Blackpool Transport Open Day

Blackpool Transport held an open day on Sunday 26 September as part of the tramway 125th anniversary celebrations. A variety of buses was on display with PD3 529, Swift 570, Routemaster 521 and City Pacer 575 from the LTT Collection joined by PD3s 390 and 501, Metrorider 590, Fylde Atlantean 45, Lytham PD2 10 and various other preserved vehicles.

From the BT fleet, Delta Driver Trainer 969, Volvos 522 and 528, Solo 288, Excel 211, Trident 340 and Atlantean 364 were all on display in the yard. Various other vehicles were seen within the depot and works. Trident 333 was in the early stages of a repaint in the paint shop, following on from sister 335.

Enter Route 18

Monday sees a short notice service change with the splitting of Blackpool Transport's Line 17 into the 17 and 18. The 17 will now run from Blackpool to St. Annes over its current route, albeit with the northbound daytime journeys retimed to run ten minutes later. Four buses will be required during the day.

Line 18 will run, on behalf of Lancashire County Council, from St. Annes to Lytham via the current 17 route, though diverted to serve Ansdell Library between South Hey and South Park via Worsley Road, Central Drive, Gordon Road and Commonside. This will be the first time the section of Worsley Road between South Hey and Albany Road has been served by buses.

Two buses will be required - meaning that the combined requirement increases to six. The evening service will continue to run every hour every day and is understood to interwork with Line 17, Coastal Coaches will continue to run an hourly Sunday daytime service. The changes allows smaller vehciles to be used on the new 18 with a Line 4 livery Solo seen on the first day.

Pleasant Views

Line 5 red liveried 254 turns onto the Promenade on a Line 4 working

Southbound Lines 3, 4 and 15 were diverted via the short stretch of Pleasant Street from Dickson Road to the Promenade as part of the Town Centre bus route changes. All three routes are operated by Solos and have seen increased variety of liveries and variants recently. Line 4 is now seeing the use of long wheelbase Solos - perhaps helping to cope with demand along Whitegate Drive following the reduction in frequency on this corridor.


Line 2 liveried 284 works Line 15 to Staining.

In other news, Trident 319 made a rare appearance on Line 20 on a wet Sunday 19 September - only one of the open top Olympians was observed - Volvo 377 was the third other working. Disposal of the Line 6 Deltas is now complete with 107 and 112 departing today. Deltas 101, 102 and 123 remain in use; 118, 119, 122, 125-127, 132 and 133 are in store.

The Journey to Journeys end

Parton's lorry tows 116 with 115 following to their Carlton yard

Deltas 115 and 116 departed for scrap on Tuesday, collected by Parton's of Carlton, Barnsley. 104 and 108 followed on Wednesday with 106 and 113 to depart later this week

Town Centre Stops

Trident 330 waits at the new Topping Street stops

Not previously illustrated here are the new bus stops on Topping Street between Church Street and Deansgate. Lines 2, 2C, 3, 4, 11 and 20 now use these instead of serving St John's Square.

224 on Line 2 turns from Topping Street into Deansgate to circumnavigate the former Talbot Road Bus Station

Meanwhile Line 17 has now moved Town Centre terminus to Market Street outside the travel office - both bus and office still flying the flag for Metro Coastines. LTT's PD3 is the background collecting a party of school children from the Town Hall

The Amazing Technicolor Bus Route

It has been a colourful week on Line 7 with red, dark blue and light blue Solos joining the normal green ones and the odd new livery one. The set would be completed by a Line 4 and an old pool liveried bus - both have been noted but not regularly as they are short wheelbase examples which cannot cope with peak loads.

Solo 240 in the former Line 2 green livery represents the most common fayre on Line 7

Line 5 Solos 253 and 251 pass in Lytham Square

Line 3 Solos have made the odd appearance - this is 260 using the reinstated Church St/Promenade junction

Solo 293 is one of four in the new fleet livery

Only two Line 16 livery Solos remain in use - 291/2 - this is the latter.

Old and New on the 11

Centro 528 represents the new order - Line 11 at Lytham Square

Tuesday 7 September saw contrasting vehicles on Line 11 with a brand new Centro and doomed Delta 123 in use. 123 was the only Delta required today.

The old order - Delta 123

In other news; Trident 335 is being repainted into the new fleet livery. Double deckers have continued to appear on Line 1 despite its 'official' allocation of Centros - perhaps reflecting the flexibility that the end of route branding promised. The Enviro demonstrator was returned on 6 Sept.

