Trip to Northwich / Nantwich 31-08-2013

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
2612	Northwich Interchange	Crewe BS	37	Arriva NW&W
2617	Crewe BS	Nantwich BS	84	Arriva NW&W
SL15	Nantwich BS	Bishop Wood	51	GHA
SL15	Bishop Wood	Nantwich BS	51	GHA
SL07	Nantwich BS‎	Crewe BS	K39	GHA

Today we decided to go on a shorter trip as mum had a night out planned. I gave Matthew the choice of going to Leek to cover the Clowes Coaches #108 and #234, or to go Northwich to try and get some of the more recent ALX400 DAF arrivals at Arriva. Matthew chose Northwich. We didn't do any research for this trip other than to check the weather which was for sunny intervals. In hindsight we should have done some as will be revealed Matthew got up around 10:00 and had toast and orange juice for breakfast. We set off around 12:00 today, heading onto the A5035 and then onto Stanley Matthews Way. We headed onto the Westbound A50 and then onto the Northbound A500. There was a short delay on the A500 due to a crash near Talke which must have only just happened. At the end of the A500 just before we got onto the Northbound M6 we saw Z Carz BV51 BNO going South. We got onto the M6 and went one junction up to the A534. I decided to drive through Sandbach up to Middlewich to try and see some of the the #37 turns as we traveled North. In Sandbach itself we saw Arriva NW&W 2616 going towards Crewe. On the edge of town we passed Arriva NW&W Cadet 2497 going the other way. We carried on North up the A533 into Middlewich, where we stopped at the country Kitchen for dinner. Matthew had a bacon and egg bap washed down with a bottle of Coke. Whilst we ate we saw required Arriva NW&W 2618 heading North. We then carried on into Northwich parking up around 13:20. We walked down to the interchange and there were 3 buses on stand. Dud Arriva NW&W 2516 was on the #1 service, required Arriva NW&W 2502 was on the #29A circular and dud 2612 was on the #37 to Crewe. Matthew went to use the toilet and then we made a decision. As we hadn't seen any double deckers on the 5 #37 turns we had seen so far, that there probably weren't any out on the #37 so we would head to Crewe to see if there were any double deckers on the #84's. Matthew got a picture of Arriva NW&W 2612 and then we got on it.

Arriva NW&W 2612 in Northwich Interchange

We sat down somewhere in the middle on the drivers side. The bus was about 1/3 full. As we left Northwich we saw Arriva Dart 866 and 867 on the #2 and #4 service. This was our second run on Arriva NW&W Centro. The first run had been back in June on the short run into Northwich from the iron bridge. We headed South through Davenham and Moulton and through Wharton. At Wharton we saw Arriva NW&W 2497 on the #37 having crew change. We carried on South to Middlewich and then towards Sandbach. We passed Arriva NW&W 2503 on the A533 between Middlewich and Elworth. As we headed towards Sandbach the bus had emptied and we were the only ones on the bus. We arrived in Sandbach around 14:35 and the bus took on a few more passengers. We left towards Wheelock passing the remaining #37 turn which was dud Arriva NW&W 2610. We went through Haslington passing Arriva NW&W 4490 on the #38 to Macclesfield. We passed the railway station. and headed towards town passing required Arriva NW&W 4143 on the #84 to Chester. When we got into Crewe Matthew waited for the bus to empty before getting a picture inside.

Inside Arriva NW&W 2612

There was a few inutes befre the next #84 turn, which appeared to be dud Arriva NW&W 2617. Also parked up in the bus station was dud Arriva NW&W 4156 on layover.

Arriva NW&W 4156 in Crewe bus station

A few minutes later Arriva NW&W pulled onto stand and Matthew got a picture of it.

