Excels Return

Following the network change that started on Sunday, two Excels have been noted back in service today with 224 on service 14 and 225 on service 1. Here 224 heads along Lord Street in Fleetwood

Trident changes

Trident 303 in its early Line 14 guise (Brian Turner)

Pioneer Dennis Trident 301 is currently receiving an advert for Heart FM Radio, replacing the Royal British Legion scheme applied last year.

Sister bus 303, withdrawn from service last month, has now returned to use as Driver Trainer 973. It is believed sister 304 will also be converted. 973 retains fleet livery.

303 was retired just short of its 13th birthday - ironically the previous 303s had similarly short lives. PD2 303 of 1957 was withdrawn (with sisters 301/2/4-10) in March 1970 a few months short of their 13th birthday. Atlanteans 301-310 of 1977 had short lives in Blackpool - 310 was burnt out in October 1986, 301-7 were stored in March/April 1989 - at less than 12 years old and 308/9 lasted a further year. In the 1970s and early 1980s many Blackpool buses had short lives, either due to Certification rules which required overhauls at 12/13 years or due to OMO conversion. The fast changing deregulated environment also saw the BTS fleet evolve with new minibuses and Deltas, plus seasonal operations allowing most of the early Atlanteans to be stood down. It was only the takeover of Fylde and its venerable fleet of Atlanteans that changed priorities and resulted in extended lives.

Service Change Update

Details of the Blackpool Transport service changes from 28 June have now been released. Details are summarised below and also in the BTS guide which includes maps of the new 12/13 and 15/16.

1 Starr Gate to Fleetwood

• Mon-Fri every 15 minutes 10 minutes 10 buses - reduces to 30 minutes from c1700
• Saturday/Sundays every 15 minutes 11 buses. - reduces to 30 minutes from c1700
• Evening service withdrawn after 2030 from Starr Gate, 2130 from Fleetwood
• Early morning service starts at 0706 from Starr Gate (545 presently) and 0821 from Fleetwood (0655 now) (0736/0858 resp Sundays)

2C Blackpool to Knott End

• Minor timetable change. Now interworks with 10/17 daytime (8 buses) and 12/13 evenings (4 buses)
• 2 withdrawn (replaced by 12/13)

3 Cleveleys Park to Mereside

• Minor timetable changes

4 Cleveleys to Meerside

• No changes

5 Hospital to Halfway House

• Minor timetable changes with additional bus on Sundays (4 v 3)

7 Cleveleys to Lytham

• Evening and Sunday retimed -extra bus on 7/11 on Sundays

9 Cleveleys to Blackpool

• Evening retimed 

10/17 Blackpool to St. Annes

• Mon-Saturday day - hourly each, 8 buses shared with 2C
• Sundays hourly 17 only (reduced from half hourly) - shared 4 buses with 2C

11 Grange Park to Lytham

• Evening and Sunday retimed -extra bus on 7/11 on Sundays

12/13 Northern Circular

• Mon-Sat Half hourly each way, 
• Sunday - hourly each way, 
• Every Evening hourly Poulton-Blackpool via Staining only
• Daytime 13 buses interwork between 13, 12, 16 and 15 in that order.
• Evening buses interwork with 2C and 12/13.
• Sunday daytime 3 buses 12/13 only

14 Fleetwood to Mereside

• Minor retiming

15/16 Southern Circular

• Daily Half hourly each way, 
• Evenings hourly Blackpool to Marton Mere via Zoo only
• M-S Daytime 13 buses interwork between 13, 12, 16 and 15 in that order.
• Evening 1 bus 15/16 only
• Sunday daytime 6 buses 15/16 only

20 Marton Mere to Blackpool - withdrawn.

News Round Up

Catch 22 Bristol RE 366 on service 21 at Blackpool Zoo

A fifth Blackpool Trident, 332, has been outshopped for Merlin Entertainments with 332 wrapped for Tower Circus. The entire 2006 batch, 328-332 are now so treated, 330-332 losing their names in the process.

