Stay of Execution

The sad sight of the former Blakeley's Commercial Recycling scrapyard in Platt Bridge, Wigan. The company went under in c.2018, leaving around ten buses and a large number of lorry trailers open to the elements and subject to vandalism, with almost no windows left intact on site and severe fire damage to several of the carcasses. Somebody is making slow progress in scrapping them - Google Maps appears to show that several Dennis Darts and at least one Olympian have disappeared since the 2019 survey - but for now it seems most of these are here to stay. Sadly I imagine all are beyond rescue and will eventually be scrapped, although I have the faintest glimmer of hope for a couple of vehicles which appear to be in reasonable external condition given their history so far. I've certainly seen vehicles saved from worse condition, with a lot of time, funding, and love.

 

Edit as of September 2023: apparently within a couple of months of me making my visit, Blakeley's Commercial Recycling was completely cleared. All of the vehicles listed here, as well as the vast number of lorry trailers stored on-site, are presumed to have been scrapped. Looks like I timed this visit just right after all.

 

I'll now attempt to list the vehicles present in order from the north-west corner of the site - that is, from left to right, farthest to nearest in this photograph - but obviously I'll never know for certain whether I got them all.

 

Registration: R422 WPX (1998)

Livery: First Kernow 'Barbie' (42522)

Chassis: Dennis Dart SLF

Bodywork: Plaxton Pointer II B37F

First 42522 was with the company for its entire life before withdrawal came in April 2016. By May the vehicle was in this position at Blakeley's, and has not moved since. It is in poor external condition with a lot of broken windows et cetera, but appears to be materially complete. It is visible on the far left of this photo.

 

Registration: T301 JLD (1999)

Livery: First Glasgow 'Barbie' (41301)

Chassis: Dennis Dart SLF

Bodywork: Marshall C39 Capital B22D

Again new to First at the turn of the century, this Dart had the significantly rarer Capital bodywork, and was withdrawn in May 2014, moving to Blakeley's at some point that year. Sadly, at some point around January 2019, the vehicle was the victim of an arson attack and was almost completely destroyed. Its wreck is mostly occluded from this photo, but can just be made out behind the red Merc.

 

Registration: PLZ 5590 (1993, original registration L733 LWA)

Livery: Darwen Coach Services unbranded maroon

Chassis: Mercedes-Benz 709D

Bodywork: Alexander Sprint B25F

This little minibus was new to Stagecoach East Midlands thirty years ago, but passed on to Darwen Coach Services around 2007 and was painted in a plain maroon colour. I wasn't able to ascertain a withdrawal date but by 2016 the minibus was stored in the scrapyard, where it remained until it too was destroyed by arson around early-2019. Now, the only part which remains in near-original condition is the front bumper - which unusually still carries the registration plate.

 

Registration: R330 HYG (1998)

Livery: First Potteries 'Barbie' (40179)

Chassis: Dennis Dart SLF

Bodywork: Plaxton Pointer II B37F

Another career First bus, 40179 was withdrawn in late-2013 and after some time as a spares donor was moved to Platt Bridge in late-2014. Like several vehicles here, it too was destroyed in the arson attack, being reduced to a mostly-empty shell with only the rear bulkhead and engine having survived. It is just about visible in the centre of this photo if you have an eagle eye through the burnt and twisted framework.

 

Registration: N649 VSS (1996)

Livery: ex-Stagecoach 'Beachball' unbranded (40649)

Chassis: Mercedes-Benz 709D

Bodywork: Alexander Sprint B25F

The second 709 present was new to Stagecoach Manchester before transfer to more rural duties in Cumbria. The vehicle was also transferred to Darwen Coach Services, this time in 2009, and was withdrawn around the same time as her older sister, although this one never received a repaint out of Stagecoach colours and even kept the fleet number. Surviving the arson attack, the vehicle is nevertheless in very poor condition and has been heavily stripped for parts.

 

Registration: T160 BBF (1999)

Livery: First Potteries 'Barbie' (40007)

Chassis: Optare M850

Bodywork: Optare Solo B27F

The first of two Solos stored at the back of the scrapyard, this vehicle was withdrawn in mid-2014 and heavily cannibalised for spares before being moved to the scrapyard by the end of that year. By early-2016 it had moved into its current position and has not been touched since, except by vandals and the occasional urban explorer. It appears to be mostly in the condition in which it arrived at the scrapyard with many components missing and has since suffered minor vandalism such as broken windows; its rear is just about visible through the burnt-out wrecks in the rear of this photo.