Centro 527 at the Airport terminus of Line 1

Spoke too Soon

As with most 'last days' the victims live on - the three black/yellow Deltas 101, 102 and 123 have had a stay of execution pending commissioning of the ex Anglian Volvos. On Monday 6 September 101 saw service on Line 1 and 102 ran on Line 14. 123 was noted on Line 11 on Tuesday 7th.

Line 1 has been turned over to Plaxton Centro operation as planned and at least one orange liveried Trident - 333 - has been seen on Line 14. Centros 527, 530-2 were noted on the 1; 529 on Line 11.

338 on what may be the last day of rostered double deck operation on Line 1 having recently lost its route branding

Line 3, 4 and 5 liveried Solos are beginning to get the wanderlust with at least one blue Solo noted on Line 17 recently and red liveried 251 and 253 on Line 7 today. Line 7 has experienced heavy loadings and now normally sees only 33 seaters - usually the 12 ex Line 2 green ones (the other two 284/5 are smaller buses) with frequent use of the four new liveried examples.

Despite the end of route branding the Solos have still be quite discriminatingly allocated with Line 5 liveried buses still normally used on that route. 251 and 253 had the opportunity to stretch their legs to Wesham today

Delta Demise; Fylde Farewell

Delta 101 managed 20 years and 6 months in front line service between March 1990 and September 2010

With the new Volvos due to enter service on Monday, today - Saturday 4 September - was the final day for the Optare Deltas - arguably Blackpool's best ever single deck purchase. At the start of the year 23 Deltas remained in use representing 13% of the bus fleet and contributing to the average fleet age of 11 years and 10 months. With 103 withdrawn during the spring, ten more in July, 115 in August and the final 11 today replaced by 9 new and 8 second hand buses the fleet age is down to 10 years 3 months - still way beyond the industry target of 8 years but a credible improvement. The two driver trainers 969/70 (K129/30UFV) are expected to remain in use.

The final weeks saw the following Deltas active:
101/2 G101/2NBV of March 1990 in black/yellow
118/9/22 H118/9/22CHG of April 1991 in Line 11 turquoise/yellow
123 J123GRN of July 1991 in Black/yellow with Blackpool Council side/rear advert
125/6 J125/6GRN of November 1991 in Line 11 turquoise/yellow
127 K127UFV of January 1993 in Line 11 turquoise/yellow
132/3 H2/3FBT of May 1991 in Line 11 turquoise/yellow


On the final day all except 118 operated. 123 performed the final working - having replaced 122 earlier in the day - the 1745 Line 11 departure from Lytham Hospital to Grange Park then empty to Depot arriving back there at 1923.

133 (Fylde 3) was the last former Fylde bus to run for Blackpool Transport

The withdrawal of 132 and 133 eradicates former Fylde Transport vehicles from the fleet, 14 years after the former competitor was fully absorbed in 1996 - prior to this the previous withdrawals had been the last Atlanteans in 2004. 132 operated on Line 11 while 133 operated on Line 14 finishing with the 1720 departure form Freeport to Mereside and empty to depot for 1849.

Most last days tend to be anything but with the odd appearance witnessed in the next few days (or next few years in the case of the Atlanteans), but the edict seems final but will the Delta have a last stand?

Clifton Street part 2

Deansgate has never been particularly photogenic, the demolition of St John's Market has at least allowed the sun to shine on Sizzlers Cafe and Trident 305. Not new bus territory by any means but 305 is operating on the new southbound 11 routing. Having turned right from Topping Street, it is traveling eastbound on Deansgate, before heading north on Cookson St, west on Talbot Road and finally southbound on Market Street.

Solo 272 swings into Abingdon Street

329 and 379 in matching liveries give a hint of uniformity to the bus fleet - Clifton Street

Solo 284 turns into Clifton Street from Talbot Road on Line 16 - the two smaller green liveried Solos are now increasingly used on Line 16 as they have proven too small for Line 7 - all but two of the the Light Blue 16 liveried Solos have now been painted into the new livery

Centros and Eclipses

Plaxton Centro bodied Volvo 531 leads 532 down Rigby Road ready for their formal launch on Friday 3rd Sept

Monday 6 September seems to be set as the debut of the new Volvo single deckers with the nine Plaxton Centros due to be launched on Friday and enter service on Monday.

Registrations are:
525 BF60UVJ
526 BF60UVK
527 BF60UVL
528 BF60UVM
529 BF60UVN
530 BF60UVO
531 BF60UVP
532 BF60UVR
533 BF60UVS

Of the older Volvos, 522/3 AU06BPF/K remain the only two in Blackpool. Anglian have painted 520 AU06BOV and 524 AU06BPO while 521 AU06BPE was still in service there on 27 August but is now under repaint.

