in different directions as we did not pass a #37 for nearly 25 minutes. In the Wharton area we passed a Centro on a #31 and then immediately afterward we saw 3348 heading North. This was a required bus, so we decided we would work out how to get this bus in. I estimated that the bus would be on the 16:00 from Northwich to Sandbach. I worked out that we could go to just the other side of Middlewich and then we would be on the last unknown bus that followed 2500 down on the 13:00 Northwich to Sandbach. Having gone through Winsford, we climb up Station road toward Middlewich and we passed another #37. It was another required Northern Counties bodied double decker 3349. This changed thing for us as it meant we would have to keep going towards Sandbach if we were to get the best buses in. We apssed through Middlewich and we decided to get off on the A533 as it left town. We spotted 2 stops virtually opposite each other and so we got off outside the Cheshire Cheese pub where Matthew got another picture of this fine beast.

4156 on the outskirts of Middlewich

We crossed the road and waited for the bus. We only had to wait round 5 minutes and the bus appeared. It was a Centro so there was a good chance it was going to be a required bus as we had only had one of these buses previously. As it got closer we could see it was 2619.

Arriva NW&W 2619 on the outskirts of Middlewich

We got on the bus and I had a quick check of the buses I have traveled on page. It was the same bus as we had been on twice before so it was not required :-(. I had worked out that we could go to just the other side of Winsford and then I hoped to pic up 3348 on a Sandbach service, which we could then do back to the station and pick up 3349 on the following bus. Somewhere between Middlewich and Winsford we passed a Centro on the next #37. As we passed through Winsford I called up mum and arranged to meet her in Sandbach around 16:30. as we went down the bank towards Wharton we saw required 3334 on a #31 service. We climbed the hill out of Winsford towards Wharton, and when we turned into the estate we got off to wait for what we hoped would be 3348.

2619 in Wharton

After around 5 minutes we could see a bus approaching but it was not a Northern Counties double decker. As it approached we could see it was dud 3329.

Arriva NW&W 3329 in Wharton

It turns out the buses on the #37's must do a short on a #29 in between #37's at Northwich adding an extra bus into the circuit. At least we know this for future reference. On the bus Matthew took a picture of the inside of the bus.

Inside 3329

We headed South back through Winsford and around town, The only problem with covering the #37's around Winsford is that you feel like you are going round in circles! We then made a quick journey to Sandbach where we able to get picture of this bus in the late afternoon sun.

3329 on Sandbach Common

We now knew we would be almost certainly going back to Sandbach station to pick up 3348, but this would mean we would get 3349 in today. We had a short layover in Sandbach Common in which we saw 4489 on a Macclesfield bound #38

Arriva NW&W 4489 on Sandbach Common

After around 5 minutes the driver let everyone on and we went back up onto the top deck. We set off on time towards the Station and the journey to the station was quick. As we got off Matthew got another picture of this bus.

3329 by Sandbach railway station

We crossed the road and we had a 5 minutes to wait for the return bus, and it was indeed 3348 as hoped and predicted (eventually...!)>

Arriva NW&W 3348 by Sandbach railway station

We went upstairs of course and Matthew took a picture of the top deck.

Inside 3348

The return journey was uneventful albeit the strange noise which the engine of this bus makes. There was a very strange wooshing sound coming from the engin as the bus accelerated away from stops. We got to the Common at Sandbach and then we were able to take a couple of great pictures of this bus.

3348 on Sandbach Common

I phoned mum to see were she was and she was just leaving Middlewich heading in our direction. Whilst we waited for mum we went to use the facilities in town. As we got back to the Common we saw 2614 which we must have passed early on the next Northwich bound #37.

Arriva NW&W 2614 on Sandbach Common

We also saw 4490 on another Macclesfield bound #38. Mum arrived and Matthew tucked in to a sausage roll as I went to fetch some lottery tickets. As we left town we passed Bakerbus 180 on a X38 service. We went home via Rode Heath and past Caudwell Tavern before joining onto the A34 at Talke. We then got onto the Southbound A500 and dropped off mum's friend around 17:30. After a quick stop to out air in the tyres we got home around 18:00...Mark