News Round Up

November has been a fairly unremarkable month bus fleet wise. A few unusual workings have included the use of Tridents 333 and 340 and Delta 123 on Line 17. Meanwhile Line 18 has a minor diversion in Ansdell - now running from Smithy Lane via Church Road to Worsley Road instead of South Hey - presumably due to difficulties using the previously unserved section of Worsley Road. The route's sponsor - Lancashire County Council - is hoping to reinstate the service along South Hey in the future.

All five of the ex Anglian Bus Volvo single deckers are now in service with 521 having joined its sisters. First dates of operation of 521 and 523 are not known.

Leyland Olympian 407 was noted in use on Line 14 on Monday 22 November - these venerable machines continue to make sporadic appearances on all day services.

On Diversion - Bethesda Square

The southern leg of the Promenade Route - Line 1A circumnavigates most of Blackpool Town Centre. Most curiously its destination is shown as "Burlington Road West" - a nod to Blackpool's tradition of euphemistic destinations. When Line 20 used this terminus during the summer, the moderately more recognisable "Pleasure Beach" was shown.

The lengthy Promenade closure related diversions see northbound buses on Lines 5, 7, 14 and 17 and southbound buses on the 1A, 10, 11 and Stagecoach 68 buses use Bethesda Square and Kay Street to reach the Promenade. A similar diversion was in place last year.



Southbound buses use this leg of the triangle, northbound buses (like 291) normally approach from the right of the camera.

Vehicle allocations to services continues to be fairly flexible. Plaxton Centros are normally found on the 1 and 1A and quite regularly on the 11 but have now also been seen on the 14 and 17. Wright bodied Volvos also normally operate on the 1, 1A and 11 but have also seen service on the 17 523 has now appeared in service, operating on Line 11 on 10th November. Conversely the occasional Excel has been seen on the 1A. 

Line 5 - which has been religiously Solos since 2004 has seen more variety of late. Excel sightings have become a regular occurrence recently 219 on 1 November, 218 on 8 November. Excels were the allocated buses for the service prior to the arrival of the branded Solos in 2004. Much less common is the appearance of Trident 307 on a 5 today.

Winter Diversions

The diversions associated with the winter closure of Blackpool Promenade have now been confirmed. Most drastic is the division of Line 1 into two services and the removal of Line 14 from Freeport (in favour of Line 1). The Promenade is closed to Southbound traffic through the town centre until June 2011 and other traffic orders are affecting the tram crossings at Cleveleys and Broadwater. These - and the ongoing work in Fleetwood - are likely to last until mid to late December. New timetables will be in operation for Line 1/1A, 11 and 14.

Line 1 will now run from Corporation Street to Fleetwood Freeport via Talbot Road, Dickson Road to Gynn Square. It will also divert at Little Bispham via Shore Road, Russell Avenue, Warren Drive, North Drive and Victoria Road to Cleveleys and be extended from Ferry to Freeport via the 14 route.
The southbound diversion is from Thornton Gate to Little Bispham via West Drive, Cleveleys Avenue, York Avenue, Brighton Avenue, Victoria Road West, North Drive, Warren Drive, Russell Avenue and Shore Road. From Gynn to Corporation St the route will serve Dickson Road, Springfield Road, Talbot Road and Market St. The 20 minute daytime service requires 5 buses and the half hourly evening service requires 3 buses.

The Southern leg of Line 1 becomes the 1A and runs from Corporation St to Pleasure Beach South . This takes in the Illuminations Diversion route via Talbot Rd, Dickson Rd, Springfield Rd, High St, Larkhill St, Grosvenor St, Church St, South King St, Adelaide St, Coronation St to Central Drive then Bethesda Square, Kay St, Chapel St to reach the Promenade at Central Pier! It terminates by turning via Clifton Drive and Burlington Road West to the Promenade at the Pleasure Beach. A half hourly service runs all day using two buses.

Several other routes are diverted in Cleveleys due to work on the tramway. The 3 will run in a terminal loop from North Drive via Victoria Rd West to Cleveleys Square then back via the normal route up Anchorsholme Lane. The 4 returns from Cleveleys Park via Cleveleys Avenue, York Avenue, Brighton Avenue, Victoria Rd West and North Drive. Line 7 diverts from Fleetwood Road via Valeway Avenue, North Drive and Victoria Road West to reach Cleveleys Bus Station and returns via Rossall Road, West Drive and as diverted Line 1 to North Drive then Valeway Avenue and Fleetwood Road. Blackpool bound Line 9  buses follow the same route to North Drive. Line 16 is extended to Cleveleys Bus Station and returns as per the 7 and 9 to pick up its normal route at Victoria Road West.