The third of the second hand Tridents, 340, has now entered service.

Lost and Found Termini - Clifton Street

Enivro Demonstrator SN59AWX loads at the new Line 14 stop on Clifton Street

Today was the first day of the new Town Centre arrangements with buses using Clifton Street for the first time since 1996.  Lines 3, 4, 5, 7, 11, 14, 15 and 16 all follow the new route. Interestingly this means that all bus services now serve Talbot Square in at least one direction - including Line 1 on the Promenade.

Trident 329 turns left onto Abingdon Street - Clifton Street is now one way eastbound; Abingdon St one way northbound and the road to the left of the camera is now closed.

Solo 242 loads for Cleveleys on Line 7

Solo 252 on Line 5

The former era on Clifton Street saw service 26 terminate outside the now demolished Yates building operating eastbound while the 5 and later 6 operated westbound on journeys from Grange Park to Halfway House (5) or Mereside (6).

Swift 572 awaits departure time in this February 1986 evening view on service 26 - the replacement for the Marton tram route.

Lost termini: 2 Pontins

Autumn 2009 saw the closure of Pontins Holiday Camp ending a long tradition of holiday accommodation on this site - just within St. Annes on Clifton Drive North- and a much shorter life as a bus terminus.

Atlanteans 334 and 362 (with 304 behind the coach on the right) on an event service in 1986 - booth now preserved by LTT

The Pontins site was first used as a terminus in 1988 when Fylde's Promenade minibus service was reintroduced after its winter break. During its first season, 1987, it started outside the camp on the main road turning in a service road further down the road. Pontins was not unfamiliar territory for buses - or rather coaches in the main - and both Blackpool and Fylde buses did put in appearances on several occasions - on private hires; National Express workings or conference/event services.

Fylde 106 and 116 (the latter on loan from GM Buses) await trade at the original Pontins terminus

Pontins was quite a prize for the two competing Promenade operators - Fylde having sole access in 1988 and 1989 with its Renault minibuses on route 55 (later 35), Blackpool winning the access rights in 1990 and keeping them until the businesses merged using Routemasters as service 40. Fylde responded to this in 1990 by converting their service to double deck operation with elderly Atlanteans, renumbered it one and extended it to St. Annes so that it at least passed the camp. For 1989 Fylde painted two minibuses in all-over adverts for Pontins, but this was trumped from 1990 when Blackpool Routemaster 522 and Balloon 707 emerged so treated. 522 was later replaced by 527 (and 707 by 709 and later 722 then 622).

Routemaster 521 awaits another run along the Promenade to Gynn Square

Blackpool had started its Routemaster service in 1988 running initially from Starr Gate and later from Harrowside. It settled down in 1990 to a simple ten minute frequency service from Pontins to Gynn Square with 6 Routemasters required. From 1992 it was curtailed to run to the Tower only using 4 Routemasters - generally six of the twelve owned were operated each year followed by 18 months off!

Olympians 369 and 368 at the purpose built bus terminus, roughly where the two Atlanteans are in the earlier view 

When Blackpool took-over Fylde in 1994 the two Promenade services were co-ordinated but for 1995 Fylde took-over in its entirety with service 1. A 7/8 minute service was provided from Cabin to Pontins with alternate buses carrying onto St. Annes - though a reduced service was provided on non bank holiday weekends between Easter and whit. Various ageing Atlanteans were used with yellow fronts on the otherwise now standard blue and cream livery - a much more restrained identity compared to previous seasons. 1996 saw the service extend to Little Bispham with the yellow fronts dropped so that any double decker would appear. July 1996 saw Fylde absorbed into Blackpool Transport but for 1997/8 seasons the 1 continued to be run from Squires Gate but terminating at Cabin in 1997 and Bispham in 1998. A brief period of competition saw Bluebird of Middleton serve the site using one on a day trip to Blackpool to earn some money on the Promenade during the school holidays.

1999 saw the service operate from Rigby Road, typically using ex Trent Olympians and various Atlanteans. Most daytime journeys commenced at St. Annes with the evening service starting at Pontins but the northern terminus now became Cleveleys. Each year it seemed fewer journeys would run to/from St. Annes and for 2006 this was dropped completely. Route branding returned in 2003 with Olympians 365-7, 407-410 in use on a new orange and yellow Metro Line 1 livery - 401-406 later following suit.

