Enviro 400 on Beach Bus 26

Coastliner Buses ADL Enviro 400 LK57AXY on the 0930 service from Marton Mere

Coastliner Buses resumed their Beach Bus 26 service on Tuesday 7th July, following the reopening of Marton Mere Holiday Village in Blackpool. A new bus in use on the service is Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 LK57AXY, new to Metroline of London as TE843 in 2007. Unfortunately the first day of this seasonal service was rather dull and wet, although the bus looks very smart in its new livery.

Enviro 400 LK57AXY approaching a rather wet Marton Mere Holiday Village

Enviro 400 LK57AXY arriving at Marton Mere for the first service of the day

Istanbul

Flexity Swift 707 on Divan Yolu at Cemberlitas Turkish Bath, near the Column of Constantine

Istanbul Tram is a modern light rail system which operates in the European half of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. The first section (Line T1) opened in 1992, followed by Line T2 which opened in 2006, the separate Line T4 opened in 2007 and uses high-floor vehicles. In 2011 Lines T1 and T2 merged retaining the Line T1 identity. At the time of my visit in 2012, Line T1 used a mixture of low-floor Bombardier Flexity Swift trams built in 2004 and more modern Alstom Citadis low-floor trams which began to be introduced in 2011. The old city of Istanbul, originally known as Byzantium and then Constantinople, is an ancient city with a fascinating history which provides some spectacular backdrops for photos of the modern tramway.

Bombardier Flexity Swift 704 on route T1 at the Aya Sophia

Citadis 808 on route T1 on Divan Yolu at the Mausoleum of Sultan Mahmut II

Bombardier Flexity Swift 720 on route T1 at Karakoy

Alstom Citadis 833 on route T1 at the Sultanahmet tram stop

Bombardier Flexity Swift 704 at Eminonu, next to the Golden Horn and Bosphorus ferry terminal

Flexity Swift 738 on route T1 at Eminonu, with Asia in the distance across the Bosphorus

Bombardier Flexity Swift 723 on route T1 at the Beyazit tram stop

Alstom Citadis 809 on Divan Yolu near the Tomb of Grand Vizier Koca Sinan Pasa

Bombardier Flexity Swift 733 on route T1 at Eminonu, next to the ferries on the Golden Horn

Bombardier Flexity Swift 722 on Divan Yolu (Road to the Imperial Council)

Alstom Citadis 804 and Bombardier Flexity Swift 730 at Eminonu

Bombardier Flexity Swifts 722 & 728 crossing the Galata Bridge over the Golden Horn

Alstom Citadis 831 crossing over the Golden Horn on the Galata Bridge on route T1

Bombardier Flexity Swift 707 passing the New Mosque at Eminonu

Old Circular Tour tram track revealed

A close-up view of the junction with the Station Road line and the Promenade

Some of the old tram track which formed part of the Circular Tour route along Station Road in South Shore has been visible for some time now. The junction with the Promenade and part of the eastbound track on Station Road are currently poking through the worn tarmac road surface.

The tram line along Lytham Road was opened in 1895, with an extension to Victoria Pier (now South Pier) via Station Road opening two years later in 1897.

Circular tours using toastrack trams began operating in 1911, running from Talbot Square to South Pier, then turning left into Station Road, Lytham Road and round Marton before returning to Talbot Square. With the closure of the Lytham Road route in October 1961, the track along Station Road ceased to be used.

Looking towards the Pleasure Beach at South Pier, with the old junction visible in the road

The Promenade/Station Road junction visible adjacent to South Pier

Part of the eastbound track currently visible, halfway along Station Road

A 1909 map of the Station Road line, which fails to show the Promenade junction

Catch22Bus roadworks diversion

Catch22Bus 11.1m Optare Versa YJ61JHH on Woodland Avenue near Marsh Mill

Service 24 of Catch22Bus (Fleetwood to Poulton) had to operate via a diversion from Tuesday 23rd until Friday 26th June, due to road resurfacing taking place on Fleetwood Road North in Thornton. Buses were diverted after Thornton Health Centre, turning south onto Fleetwood Road North then left into Woodlands Avenue, rejoining the normal route at Lawsons Road, rather than following the usual route of Fleetwood Road North and Trunnah Road.

