Leigh and Atherton - May 2019

Friday 24 May 2019 (1159) – Jim Stones Coaches BUS 1S, an Alexander Dennis Enviro200D new in April 2017, seen King Street, Leigh. Jim Stones has an immaculate fleet of around a dozen buses most of which carry creative registration numbers some having been used multiple times since the 1990s. The letters ‘BUS’ feature in most of them but there are also some ‘JYM’ plates and a JB51 plate, both plays on the owners name (James Barrington Stones). (Currently the registrations in use include BUS 1S, BUS 1T, B1 BUS, M1 BUS, JB51 BUS, BUS 51T, BUS 1N, J5 BUS, H1 JYM, B1 JYM, B10 JYM plus BU52 LEE (Bus to Leigh)).

Friday 24 May 2019 (1159) – Jim Stones Coaches BUS 1S, an Alexander Dennis Enviro200D new in April 2017, seen in Leigh bus station. Jim Stones has an immaculate fleet of around a dozen buses most of which carry creative registration numbers some having been used multiple times since the 1990s. The letters ‘BUS’ feature in most of them but there are also some ‘JYM’ plates and a JB51 plate, both plays on the owners name (James Barrington Stones). ((Currently the registrations in use include BUS 1S, BUS 1T, B1 BUS, M1 BUS, JB51 BUS, BUS 51T, BUS 1N, J5 BUS, H1 JYM, B1 JYM, B10 JYM plus BU52 LEE (Bus to Leigh)).

Friday 24 May 2019 (1146) – Jim Stones Coaches B1 BUS, an Alexander Dennis Enviro200D new in April 2015, seen in Leigh bus station. Jim Stones has an immaculate fleet of around a dozen buses most of which carry creative registration numbers some having been used multiple times since the 1990s. The letters ‘BUS’ feature in most of them but there are also some ‘JYM’ plates and a JB51 plate, both plays on the owners name (James Barrington Stones). (Currently the registrations in use include BUS 1S, BUS 1T, B1 BUS, M1 BUS, JB51 BUS, BUS 51T, BUS 1N, J5 BUS, H1 JYM, B1 JYM, B10 JYM plus BU52 LEE (Bus to Leigh)).

Friday 24 May 2019 (1146) – Jim Stones Coaches B1 BUS, an Alexander Dennis Enviro200D new in April 2015, seen in Leigh bus station. Jim Stones has an immaculate fleet of around a dozen buses most of which carry creative registration numbers some having been used multiple times since the 1990s. The letters ‘BUS’ feature in most of them but there are also some ‘JYM’ plates and a JB51 plate, both plays on the owners name (James Barrington Stones). (Currently the registrations in use include BUS 1S, BUS 1T, B1 BUS, M1 BUS, JB51 BUS, BUS 51T, BUS 1N, J5 BUS, H1 JYM, B1 JYM, B10 JYM plus BU52 LEE (Bus to Leigh)).

Friday 24 May 2019 (1151) – King Street, Leigh. Jim Stones Coaches M1 BUS, an Alexander Dennis Enviro200D new in April 2014, had just departed the bus station. Diamond North West 20800 (MX55 WDN), an Optare Solo new to Peterborough Council in February 2006, was approaching Stand M which is on the street just outside the bus station.

Friday 24 May 2019 (1143) – First Manchester 69537 (BF63 HDN), a Wright Eclipse Urban bodied Volvo new in October 2013, seen in Leigh bus station. It was new to First Hampshire and retained their ‘Eclipse’ livery despite long after having been transferred north although it has now been repainted into corporate livery albeit without lettering. In the background are Jim Stones Coaches B1 BUS and Diamond North West 20159 (SN68 AJS).

Friday 24 May 2019 (1141) – First Manchester 69539 (BF63 HDO), a Wright Eclipse Urban bodied Volvo new in October 2013, seen in Leigh bus station. It was new to First Hampshire and retains their ‘Eclipse’ livery despite having been transferred north over one year earlier.