City Sightseeing - the international brand - came to Blackpool in 2001 and the initial tour served Pontins. From 2002 this became Pontins to Zoo as service 21. In 2006 Line 1 was unsuccessfully operated with the open toppers but form 2007 they returned to the Zoo service which had morphed into Line 20 Pontins to Marton Mere. The initial Metrobuses gave way Olympians around this time too.

The site could be windblown at times - here 334 heads out onto Clifton Drive for another run to Fleetwood

November 2007 saw Line 1 become a year round service to cope with a tramway closure and five low floor Dennis Tridents were purchased from Blackburn Transport to provide an accessible service (though Olympians were still needed to make up the numbers).

Ex Blackburn Olympian 412 in the car park on an event shuttle service

Pontins closed at the start of October 2010 but Lines 1 and 20 continued to serve the vacant site until permission was received to implement a service change and the last bus left the site on Sunday 18 October with both services terminating at Squires Gate Airport instead.

Demonstrator

Alexander Dennis Envrio 400 double deck demonstrator SN59AWX has arrived for evaluation and should be in use shortly.  Further new Volvos have arrived with 525/6/9 (BF60UVJ/K/N) joined by 530/3 (BF60UVO/S).

Saturday 28 August saw Trident 342 enter service on Line 1 and earlier this week Solo 293 was noted in use on Line 7 - the fourth ex Line 16 Solo so treated. Delta 115 has now joined most of the Line 6 survivors at Jackson's Marton. Delta 109 has left for use as a staff transport bus for a firm in the Cotswolds with two more understood to be following. Just 11 Deltas now remain in service, mainly on the 11 and 14 but also often on the 17 on which 101, 102 and 123 were all noted  on 28 August.

Town Centre Route Changes

The unusual new stop sign on Clifton Street - perhaps better installed with gloves!

Some further details of the August 30 Town Centre route changes have been
published.

Lines 2 and 2C will now be the only BT services to use Corporation Street. In bound they will use Church St, Topping St, Deansgate, Cookson St, Talbot Road, Market St, Church St to terminate outside British Home Stores, returning via Talbot Road, Dickson Road, Springfield Road, High Street, Talbot Road, Larkhill St and Grosvenor St.

Presently Lines 3 and 4 are on diversion operating from Claremont via Pleasant St, Promenade and Talbot Road due to the closure of Abingdon St. This will form their permanent route from Monday except for Talbot Square they will use Clifton Street and then Abingdon St, Talbot Road, Dickson Road, Springfield Road, High Street, Talbot Road, Larkhill St and Grosvenor St. Line 15 will be diverted via the same to High Street and will then run via Talbot Road to Devonshire Road. This will mean Dickson Road will not be served between Pleasant St and Springfield Road southbound. Line 15 will also serve Clifton St and Abingdon St northbound (running from Cookson St via Talbot Road, Clifton St, Abingdon St, Talbot Road, Dickson Road), while the northbound 3 and 4 will run via Church St, Topping St, Deansgate, Cookson St, Talbot Road and Dickson Road.

Lines 5, 7, 11 and 14 northbound will operate from Talbot Square via Clifton St and Abingdon Street - the 11 then following its current diversion route as the 3 and 4 to Grosvenor Street and then onto Caunce St. Its return route is as Line 2 to Market Street. The 5 will stop on Abingdon St the others on Clifton St Southbound buses on these serves will still use Market Street.

Line 11; the new livery and indeed Trident 341 are all new comers to St John's Square in its eleventh hour as a public transport thoroughfare

Line 9 will terminate on Clifton Street, running inbound via Talbot Road and outbound via Abingdon Street. Line 10 will terminate on Market Street. Line 16 will run into the Town Centre via Church St, Topping Street, Deansgate, Cookson St, Talbot Road, Clifton St, Abingdon St, Talbot Road, Dickson Road, Springfield Road to North Station with outbound journeys running direct to Church St via Grosvenor Street.

Green Solos were more common in St John Square on Line 2, but are now mainly on Line 7 - this use of 285 on Line 16 is comparatively rare

Line 17 will now terminate at Market Street running inbound via New Bonny Street, Promenade and Talbot Square and outbound via Church St, Promenade, Adelaide St, Bank Hey Street and Albert Road. 

City Sightseeing Line 20 will also serve Topping Street.

In summary:
Clifton St/Abingdon St served by Lines 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 14, 15x2, 16= 38 buses per hour
Market Street served by Lines 2/C (passing), 5, 7, 10, 11, 14, 17 (27bph)
Corporation Street served by Lines 2/C (4)
Topping Street (south) served by Lines 2/C, 3, 4, 11, 16, 20 (18bph)