To allow for track work at Broadwater road crossing, Line 14 is diverted from Cala Gran via Amounderness Way, Rossall Lane, South Strand, Broadway, Larkholme Lane and back to Fleetwood Road but will now terminate at Fleetwood Ferry - the reverse applies to Mereside journeys. Both Line 1 and 14 continue to be diverted via Adelaide St and Dock St to Queens Terrace lay-by with Albert St used instead of Adelaide St on journeys back to Blackpool. 


Other Blackpool Town Centre diversions see the 3 and  4 to Mereside run from Pleasant St via Dickson Rd, Springfield Rd, Talbot Rd to the front of the old Bus Station and then onto Dickson Road, Springfield Rd and Larkhill St and as normal. Line 15 to Staining follows the 3 and 4 to Talbot Rd then Clifton St and as normal.

Northbound Lines 5, 7, 14 and 17 are diverted from Central Drive via Bethesda Sq, Kay St and Chapel St to the Promenade. Southbound Lines 5, 7, 14 and 17 from Market St follow the Line 1A route above to Central Drive.

Southbound Lines 10 and 11 from Market Street follow the 1A route to Chapel St and onto the Promenade. Line 11 is retimed in Lytham St. Annes, removing some of the additional time inserted at the July service changes. Much of the layover at Grange Park has been moved to Clifton St/Market St.

The changes reduce the PVR by one bus (from Line 1) which takes the PVR back to 106. The July change saw a reduction from 113 to 104; two double deck buses have since been added to duplicate morning peak runs on Line 7 and the split of the 17 into the 17 and 18 added a further bus.

Excel refurbishments continue

Excel 214, the last of the nine new to Blackpool Excels to be refurbished has returned from Cummins with its new engine. Ex Reading 224 has now left for similar work. Trident 332 is the first of the Line 11 examples to enter the paint shop for a fleet livery repaint.

Occasional appearances by elderly school bus Olympians on main services continues with 404 reported on Line 11 today. Line 11 livery Delta 127 is understood to have been sold to the owners of 109 for staff transport.

More Repaints

Further repaints into the new livery have taken place during October with Tridents 333 and 337 now complete and back in service. 334 and Excel 224 are now being repainted.

The Promenade will be closed to Southbound traffic through the town centre from 8 November and service changes have been registered for all services except the 2/2C and 18 from that date to reflect the diversions required.

Deltas and Olympians bow out

Pioneer Delta 101 has now finally been withdrawn in its 20th year.

Olympian 403 is one of two of the ten ex Trent Olympians acquired in winter 96/97 to be withdrawn. Amongst its last duties was this rare appearance on Line 14 on 18 October (Michel Crisp)

The recent debut of the ex Anglian Bus Wright bodied Volvos has allowed the withdrawal of Deltas 101 and 102 - both were in use on 28 October  but are now understood to be withdrawn along with ex Trent Olympians 401 and 403. On their last day 101 saw use on Line 11 while - remarkably - 102 put in a turn on Solo route 4 (Cleveleys Park to Mereside)!

Delta 123 remains in use for now as a reserve vehicle as Volvos 521 and 523 have yet to enter service. 101 and 102 join sister buses 118, 119, 122, 125-127, 132 and 133 in store.

Volvo 524 heads for the Airport at Starr Gate

News Update

The ex Anglian Bus Wright bodied Volvo B7s are now entering service with three reported on Line 11 on Friday 15th and 520, 522 and 524 on Line 1 on Saturday - Alan Robson has pictures on his fotopic site.

Former Line 1 livery Trident 335 is now in service are its repaint into black and yellow.

Repainted 335 on Line 14 ©M Crisp

Disposals not previously recorded here are Metroriders 506 and 511 which left on 22 September following 515 and 517 which went the day before, all collected by Parton of Carlton for scrap.

Previously sold 505 has been converted to a tour bus by Busworks for use by an operator on the Isles of Scilly with its glazing removed.

Line 18

Solo 272 heads up Ballam Road to reach Lytham Square on new Line 18

Line 18 has settled into operation using two Solos during the day. Route 18 is an uncommon number in Blackpool's history - it was allocated to a seasonal North Shore service in the late 1930s - its only other full time incarnation was between 1948 and 1964 for a Town Centre to Midgeand Road service via Grasmere Rd, Ansdell Rd, Daggers Hall Lane and Vicarage Lane. In 1956 this became the Corporation's first one man operated bus service.   

336 displays its motorbike safety rear advert

Ex Blackburn Trident 336 continues to operate regularly on Line 1 which is understood to be due to its motorbike safety advert. Its sisters normally appear on Line 14 - though at least one has been seen on the 11. 333 is currently in the paint shop, sister 335 awaiting a return to use in the new livery.

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