Dennis Dart GX54DWO turning from Woodland Avenue onto Fleetwood Road North

10.4m Optare Versa YJ10EYZ passing the 1893 built Hope Villa on Woodland Avenue

Optare Versa YJ61JHH heading for Cleveleys along Woodland Avenue

Saint Petersburg Trolleybuses

Trolza 5265.08 Megapolis 1025 running on battery power along the University Embankment

The first trolleybus route began operation in Leningrad (since renamed St. Petersburg) on 21st October 1936, it ran through Truda Square, Nevsky Prospect and Krasnaya Square (present day Alexander Nevsky Square), its length was 5.8 km. The line was operated by two vehicles produced at the Leningrad Car Repair Plant, later the line was served by YaTB-1 trolleybuses made at the Yaroslavsky Plant. In 1937 a second route was launched linking Finlyandsky Railway Station and Gaza Avenue. By 1940 there were five routes operated by 80 trolleybuses. During the Siege of Leningrad (from 1941 to 1944) all trolleybus service was suspended. In 1947 new MTB-82 trolleybuses were introduced, being replaced by ZIU-5 trolleybuses from 1972. During the 1990s passenger numbers dwindled, and the trolleybus fleet was reduced from 1,315 to 849 vehicles. December 2017 saw the introduction of Trolza Megapolis trolleybuses that can operate over wire free sections of routes using battery power. Today Saint Petersburg is the largest trolleybus system in Russia, with 44 routes operated by around 700 trolleybuses.

Trolza 5265 Megapolis 3502 and the Kunstkamera, the first museum in Russia, built in 1727

Trolza 5265 Megapolis 3519 crossing over the River Neva on The Palace Bridge

A rear view of VMZ-5298.01 "Avangard" 2342 on The Palace Bridge

BKM 321 trolleybus 2431 in an overall advert livery for the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup

BKM 321 trolleybus 3451 in Palace Square with the Winter Palace in the background

VMZ-5298.01 "Avangard" 3333 in front of the Admiralty building on Dvortsovyy Proyezd

BKM 32100D trolleybus 3108 on route 10 on Dvortsovyy Proyezd

BKM 32100D trolleybus 3108 passing the Admiralty building on Dvortsovyy Proyezd

New Preston Bus livery on LCC Service 75

Solo 20016 Preston bound in Thornton on 29th February

Preston Bus are continuing the slow process of repainting their buses in the Diamond Bus two-tone blue colour scheme. 2010 built Optare Solo SR 20016 (YJ10 MFV) was the first of the Solos to be outshopped in this livery with full branding, 2008 Solo 20701 followed later, but has been in use for several months without any fleet branding. Solo 20702 was outshopped in the new livery during the first week of June, with 20703 scheduled to follow it a week later. Preston Bus are contracted to run the service 75 between Preston and Fleetwood by Lancashire County Council, providing a rural bus service connecting several villages between the two towns.

Preston Bus 20016 in Thornton on the service 75 to Preston

Fleetwood bound Solo 20701 in Thornton on service 75 on 15th June

Preston Solo SR 20701 in Cleveleys on route 75 to Preston on 15th June

Coastal Coaches

Optare Solo SR YJ65ETK 'Sir Stuart' in Poulton-le-Fylde

Coastal Coaches is a family owned company who operate stage carriage services around the Fylde, along with an associated coach hire business. Coastal Coaches are based at Warton near Lytham, operating an immaculate fleet of vehicles in a smart blue and white livery. The company run several local bus services serving all the major towns on the Fylde between Preston and Blackpool, and provide a vital service connecting many of the rural villages in the area. For many years the bus routes were operated by Optare Solos (similar to those that ran in Blackpool & Preston), but the fleet has since been updated with the later Optare Solo SR model. The coaching side of the business uses a wide range of vehicles of all sizes, ranging from 16 seat up to 59 seat coaches. A tradition of the company is that most of their vehicles are named after children whose parents have a long-standing association with the partnership.

Optare Solo SR YJ65ETO 'Miss Lucy' heading into Blackpool along Talbot Road

Optare Solo SR YJ68FYR 'Miss Elvi' passing the old Wilko store on Talbot Road

Optare Solo SR YJ15AFY 'Master Luke' at Talbot Square in Blackpool

Optare Solo YJ11EHC 'Master Jack' at Dickson Road in Blackpool

Mercedes-Benz Vario 0816D PO61LUZ 'Lady Claire' in Poulton-le-Fylde

Mercedes-Benz 1524L PO14ATF 'Lady Joan' near the Imperial Hotel in Blackpool

Mercedes-Benz Tourismo BG63VVC 'Sir Clem' at Gynn Square in Blackpool