Arriva NW&W 2617 in Crewe bus station

We got on and sat down near the back. The last time we got on this bus was back in December 2012 on a #29A circular. The bus headed out of town and onto Nantwich Road. It was a while before we passed the first Northbound #84 and it was required Arriva NW&W 4017. Very close behind was dud Arriva NW&W 4096. Just before we reached Nantwich we passed another DAF, required Arriva NW&W 4078. when we got to Nantwich we waited for the bus to empty before getting a picture inside.

Inside Arriva NW&W 2617

When we got to nantwich we decided to visit the toilet and the market. As we approached the toilet we noticed this Routemaster being used as a mobile shop. After using the toilet we got a picture of this bus.

RM1590 in Nantwich Market

We had a few Mint Toffees from a market stall and then walked back to the bus station. We were waiting to see the next Chester and Crewe buses on the #84, and whist we waited we took a few pictures. GHA Solo SL07 was parked up n the bus station in between turns.

GHA SL07 in Nantwich bus station

Dud GHA SL17 was parked up with Explorica Tours on its display. GHA SL15 was working the Nantwich town circular services.

GHA SL15 in Nantwich bus station

When the next Chester service came in and it was dud Arriva NW&W 4156 Matthew decided he wanted to do something different. GHA SL15 arrived off one of the town circulars and we got on it leaving uncle Dave behind. We sat down and off we went. The buses crossed the railway a couple of times and went around the housing estates to the South of the railway line. A short time later we headed back into the town centre. We saw dud Arriva NW&W 4042 on a Crewe service. When we got back to the bus station matthew photographed the inside of the now empty GHA SL15.

Inside GHA SL15

When we got off SL15 he ran straight onto SL07. We caught up with him after we got on and got a picture inside the empty SL07.

Inside GHA SL07

Uncle Dave joined us and we saw it was on the K39 service to Crewe so we decided to do this. We sat down and the bus set off. We called mum to ask her to meet us at Crewe. The bus headed out of town on the A51 and then we went around a big housing estate off Peter Destapleigh Way. We got back on the A51 and then we headed through Walgherton & Wybunbury. We then went through Hough and Shavington and then crossed the A500. We wound our way from Rope Lane to Gresty Road through the houses and then we crossed straight over Nantwich road going into town via Tesco. When we arrived into Crewe bus station Matthew got a picture of GHA SL07 on stand.

GHA SL07 in Crewe bus station

We decided to spend 5 minutes taking pictures in and around the bus station before we returned to the car. First thing photographed was dud Arriva NW&W 876.

Arriva NW&W 876 in Crewe bus station

Then we got a picture of dud Arriva NW&W 4489 which had just arrived into the bus station on a #84 from Chester.

Arriva NW&W 4489 in Crewe bus station

The next #84 short to Nantwich was required Arriva 4078 which we could have done up if we had waited for it.

Arriva NW&W 4078 in Crewe bus station

We walked out of the bus station towards the car on the Delamere Street car park. As we crossed the road we saw D&G 5 was about to leave on a #8A service so Matthew got a picture.

D&G 5 in Crewe bus station

We turned to see D&G 3 on a #1 service too.

D&G 3 near Crewe bus station

We got in the car and Matthew had his Greggs sausage roll. He also had a burger which supposed to be mums tea and a few f her fries. This was washed down with the Coke from the MacDonalds meal. We set off ut of town and onto the Nantwich Road. We went passed the railway station and onto the A5020 passed Crewe Hall and onto the Southbound A500. We did this past the M6 and down to the A50 which we did to Longton. At Z Carz today were the following. The Mercedes minibus which we had seen earlier BV51 BNO.

Z Carz BV51 BNO in Longton

Newest coach ALZ 8539 was also there.

Z Carz ALZ 8539 in Longton

We also saw Mercedes minibus M372 NWN.

Z Carz M372 NWN in Longton

Next we saw decal-less DAF minicoach W344 WNS.

Z Carz W344 WNS in Longton

Lastly n the spare ground was W221 CDN.