Catch 22 Bus have operated three classic buses on their new Zoo service. RML887 launched the service last Tuesday and also ran on Wednesday while Thursday, Saturday and Sunday saw Bristol RE OCK366K in use. PD3 HFR529F was used on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.

Catch 22 Seasonal Services Start

Catch 22 Bus has started its seasonal services introducing route 12 on Monday and 21 on Tuesday. Route 12 operates Monday to Saturday from Pleasure Beach-Cleveleys using four buses on a 20 minute frequency. On Sundays it terminates at Cabin using 3 buses. On Monday Darts 316 and 319 plus Metrobus 69 were in use, while on Tuesday Dart 617 joined Monday's trio.

Route 21 started on Tuesday and operates from Tower (outside Sands) to Zoo via Hornby Road, Stanley Park and Model Village. One bus is used daily except Mondays and Fridays on a 40 minute frequency. The first morning journey starts at Cabin. Routemaster RML887 was used on day one and promotional material suggests a heritage bus will be used.

An Excellent Farewell

Excel 221 waits time on service 2 at Poulton on its last day in service (PT)

Yesterday was the last day of Excel operation in Blackpool with all nine survivors in service on the 2, 2C and 17. 218,220-224 ran on the 2/2C and 216, 219 and 225 on the 17. 218 was the final departure on the 1918 2 from Poulton arriving in depot just after 2000.  This ended almost 19 years of Excel operation, although 225 manage to usurp 218's honour arriving in depot after its sister, albeit on tow having failed on service 17.

This morning has seen the first three Citaros enter service. 557 started on the 0645 5 from Halfway House to Victoria Hospital and has been joined by 558 and 559.

Palladium Launch and Service Changes

Citaro 551 at the customer launch of the new Citaros

Citaro 551 at the customer launch of the new Citaros

The new Palladium branded Mercedes Citaros have been launched with a stakeholder launch on Thursday and a public launch today, the latter featuring 551 on display in St John's Square. The new buses will enter service on route 5 from Sunday 31 May - a minor route change sees the service no longer operate along Lindale Gardens - which becomes bus-less for the first time since 1934. Buses now return from Halfway House via Squires Gate Lane, Common Edge Road, Highfield Road.

The remaining Excels are expected to be withdrawn, 217 joined 226 yesterday - leaving nine in service. They are expected to be kept in store as reserve vehicles.

Details of the service changes from 28 June are emerging. Route 2 is withdrawn, but the 2C remains. Route 10 is extended from Midgeland Road to St. Annes Square via the 17 route - the latter is reduced to hourly so the 10 and 17 will combine to a half hourly route.

New Northern circulars 12 and 13 will operate up to half hourly. The 12 will run from Corporation St via Talbot Road, Grosvenor St, Church St, Newton Drive, Hospital (current 2) then replacing the 16 route via St Walburgas Road, Fulwood Square, Chepstow Road, Gateside Drive, Dinmore Avenue (resintating the former 16 route), Poulton Road, Plymouth Road, Bispham Road, Ingthorpe Avenue, Ashfield Road, Kincraig Road, Faraday Way, Norcross Lane, Fleetwood Road, Poulton Road, Tithebarn St to Poulton. From here it returns to Blackpool via the current 2 route serving Highcross Road, Staining and the Hospital.

The 13 follows the 12 route from Town Centre to Hospital then takes the loop via Poulton in the opposite direction back to Hospital then Blackpool Town Centre.

The Southern Circular 15 also follows the 12 from Corporation Street to Hospital, then via East Park Drive with a double run to Zoo via Woodside Drive, South Park Drive, Preston New Road (again reinstating the former 16 route), double run via Mythop Road to Marton Mere Park, Clifton Road to Tesco then again via the 16 route along Cherry Tree Road, Highfield Road to Harrowside. Buses will run via Harrow Place, Promenade and Clifton Drive and resume the 16 route via Bond Street, Station Road, Lytham Road, Waterloo Road, Whitegate Drive to the Saddle. From here the 15 will serve Knowsley Ave, West Park Drive, Mere Road, Whitegate Drive, Church Street back to Corporation St. Route 16 does this in the opposite direction.