Friday 24 May 2019 (1143) – First Manchester 69539 (BF63 HDO), a Wright Eclipse Urban bodied Volvo new in October 2013, seen in Leigh bus station. It was new to First Hampshire and retains their ‘Eclipse’ livery despite having been transferred north over one year earlier. The message on the rear is not quite right for the Leigh-Bolton service 582.

Friday 24 May 2019 (1141) – First Manchester Vantage services V1 and V2 start from Manchester Royal Infirmary travelling via Manchester city centre, Salford, A6, A580 (East Lancashire Road) to Ellenbrook where they join a Guided Busway to Tyldesley (Astley Street). At Tyldesley the V1 continues on the Busway to Leigh whereas the V2 diverges via normal roads to Atherton. 39253 (BW65 DCU), a Wright StreetDeck bodied Volvo B5LH new in February 2016, is seen in Leigh bus station having just arrived (1139) as the 1038 service V1 from MRI and is now ready to load for the return journey departing at 1150.

Friday 24 May 2019 (1138) – First Manchester Vantage services V1 and V2 start from Manchester Royal Infirmary travelling via Manchester city centre, Salford, A6, A580 (East Lancashire Road) to Ellenbrook where they join a Guided Busway to Tyldesley (Astley Street). At Tyldesley the V1 continues on the Busway to Leigh whereas the V2 diverges via normal roads to Atherton. Manchester bound 39256 (BL65 OXV) photographed from on board 39253 (BW65 DCU) on Spinning Jenny Way in Leigh. Both are Wright StreetDeck bodied Volvo B5LHs.

Friday 24 May 2019 (1153) – Diamond North West 20800 (MX55 WDN), an Optare Solo new to Peterborough Council in February 2006, seen on Stand M in King Street, Leigh. The main bus station can be seen beyond.

Friday 24 May 2019 (1143) – Diamond North West 20159 (SN68 AJS), a Wright StreetLite DF new in February 2019, seen in Leigh bus station.

Friday 24 May 2019 (1143) – Diamond North West 20159 (SN68 AJS), a Wright StreetLite DF new in February 2019, seen in Leigh bus station.

Friday 24 May 2019 (1204) – Diamond North West 30004 (BX07 AXO), a Plaxton Centro bodied Volvo B7RLE, seen in King Street/Market Street, Leigh. It was new to Flights Hallmark in June 2007. Smartly shirted driver and it looks like it may have a ticket inspector is on board.

Friday 24 May 2019 (1220) – Diamond North West 20801 (AE07 GNX), an Optare Solo new to Peterborough Council in March 2007, seen in Leigh bus station.

Friday 24 May 2019 (1151) – Stagecoach 22586 (SF08 GPJ) seen in King Street, Leigh at a bus stop just outside the bus station which is on the right. It is an Alexander Dennis Enviro300 bodied MAN18.240 new in April 2008 to Stagecoach Western Buses in Scotland.

Friday 24 May 2019 (1201) – Stagecoach 10410 (MX58 FTJ), an Alexander Dennis Enviro400 bodied Trident new in October 2008, seen in Market Street, Leigh. Diamond North West 30004 (BX07 AXO), a Plaxton Centro bodied Volvo B7RLE, is on the right.

Friday 24 May 2019 (1157) – Arriva Merseyside 2985 (MX59 JYZ), a Wright Pulsar 2 bodied VDL new in November 2009, seen in Leigh heading for St. Helens on service 34. In the background is Warrington’s Own Buses 73 (DK07 OZN), a Wright Cadet bodied VDL SB120 new in March 2007. The pub on the corner carries the name of the Spinning Jenny, a multiple cotton spinning machine invented in 1764 by James Hargreaves of Oswaldtwistle. The invention was a revolution in textile manufacture replacing the single spinning wheels of home workers with multiple machines in large cotton mills. Hargreaves sold too many of the machines before applying for a patent so was unable to reap the financial rewards for his invention.