Z Carz W221 CDN in Longton

In the Willow Row compound parked at the back was LDV minibus T408 JUX. We carried on hoe heading down Longton Hall Road passing First Potteries Dart 40144 n the #22 to Longton. We got home just after 18:00. Mum went out and we had a late tea of bangers and mash followed by cheesecake. Matthew then chilled out on his computer until bedtime around 00:30...Mark

Trip to Northwich 08-06-2013

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
N769 EWG	Chell Heath	Northwich Interchange	Charter	Tomlinsons Travel
867	Northwich Interchange	Northwich, Iron Bridge (SW-bound)	1	Arriva NW&W
2612	Northwich, Iron Bridge (NE-bound)	Northwich Interchange	1	Arriva NW&W
2498	Northwich Interchange	Leftwich, opp Shops	29A	Arriva NW&W
2498	Leftwich, opp Shops	Northwich Interchange	29A	Arriva NW&W
SL10	Northwich Interchange	Northwich, opp Tesco	289	GHA
878	Northwich, opp Tesco	Rudheath, Wright Avenue (cnr)	2	Arriva NW&W
878	Rudheath, Wright Avenue (cnr)	Northwich Interchange	2	Arriva NW&W
2499	Northwich, opp Tesco	Barnton, Broomsfield Lane (cnr)	4	Arriva NW&W
2499	Barnton, Broomsfield Lane (cnr)	Northwich Interchange	4	Arriva NW&W

Today Matthew was visiting Heathfield, and we Northwich instead. Matthew got up around 08:45 and had some toast and orange juice for breakfast. As we set off we saw First 40145 on a #22 and 40003 on a #23. We got onto the A5035 and then e traveled down Stanley Matthews Way. We then went onto the a50 and then the Northbound A500. We came off the A500 at the A527 and we did this road over to High lane. We then headed down Spring Bank Road and then to Heathfield. Matthew had a cooking class in which he made Chicken Pie and a fruit smoothie. H attempted to eat the pie but he wold not drink the smoothie as he didn't like the fruit they used! We picked him up around 12:30 and he went to the toilet before we set off. We then was required Tomlinson Travel N769 EWG. We got on and sat down. We headed back onto High Lane and and onto The A527. we did this down to the A500 and then we headed North. Wen we got to the M6 we could see that the Northbound carriageway was virtually stationary so we took the road up to Radway Green. We stopped at the level crossing to let a Crewe bound train go past and then we carried on to the then end of the road. we turned right towards Alsager and went past a Spar shop. We then turned left towards Hassall and then we headed onto the A533. We decided we would go to Middlewich on the A road rather than get back on the M6 and back into Middlewich along the A54. As we went through Sandbach we saw DAF double decker Arriva NW&W 4096 on the #38 service. We stopped at the country kitchen food van by the golden Lion pub and Matthew had a bacon and Egg bap and a bottle of Coke. As we ate we saw required Arriva NW&W 2498 heading North to Northwich. We carried on along the A533 and we parked up in Nortwich around 14:00. As we walked down to the stops we missed dud Arriva NW&W 2497 on a #37 service. We decided to do the Dennis MPD on the #1 which was 867.

Arriva NW&W 867 in Northwich

We got on the bus and booked our tickets. After sitting down we looked 867 up and surprisingly it was required! We got off as we always do by the iron Bridge and Matthew got another picture of this bus.

Arriva NW&W 867 by the Iron Bridge

We Crossed the road and we waited for the inbound service. We didn't have to wait long before before required Arriva NW&W 2612 appeared from around the corner.

Arriva NW&W 2612 by the Iron Bridge

We sat down near the back of this bus which was reasonably well filled for an inbound service. The journey was swift, passing the site of the Waitrose in town. When we got back to Northwich and the bus emptied out, Matthew got a picture inside this bus.

Inside Arriva NW&W 2612

When we got back there were the #37 and #29A to look at. First we saw required Arriva NW&W 2609 on the #37.