Trident Trainer, Delta Demise and Excel Exit

Excel 226 on its last day on route 17 in St. Annes (Jono Niblock)

In the month of its 13th birthday, Trident 303 has become the first of its type to be taken out of service and will be converted to a driver trainer, replacing Delta 969 which is now withdrawn. Sister 970 was taken out of use in late April with a defective engine. This ends Delta operation after 25 years.

Optare Excel 226 was withdrawn today after use on service 17. Further Excels will be retired at the end of the month once the Citaros enter service. 

Trident 331 has returned to use in a Tower Dungeon all-over advert joining 328-330 with Merlin Entertainments themed adverts. 

News update

Details of the service changes for 28 June are emerging. The 12/13 "Northern Circular" are confirmed as replacing the 2 to Poulton via Staining then the 16 back to Hospital via Bispham and Grange Park. The 15/16 a'Southern Circular' will combine the 16 via South Shore and Mereside with the 20 via Marton Mere, Stanley Park, Zoo and Hospital. Each will operate every 30 minutes in each direction.

The 1 will gain its summer frequency increase as will some other services on Sundays and Bank Holidays. Route 10 is also extended to St Annes.

Blackpool Transport has outshopped Dennis Trident 330 in a new allover advert for Blackpool Tower.

Trident 330 in is bright new advert for Blackpool Tower (Jono Niblock)

Catch 22 Bus has sold Dart R356LER and purchased ex Stagecoach London Dennis Trident LX51FNJ. Also not previously reported is the start of a half hourly Sunday service on route 6 on 3 May.

Diversions

6 to 9th May saw the closure of Blackpool Promenade outside the Tower for filming. Diversions affected most routes, a few are illustrated below.

Services 10 and 17 terminated on Bank Hey Street - Excel 221 waits time on service 17 (Brian Turner)

St John's Square was opened for buses, here Solo 247 passes through on route 16. Note the row of seats alongside which marks the site of the former bus shelter recently removed (Brian Turner)

Trident 324 on route 11 diverted via Rigby Road. Note the new Foxhall Village development on the site of the former Gas works, Easyway Coaches Depot and Blundell Street tram depot (Brian Turner)

Service changes June 28th

Blackpool Transport has registered a series of service changes from 28 June. Most notable is a new service 12/13 described as Blackpool Town Centre to Blackpool Town Centre via Bispham, Poulton, Staining and a Victoria Hospital. This appears to be a combination of parts of the 2 and 16.

The 2/2C and 16 have route and timetable changes associated with the 12 and 13., the 10 and 17 also have route changes while the 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 14 get timetable changes. Surprisingly the 20 is cancelled altogether!

More details will no doubt follow in due course.

More adverts and open topper ready

Trident 329 has been outshopped in a new all over advert for Tussauds waxworks with sister 330 now in for treatment, presumably for another Merlin attraction.

Olympian open topper 857 is now ready for use and is expected to debut on a private hire tomorrow. It was repainted last year in late 1980s green and cream as seen on 365-373. The lower deck seats have been re trimmed into the dark green moquette used on PD3s and most recently used on trams until the late 1990s.

Launch date for the Citaros has been set for 22nd May in St John's Square.

Catch 22 Dart Collection Grows

Further Dennis Darts have joined the Catch 22 bus fleet. New to Cardiff T144/5DAX arrived from Select Bus of Swansea and await preparation for service. Earlier in April V234HBH was purchased from Arriva in Aylesbury. Volvo B7TL W139EON has left the fleet after only a short period in use. Dart S316LHB has now been repainted in fleet livery.

New service 21 (Tower to Zoo) has been registered to start from 2 June, while summer service 12 has a variation from 1 June and the 22 from 26 May.

