Red Rocket lifts off for 2014

The "Red Rocket" has lifted off again today and will be operating Christmas weekend shuttles to Manchester. The first journey is depicted showing bendybus BL52ODK showing its Manchester Express destination display.

Volvo 139 enters service

Former London United Volvo B7TL W139 EON (ex VA103) made its debut on service 22 after temporary destination blinds and Catch22Bus vinyls were applied. It was planned to convert to single door and repaint in new fleet livery before it entered service, but this year has slipped by so quickly and the decision was made to simply get 139 out on the road earning its keep with a planned makeover now scheduled for Spring 2015.

139 at Cleveleys on service 22 to Mereside (photo by Alan Robson)

Volvo 139 gets ready for service

We have finally got around to submitting ex-London UnitedVolvo B7 no.139 (W139EON) for MoT which is passed today. It was planned to convert 139 to single door before it entered service with us but the year has slipped away so quickly. Instead, 139 will now be pressed into service over the winter months and the door conversion and repaint will be re-scheduled for Spring 2015.

139 following its MoT pass at Martins of Middlewich.

Throwing a Six to start

Today we started our new service 6 operating between Grange Park Estate and Blackpool Town Centre, via Layton, every 15 minutes. The service represents an interesting throwback to earlier years when service 6, operated by Blackpool Transport, ran to Grange Park - although its ancestry owes more to Mereside estate than Grange Park.
Our new 6 operates 07:25 to 17:10 from Grange Park with the last departure from Blackpool Town Centre departing at 17:35. Unlike almost all BTS services operated from Grange Park over the last generation or so, our service 6 provides a more direct link into Blackpool, operating along Talbot Road as opposed to either Caunce Street (BTS 11) or via Victoria Hospital & Newton Drive (BTS 2A).

356 was the first bus to depart from Grange Park on the new service 6. The bus is depicted here in poor winter light.
 

Service 12 has now finished for the winter after a busy summer and open tops 69 & 326 are back in store. In other fleet news, 617 (X617JCS) entered service on 12s last week.


617 finally entered service on 30 October after passing its MoT and having been treated to a repaint in Catch22Bus fleet livery earlier in the year.