21st Leyland Society Gathering

Mike Sutcliffe's immaculate 1934 Todmorden Tiger TS6 with a Northern Counties body

The Leyland Society held their 21st annual Gathering at the British Commercial Vehicle Museum in Leyland on Sunday 7th July. Around 50 commercial vehicles took part in the rally, mainly comprising Leyland trucks and buses, along with a few representative vehicles from Leyland Group manufacurers.

Southport 12, a 1950 Tiger PS2, with Lytham St Annes Lion 24 & Titan 10

Burnley Colne & Nelson 37, a 1953 Leyland Tiger PS2/14

Lytham St Annes 24, a 1934 Leyland Lion LT5A

A 1960 North Western Willowbrook bodied Leyland Tiger Cub

A 1922 Leyland flat bed lorry

A Leyland Lioness which was built in 1927 for King George V

Potteries Motor Traction L9766, a 1959 Atlantean PDR1 with Weymann bodywork

A 1933 Leyland Beaver in the colours of William Bowker

A line-up of preserved Leyland buses

Lytham St Annes 10, a 1948 Leyland PD2/1 with Leyland bodywork

A 1960 Leyland Octopus from the William Hunter collection

The first Leyland Comet built (in 1948), in the livery of Orient Coaches

1978 Leyland Lynx EYB 680T with an articulated tipping trailer

Ribble 1036, a 1961 Leyland Leopard with a Harrington Cavalier body

Ex BTS Trident debuts with Catch22Bus

Trident E20 BTS in Cleveleys heading for St Annes on the Coastliner 21 service

Former Blackpool Dennis Trident 353 (E20 BTS) is running back in its home town again in the striking colours of Catch22Bus Ltd. E20 BTS was originally owned by Bus Vannin on the Isle of Man before coming to the Fylde Coast to be part of Blackpool Transport's fleet. The Trident made its service debut with Catch22Bus on the Coastliner 21 service on Tuesday 2nd July.

E20 BTS crossing the tram tracks at Victoria Square in Cleveleys

E20 BTS at Central Pier in Blackpool on the service 21 to St Annes

New 11.8m ADL Enviro 200s

Enviro 561 leaving Church Street on the service 6 to Mereside

Blackpool Transport have recently added fifteen more ADL Enviro 200 single deck buses to their fleet, comprising eleven 11.8m examples (561-571) with 43 seats and an additional four 9.7m 34 seaters (217-220). The new buses entered service a week ago on 23rd June. The new Enviro 200s are painted in the now standard Palladium livery of grey and pale yellow, and are equipped with free WiFi, USB sockets and wireless phone charging built into the seat headrests. The 11.8m Enviros are planned to be assigned to services 6 and 7.

Enviro 563 on Talbot Road on service 7 to Cleveleys

Enviro 569 on the extended Service 7 to Clifton Hospital

Enviro 571 in Church Street on service 6 to Grange Park

A rear view of Enviro 570 in Corporation Street

The interior seating arrangement of 11.8m Enviro 562

Artwork on the rear bulkhead of Enviro 562

Short Enviro 220 turning from Cookson St into George St on service 4

Bolton 66 on test

Newly overhauled Bolton 66 taking a break from its test run at North Pier

Bolton 66 was noted out and about on the Promenade today on a test run after its overhaul at Rigby Road depot. 66 is expected to rejoin the active Heritage Tour fleet very soon.

Boat 600 passing newly overhauled Bolton 66 on test at North Pier

Bolton 66 on the loop track at North Pier

66 on body stands at Rigby Road Depot in May while its bogies were being worked on

Totally Models Trams & Buses

Optare Delta 133 passing Balloons 715 & 700 on Hopton Road

The weekend of the 22nd and 23rd of June saw the annual Totally Models event taking place at Rigby Road tram depot, to coincide with this event a Heritage Gold tram timetable was in operation on the Promenade. Heritage trams noted in use on the Saturday were Balloons 700, 713, 715 & 717, Brush 621, Standard 147 and Boats 227 & 600. Balloon 700 was in use on a Cabin to Hopton Road shuttle service, providing transport to the Totally Models event. A free shuttle bus service was also provided to and from Blundell Street, this used Optare Delta 133, Metrorider 859, open-top Olympian 857 and former South Yorkshire Dennis Dominator 2260.

Brush 621 leaving for Heritage Tour service along Hopton Road

Standard 147 passing Balloon 715 at North Pier

Balloon 713 at Manchester Square, following Balloon 717

Boat 600 approaching Central Pier

Boat 227 at Manchester Square

Balloon 700 on the Cabin to Hopton Road shuttle service

Optare Metrorider Handybus 589 on the free shuttle bus service

Olympian 857 at Blackpool North station on the free shuttle bus service

Blackpool's Open-Top Olympian

857 at Manchester Square on the Totally Models free shuttle bus service

Blackpool Transport's solitary open-top Leyland Olympian 857 (D257 FYM) was in use during the Totally Models weekend that took place at Rigby Road depot on the 22nd and 23rd of June. D257 FYM was delivered new to London in 1987 as L257 in their fleet, after withdrawal from service in London the bus was converted to open-top and began operating on City Sightseeing tours in Blackpool in 2007. After the rest of the City Sightseeing open-toppers had been withdrawn in 2012, 857 was retained and painted into green and cream in 2014. During the 2015 season 857 began to be used on private hire duties, and it has been retained in this capacity ever since.

857 on Rigby Road heading towards Blackpool North station

857 waiting to depart from Blackpool North with a good passenger load

857 at Blackpool North railway station on the free shuttle bus service

857 seen in Fleetwood during the last year of Blackpool City Sightseeing operations in 2012

2019 Cleveleys Car Show

A 1955 Ford Thunderbird on display with other cars on Cleveleys sea front 

The 2019 Cleveleys Car Show was held on Sunday 9th June. This annual event attracts a wide variety of cars of all types, the entrants are displayed along the Promenade and down Victoria Road West and some adjacent side streets. The show involves closing the main road through Cleveleys town centre preventing access to the bus station, bus services are diverted to terminate at existing stops around Victoria Square.

A 1994 Dodge Viper with a huge 8 Litre V10 engine

A 1970 Cadillac Fleetwood used locally as a wedding car

A 1992 Toyota Celica GT-Four

A classic Ford T Bucket hot rod

An American 2005 Ford Mustang

A locally built TVR Cerbera, made just down the coast in Blackpool

A 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray on Victoria Road West

A 1961 Ford Consul and 1964 Wolseley Hornet on the sea wall

A 2003 Ford Excursion stretched limo down one of the side streets

A recently restored 1949 Ford Pickup originally from California

A group of AC Cobra replicas parked around the old shelter at Cleveleys

A 1977 Mini with a cut down and shortened Mini

A 1994 Toyota Supra parked on Cleveleys sea wall