Arriva NW&W 2609 in Northwich

Matthew didn't fancy doing this so we decided to do required Arriva 2498 on the #29A Leftwich circular.

Inside Arriva NW&W 2498

We got on and sat down near the back. We set off out of town on the A533 and then turned onto London Road. We went around the Leftwich estate and stopped for minute or so at the shops before returning back into town along the A533. When we got back Matthew got a picture inside this bus.

Arriva NW&W 2498 in Northwich

We didn't fancy doing 2498 forward towards sandbach, and we had missed dud 2515 on the #31A to Crewe. Dud 2617 was on the next #29A turn. We decided to wait around for a few minutes. Matthew went to the toilet and then we saw Network Warrington 75 turn up about to work the #46.

Network Warrington 75 in Northwich

We decided to check out the #289, and we were rewarded with required GHA Solo SL10 with it's 'Into the Port' green livery.

GHA SL10 in Northwich

We booked our tickets and sat down. Matthew was well behaved and he didn't try to beep the horn today. After a short wait the bus set off past GHA S16 which had appeared to work the #48 Frodsham service. We headed East out of town and we got off the adjacent to the Tesco store.

GHA SL10 by Northwich Tesco

We decided to do the #2 back the long way as we had done before. We walked back past Tesco and the railway station and turned right onto Station Road. There was someone waiting at the stop and there was a bus due. A few minutes later we saw an Deenis MPD approaching and it turned right off the adjacent roundabout. It was required Arriva NW&W 878.

Arriva NW&W 878 near Northwich station

We sat down at the back of the bus and the bus went out off town down Middlewich road and then into the Rudheath estate. The bus pretty much emptied out at one stop and then we headed back into town. When we arrived back and the bus emptied matthew took a picture inside this bus.

Inside Arriva NW&W 878

required Arriva 2618 was on the #31A and he didn't fancy that. The #37 was dud 2611 and the #29A was dud 2619. There ddn't seem to be any option left for getting in new Arriva buses. Network Warrington 68 was on the #45 to Warrington so he got a picture of this.

Network Warrington 68 in Northwich

Just as we thought we had run out of Arriva options, required cadet 2499 appeared on the #4 to Branton.

Arriva NW&W 2499 in Northwich

We decided to do a circuit on this bus, so we got on and sat down near the back. The bus was quit well filled and it emptied as it headed out of town. As we passed the hospital the bus came to a brief stop as there was a little dog running straight down the road! We went passed the salt works and into Branton going around the estate. As we headed back into town the driver thought we had accidentally got on the wrong bus! Only a couple of people got on the inbound service an it took a little over 30 minutes to do the round trip. When we got back Matthew took a picture of the inside of the bus.

Inside Arriva NW&W 2499

The driver asked if we considered doing the #37's and #31's, but when I told him that they had all been Cadets and Centros we both thought that there must have been an event somewhere and that all the deckers were on the #84's. We decided to call it an evening at this point as we were all a little hot and bothered anyhow. We walked bck to the car park were we met mum who had got us some sausage rolls and Matthew had a cold Dandelion and Burdock. We headed out of town on the A559 which we did up the A556. We did the A556 eastbound to the M6 and then we headed South to the A500. We did the A500 to the A50 and then we went East to Longton to check out the Z carz depot. As we left the A50 we saw First potteries 40150 on a #22 service. Today there were only 2 vehicle parked up. One of the new arrivals to the fleet, W221 CDN was parked on the end of the row.

Z Carz W221 CDN in Longton

The other bus was DAF minicoach W344 WNS.

Z Carz W344 WNS in Longton

We turned to look at the willow Row compound but this was empty. We headed down Longton Hall Road and into Blurton passing 40018 on the other #22 turn. We got home around 17:40. Matthew used is computer and I cooked tea. For tea this evening we had bangers and mash with carrots. Matthew then used his computer, not quite as chilled out as he usually is until bedtime around 00:30...Mark.