 

Registration: W313 DWX (2000)

Livery: First Midland Red 'Barbie' (50282)

Chassis: Optare M850

Bodywork: Optare Solo B27F

The second Solo has seen several operators; new to First Bradford and then transferring to First West Yorkshire, First Wyvern, and then finally First Midland Red before withdrawal came in mid-2014. By late-2014 the Solo was at Blakeley's, and has been in the same position alongside its sister since at least early-2016, seven years ago. It is also in largely the same condition.

 

Registration: L630 VCV (1994)

Livery: Darwen Coach Services white

Chassis: Mercedes-Benz 709D

Bodywork: Plaxton Beaver B25F

The third and final Merc on site, but with slightly better bodywork and in slightly better condition. The vehicle was new to Western National but by 2006 was in service with Darwen Coach Services, from whom it was withdrawn by 2018, probably around the same time as the other two present. It is by far the most intact of the three, but that is not to say that it is in good nick, and it is clearly rotten with many smaller components damaged or missing.

 

Registration: T579 JNG (1999)

Livery: First Eastern Counties 'Barbie' (65579)

Chassis: Scania L94UB

Bodywork: Wright Axcess Floline B43F

After spending over fifteen years with First Eastern Counties, this Scania was transferred to First Kernow for its final few months, being transferred in c.March 2015 and withdrawn by the end of that year. The vehicle was also moved to this position in the scrapyard by April 2016, and has not moved since, visible on the right of this photo. Another bus which seems to be fairly materially complete, but nevertheless missing a lot of glass and a few bodyside panels.

 

Registration: W825 PFB (2000)

Livery: First Devon & Cornwall 'Barbie', Ugobus branding (48225)

Chassis: Volvo B6BLE

Bodywork: Wright Crusader II B36F

Another southern bus to end up dying this far north, this vehicle spent its entire career in and around Plymouth until the axe came in March 2016. Dropped off at Platts Bridge the following month, it too has not moved since, and has now been heavily vandalised and stripped. It is juuuust about visible behind the Scania in this photograph.

 

Registration: S725 AFB (1998)

Livery: First Devon & Cornwall 'Barbie' (42725)

Chassis: Dennis Dart SLF

Bodywork: Plaxton Pointer II B37F

The fourth Dart on site, this vehicle was new to First Bristol and was finally withdrawn from First Devon and Cornwall in c.2016. Little is known about the vehicle since then, as it was next recorded in the scrapyard in 2022, already in very poor condition with a lot of missing windows, body panels, and displaying damage to the bumpers. Even the eagle-eyed will do very well to see it through the tangled mess of wreckage in this photograph; I certainly can't.

 

Registration: G301 UYK (1990)

Livery: Pilkingtonbus cream and red

Chassis: Leyland Olympian

Bodywork: Leyland H47/31F

Woo, on to the deckers! The first featured here is the oldest bus on-site, built 33 years ago at the time of writing. This vehicle was new to London United but later transferred to East Yorkshire Motor Services, where during 2007 it entered immortality as an EFE die-cast model, code 29614. Transferred first to Coachmasters around 2009 and painted a luminous yellow, the bus was with Pilkington by the end of that year, with final withdrawal coming in early-2016, as a non-disability-compliant vehicle. It was in position in the scrapyard by May and has again not really moved since, but nevertheless appears to be in tolerable condition, even in spite of its geriatric age. Its red top deck can clearly be seen in the photograph.

 

Registration: N430 FKK (originally Irish 96-DD-277, 1996)

Livery: Ebley Coaches red and cream

Chassis: Volvo Olympian

Bodywork: Alexander RH H47/27D

The final bus visible in the scrapyard is a Volvo Olympian, new to Dublin Bus in 1996 and exported in 2007. The vehicle for almost its entire British existence wore the bright pink-and-purple colour scheme of Uno, despite later transferring to Southern Transit in 2010 and then North Somerset Coaches in 2015. North Somerset appears to have focused on vehicle preservation since 2013, so whether this vehicle constituted preserved for a short while is up in the air, but before too long it was with Ebley Coaches and painted in their maroon and cream livery, which it still carries to this day. It was sadly not with them long, certainly under a year, before fate took control - by May 2016 the bus had appeared in Blakeley's scrapyard, withdrawn not due to her age but due to a massive gash in the roof, clearly due to collision with some kind of obstacle, perhaps a bridge, a building, or even a particularly obstinate tree. The 'Dubliner' has seemingly not moved since June 2016, its interior still exposed to nature thanks to the roof damage and it has apparently been stripped of a few parts.

Done