Up The Pole In Norwich (2, The Poles)

 Short But Sweet

Trams came to Norwich in 1900, quite late for a tram system. Electric trams largely replaced horse buses direct without following through the horse tram phase. The network was fairly comprehesive ...

... but the cost of extending into the post WW1 suburbs proved too much. Possibly, the lack of enthusasm for development was garnered round the Directors table of the Eastern Counties Omnibus Company who took a controlling interest in the tram company.

It was easier, cheaper and more profitable to run buses into the new suburbs. As we take a look around the network, fbb will try to show some of the tram locations as they appear in today's city.

Here is Gentleman's Walk on the east side of Market Place ...

... and you can see why there would be pressure to remove the trams in favour of the more flexible infernal combustion engine!

Modern arboriculture has obscured most of the frontages in the old picture and buses no longer take gentlemen to "their" walk.

This splendid shelter, for the patrons of the electric trams, no longer stands on Red Lion Street at the end of Orfotd Place.

The shelter included a timekeeper's office. Nothing now stands at this junction ...

... but buses still pass that way.

Have you yet spotted any tram poles with very decorative street lights attached?

fbb hasn't.

They mostly look very ordinary ...

... with pole decorated but lamp very ordinary indeed; certainly nothing like the street lamp which was part of a "news" item which sparked fbb's interest.

Was this once part of tram overhead as the article suggested? Did trams actually tun past this very decorated pole?

We may discover the answer  tomorrow 

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Rear Window?

But not the classic thriller starring Jimmy Stewart. This heading refers to the rear window of fbb's hotel room in Sheffield. Actually there isn't a "rear" window, there is only one! But a trip to sheffield a year ago gave the fbbs one of the least enjoyable views from a modern hotel window.

It was a memorable view of the proud city of Sheffield, but for the wrong reasons

But back to this visit.

The view was across to the bottom of Commercial Street and the street's ramp leading to the famous delta tram junction.

Here is an aerial view of the junction.

The hotel peeps in top left, the arch girder bridge is distinctive and the eastern side of the triangle is only used by scheduled garage workings from Halfway or Herdings Park to the depot.

But as fbb gazes from his "rear" window, it seemed that only a few trams were in "fleet livery".

The pictures are of poor quality but here are some more, not all of which may be current.

When the supertram system opened the livery was a very boring grey.

Stagecoach then took over the management of the system and their very own stripes appeared.

The most recent standard paint job has been a quality livery in Stagecoach colours.

fbb feels that the increase in vinyl "wraps" cheapens the whole system. Historically a Sheffield tram was a well known blue and cream image, clean, distinctive and very recognisable.

But now!

Add the tram's messy image to the even messier image of Sheffield's buses and the City's transport looks in very poor shape.

Once upon a time ...

The Sheffield Transport livery was quality with a clear message of stability and reliability.

But today???

fbb will be collecting bus pictures tomorrow for a future "messy" blog.

 Next Up The Pole blog : Weds 25 June 

Up The Pole In Norwich (1, Introduction)

Tram Overhead Plus Street Lighting

See the ornate street lamp between tree and shop in Norwich. A  reference to this location in a "news" snippet prompted fbb to start thinking.

The Victorians were great enthusiasts for decoration. Here is a humble street lamp on The Embankment in London.

Humble? It is ornate to the point if being ridiculous, maybe? 

Here is something less ornate but at a more humble junction.

It is one of four that adorn the bridge on Mornington Street ...

.... as it crosses the West Coast main line ...

... just outside Euston station.

The Northern Line's Mornington Crescent station is just a toddle away (map above, right).

The Victorian desire for embellishment often extended to tram overhead ...

... with these being plucked at random and unidentified via the interwebnet.

Realistically, most cash strapped tram start-ups kept things very simple.

So, the question is, were there examples of ornate tram overhead that double as ornate lamp standards. If so, do any still exist today.

The ultimate authority on all things tram, The "Village" at Crich, has no streetlights screwed on to the tram overhead poles.

... although the street lamps would certainly qualify as "Victorian" in style.

Which might take us to Norwich!

More to follow.

Round The Bend In Derby!

Remember the X38?

It used to be joint between Trent (above) and Arriva ...

... with not-quite-matching branding from Arriva.

Then the two had a falling out and they now compete ferociously. Recent developments have been a bit of a re-launch from Trent.

It has become ORANGE, not blue; and now has a new name.

Nw clld  Xprss , the Trnt bs wll spd t Brtin-pn-Trnt vry 15 mnts, lltrtly. Hrs vd flm!

For the record, Trent runs every 15 minutes ...

Arriva every 20!

Weird!

The former joint service was every 10 with each operator running three of the buses each hour - but not alternately.

 Next Up The Pole blog : Tues 24 June 

Sunday Variety - mini blog

Problem Solved

fbb is grateful to correspondent Andrew (from Cardiff) for his help in identifying the above location as per yesterday's blog. fbb was perusing the Carto map of London's rail systems, looking for a station where District and Piccadilly lines shared a platform. 