Catch 22 Bus Fleet List April 2015

No	Reg	Chassis	Body	Livery	Origins
69	F69SYE	MCW Metrobus	MCW	Pleasure Beach advert	China Motor Bus ML81 11/88
143	T143AUA	Dennis Dart	Alexander	New Catch 22	Armchair, Hounslow 5/99
144	T144DAX	Dennis Dart	Plaxton	White	Cardiff Bus 8/99
145	T145DAX	Dennis Dart	Plaxton	White	Cardiff Bus 8/99
147	T147DAX	Dennis Dart	Plaxton	Orange/Green	Cardiff Bus 8/99
186	X186CTG	Dennis Dart	Plaxton	Cardiff	Cardiff Bus 9/00
234	V234HBH	Dennis Dart	Plaxton	Arriva	Arriva Shires 11/99
316	S316SHB	Dennis Dart	Plaxton	Orange/Green	Cardiff Bus 1/99
319	S319SHB	Dennis Dart	Plaxton	Cream	Cardiff Bus 1/99
326	F326UJN	MCW Metrobus	MCW	Pleasure Beach advert	China Motor Bus ML77 10/88
356	R356LER	Dennis Dart	Alexander	New Catch 22	Stagecoach new 10/97
466	W466UAG	Dennis Dart	Plaxton	New Catch 22	East Yorkshire 4/00
468	W468UAG	Dennis Dart	Plaxton	New Catch 22	East Yorkshire 4/00
617	X617JCS	Dennis Dart	Alexander	New Catch 22	Stagecoach 2/01
657	V657HEC	Dennis Dart	Plaxton	Blue	Blackburn 1/00
658	V658HEC	Dennis Dart	Plaxton	New Catch 22	Blackburn 1/00
898	R898XVM	Volvo B10M	Alexander	Red	Stagecoach Manchester
RM1583	583CLT	AEC Routemaster	Park Royal	Red	London Transport
RML887	202UXJ	AEC Routemaster	Park Royal	Red	London Transport

Citaro Details

Citaro 557 is one of two fully branded and in use for driver familiarisation. It is seen (from the public highway) manoeuvring in the depot yard (Alan Robson - please see Blackpooltrams.com for more pictures)

Citaros 556 and 557 are now in use for driver familiarisation - details of the batch of ten are shown below. Sunday 24th May is reportedly their entry into service date though this is not officially confirmed yet.

No	Reg	Chassis No	Arrived
550	BJ15BEY	WEB62801523129261	10/4/15
551	BJ15GOK	WEB62801523129262	9/4/15
552	BJ15GOP	WEB62801523129263	1/4/15
553	BJ15GOU	WEB62801523129264	1/4/15
554	BJ15UVW	WEB62801523129265	1/4/15
555	BJ15UVX	WEB62801523129266	1/4/15
556	BJ15BEU	WEB62801523129267	24/3/15
557	BG15BTY	WEB62801523129268	9/4/15
558	BJ15AVX	WEB62801523129269	10/4/15
559	BJ15BEO	WEB62801523129270	10/4/15

In other news, Trident 328 has received an allover advert for Sealife Blackpool

A rear view of 328 in its new Sealife Blackpool advertising livery. Previously Trident 314 was so adorned from June 2012 to February 2014. (Alan Robson - please see Blackpooltrams.com for more pictures)

Citaros Unveiled

The first of then ten Citaros has emerged into public view at a staff launch at Rigby Road. All ten are now in stock and two are fully branded in a new silver/grey and yellow livery with black edging to the yellow relief. Equipped with free wifi, leather seats and wood effect flooring they have the unusual brand name of Palladium. Much like Stagecoach Gold, First Platinum and Arriva Sapphire this has a hint of quality about it referring to a precious metal - though most would consider it to have a theatrical link.

556 BJ15BEU and 557 BJ15BTY were the two branded vehicles launched, and other photos have identified further members as BJ15AVX, BJ15BEO, BJ15GOP/GOU, BJ15UVW/UVX. 

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