Trip to Ellesmere Port / Chester 10-09-2011

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
4096	Ellesmere Port BS	Chester BS	401	Arriva NW&W
2296	Chester BS	Wepre, Wepre War Memorial (NW-bound)	X11	Arriva NW&W
2107	Wepre, Wepre War Memorial (SE-bound)	Chester BS	10	Arriva NW&W

today we decided to go Ellesmere port & Chester as we often do. We set off around 12;30 today and we picked uncle Dave up on the way. Traffic seemed to slow on the A500 and this was because we were stuck behind a wide agricultural vehicle. When we got on to the M6 it was deserted. This was because there had been an accident around junction 16 blocking 2 lanes, and little traffic was getting through. we then had a quick run th Ellesmere Port and we pulled into Asda a fraction before 14:00. As we pulled into the car park we passed Arriva DAF 4158 heading towards Liverpool. we ate at the market as usual and today food was from Laura's. Matthew had a breakfast and the rest of us had sandwiches. Food came to a little over £10. We headed back to the bus station and were there around 14:30. Todays GHA crew mess was another double decker but this time not DD09 but another with no fleet numbers on that we could see.


GHA Olympian B148 TRN in Ellesmere Port bus station (Matt)

We then waited at the end of the bus station and Matthew took several more shots. The 14:37 to Chester was a few minutes late and we were surprised to see another DAF 4096 appear to work this service. Matthew mis timed his shot here and then we ran to the stand to get on the bus. We went onto the top deck to better enjoy the journey to Chester. At the junction of the A5117 we passed 2429 seemingly 'out of service' heading North. When we arrived in the bus station Matthew got his empty bus shot before we got off.


Inside the top decker of Arriva NW&W 4096 (Matt)

We then moved to our usual spot and we didn't have to wait long to get another shot of 4096.


Arriva NW&W 4096 leaving chester bus station for Liverpool on the #401 (Matt)

We then stayed for around 30 minutes and observed buses. The most interesting ones were the first double deckers. Alexander bodied Volvo Olympian 34223 was seen leaving chester on a #25 service.


34223 on leaving Chester bus station (Matt)

Also seen was 30069. The bus had an official retirement do on the 20th of August but as can be seen it it still going strong 3 weeks later.


Still going...30069 on a #53 Kingsway service (Matt)

Then we decided to head into Wales as we often do on an Arriva bus. given the choice of Chester allocated 2359 and Rhyl 2296, Matthew chose the Rhyl bus. when it arrived we walked over to the stand and Matthew got a shot from behind as it was very busy.


2296 in chester bus station about to work the X11 (Matt)

The bus was full leaving Chester, and took on a few more passenger on the way out. the bus did not really start to empty until it reached Queensferry. we decided to get off just the other side of Shotton where we hoped it would be even quieter still, and it was just about. When we got off by the Wepre War memorial Matthew got a better shot of this bus.


2296 by the Wepre war memorial (Matt)

we crossed the road and waited for a bus, we had seen a 12 go past just before we got of and the next service would be a 10. After about a 10 minute wait 2107 turned up. We did not recognise this bus and after looking up at home it appears to be Ex Wrexham. We did this into town and matthew got a picture of the Smartie pattern interior.


Mmm Smarties...Inside 2107 (Matt)

After that we had a few minute in the bus station until we met up with mum. Matthew got a better shot of 2107.


2107 in Chester bus station between #10's (Matt)

We also saw 2641 on Chester -Liverpool #401 which did seem quite odd. is this bus now allocated to laird Street?


2641 about to work on the #401 to Liverpool (Matt)

We then went back to the car for sausage rolls. As we left chester we caught the last few minutes of the Stoke game commentary. on the A56 we passed 30069 again and we soon learned that Stoke had won 1-0 against Liverpool! it might have been a bit lucky but we did defend everything they threw at us. The M56 and M6 were quiet and We got home around 18:00...Mark