The only two are Acton Town and Ealing Common. The Carto map shows shared platforms with BOTH alternate line colours, so dark blue and dark green. Sadly fbb's ocular indisposition meant that he did not spot this two colour indication.

Anyway, the platforms ay Ealing Common would preclude a train to Heathrow, as shown on the train's destination blind.

Look closely and you will see both colours. But a train to Heathrow would not be picking up its load f enthusiasts from here.

So to Acton Town.

Turning up the brightness does the trick!

And the disused siding cropped from the original photo is a head shunt for Acton Works. Here is the same picture of the preserved 1938 unit with the head shunt NOT cropped.

One of the delights of this blogging game is when a reader, rather than just telling fbb he is incompetent, supplies helpful and revelationary information.

Thanks, Andrew.

A Bit Of Bridge Bother

When Mrs fbb was a wee Scottish lassie, day trips from (near) Milngavie to Largs were de rigueur, as they were wont to say in Maryhill! Latterly the Clyde Tunnel opened at Whiteinch, followed by the Kingston bridge on the M8 so both were possible river transits.

But her wee daddy preferred the traditional .Yoker to Renfrew Ferry,

fbb well remembers paying visits to the Renfrew side where hoardes of buses, mostly Paisley independents ...

... were only occasionally joined by a Scottish Bus Group motor.

The service to Paisley was ludicrously frequent.

With the opening of the Erskine Bridge a little further "doon the watter", the Renfrew Ferry became a little chug chug passenger service only. The boat looks ludicrously fragile, but realistically much of the heavy industry on both sides of the Clyde has gone and the crowds no longer cross.

With the opening of the new Renfrew and Yoker vehicle swing bridge ...

... foot passenger numbers have further declined and the ferry has been withdrawn.

There is a vociferous campaign to get it back, but surely the obvious solution is to run a bus service across the new bridge.

You would think so! BUT ...

Cannot or, more correctly, will not!

The problem, says First, is that the bridge can be closed at the whim of river traffic and "could" be closed "for hours at a time".

If course this is nonsense. There isn't that much river traffic these days, and, surely, the bridge could be opened in between boats to allow buses to proceed. There may be a delay just as there is when Tower Bridge opens in London.

Poor response from First. 

What about the plethora of  independents that ply their trade at Renfrew and Yoker? McGills would seem to be a prime candidate with a much better track record of "having a go."

Another Troubling Bridge

When fbb was nobbut a lad, he remembers hearing, on the wireless, reports of an accident or a big delay at Stonebridge Island, near Coventry. In slightly more recent times there was a large roundabout there ...

c/w a Toby Carvery. Here is a fine Midland Red bus jist departing from the intersection ...

... with Toby in the rear. The A45 (east west) now flys over the north south road.

Historically somewhere in there was a coaching inn ...

... the Stonebridge Hotel. This was later extended dramatically ...

... but it did stand near a stone bridge over the river Blyth, the waters being bbalmost invisible in todays intersection environment.

Alas, there is now no sign of this venerable river crossing, just a weed-infested water course trickling below the on/off ramps to the east of the roundabout. Whether we look north ...

... or south, there is no sign of the original bridgej. Pity.

Are there any buses today that call at Stonebridge? There are bus stop poles and flags on the western A45 on ...

... and off ramps

And Centro provides a route map of sorts.

Stonebridge is the junction to the right. There is a timetable ...

... running on Mondays only.

Note that it is still referred to as Stonebridge Island!

Of course, back in the long lost days of the old hostelry, it was a great watering hole for the cycle club!

For those who might wish to don their lycra and speed off to Toby on two wheels, here is today;s map.

Modelling Matters

A slightly weird bungalow.

This is just one picture from a superb model railway with intricate scenery created with real skill.

The layout is a "re-imaginig" of the Lynton and Barnstaple narrow gauge line.

The bungalow is part of a former Airfix kit (now Dapol), dating from the very early 1960s.

It sold for two shillings (10p) then; and is now about £6.50, a high price for one of the most unrealistic models that Airfix created. It has the smallest coal bunker ever seen on a domestic residence and the.model's proportions are all wron!

P4 Scale?

It stands for Proto 4 which in turn is derived from Prototype 4 millimetre scale. The practitioners of this scale work to a track gauge of 18.83 millimetre (vice 16.5) which is very accurate for four feet eight and a half inches. But such hobbyists go further and seek to ensure that everything on their layout is accurately scaled to 4mm to the foot (or 1:76.4).

The results are magnificent.

It is way, way beyond the skill of fbb, but admirable none the less.

The Highest Bridge

The train is superbly decorated, but the flowers might not stay put if the trains gets up to anything like speed.

The highlight of this new line is the highest bridge on any railway line in the world. The bridge itself is not the tallest ...

... but from track to watercourse below it is the highest. Scale is difficult to assess, but the view below, with a test train crossing, helps with the wow factor.

For those whose geography is better than fbb's. herewith a map of the new through line.

Personal Note:-

The fbb's travel to Sheffield today and, if there is anything untoward to report, tomorrow's blog will be adapted to include the excitement. The fbb's would prefer to "pass" on travelling excitement.

 Next "Up The Pole" blog : Monday 23 June