Today's Comfort - Part 1

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Please be Advised;

DECEMBER BLOGS

fbb will be adding his traditional "Advent Calendar" each day from 1st to 26th December. 

Question : What have asymmetric, amorphous, agnostic and apathetic got in common? Answer tomorrow. (and its more than their initial letter)

As your increasingly ancient blogger is in need of a bit of a break, the Public Transport content of December postings will be somewhat reduced in amount, but, hopefully not reduced in stimulation and excitement.

Hmmm?

Then, again, in a hectic weekend, the external Christmas decorations at fbb mansion have been installed and were formally due to be switched on by the property owner, namely Mr Tubbles ...

... but he just  couldn't be bothered.

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ComfortDelGro

The company is based in Singaapore and is the result of a merger of two big big operators called, surprisingly 'Comfort' and 'Delgro'. The history of the constituent companies is long and complex and just a step to far for a full fbb investigation.

There were Comfort taxis, including the iconic and much loved Singapore "yellow top" cars.

Readers may wonder how this subsidiary got its name!

The Delgro bit included Singapore Bus Services ...

Even that is complicated now, with smart green buses operated by a variety of companies.

ComfortDepGro ...

... Tower Transit (whom we have met before) ...

... GoAhead (we've heard of them) ...

... and a fourth company that looks a bit different!

ComfortDelGro have wider interests in Singaopore ...

... including taxis which are now either yellow with 'ComfortDelGro' branding ...

... or they might be blue!

But the company's interests are world wide. There are operations in China, in New Zealand ...

... and in Stockholm.

Some activity is joint with other companies (as it is in Stockholm). 

But nearer to home is a long distance coach service in the Republic of Ireland.

The name may be familiar.

So here is a challenge for our readers with time to spare (?). Can you identify the UK companies from this list of ComfotDelGro subsidiaries?

More to come tomorrow.

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'A' is, of course, for Advent which is the pre Christmas preparation season. In the "official" Church Calendar, Christmas starts at midnight on Christmas Eve. How different things are in the commercial secular world!

But his blog snippet is about:-

 A ssorted  A ttitudes

The Greek word "A" (or maybe it is a syllable) means something like "there is no ...". So for ...

 A symmetric Bars ...

... there is no symmetry. For  A morphous carbon (soot) ...

... there is no "morph", i.e. shape.

So an  A theist opines that there is no God, a standpoint that needs as much Faith as a believer! 

An  A gnostic usually uses the word to imply a lack of interest in God, but that is simply not what the word really means. Gnosis was a Greek "religion" which is difficult to understand; but the idea is that your faith was based on a philosophical "knowledge" (whatever that meant). So a true agnostic has no "philosophical knowledge" of God,

A better word is  A pathetic. In the past "pathos" meant simply "emotion". So someone who is apathetic has no emotion; i.e simply doesn't care.

Why do the Atheist, the Agnostic, the Apathetic bother to celebrate Christmas?

Of course many millions world-wide celebrate the birth of the Saviour of the world, he who forgives our godlessness and gives us a fresh start. And why do we actually need forgiveness?

That is part 2 of the season which started on Sunday ...

...   A dvent. This month is not just about preparing for Christmas, the coming if Jesus to earth; Advent is also about His return at the end of time. For some that might not be as much fun as for Christmas.

Also there should be an "A" word for those who do accept the vital nature of a true Christian faith.

How about  A dubitable? There is no doubt?

Quirky Question : How many 'books" (chunks with separate titles) are there in the Bible; and how many of those "books" tell us about the First Christmas?

Answer tomorrow

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 Next Comfort blog : Tuesday 2nd December 

Sunday Variety

 Spot The Difference 1

Above is a British Rail class 376 operated by South Eastern Railway. These units are approx 20 years old and have been looking a bit tatty round the edges. The mainly-white livery was never a good idea for UK weather. After 20 years the interiors were, well, used!

Recently, South Eastern have accepted South Western Class 707 cast-offs ...

... and painted them dark blue ...

... calling then City Beam. No, neither fbb nor anyone else knows why!

Anyway, the bosses at South Eastern decided to refurbished their 376 trains (there white ones; pay attrntion at the back!) which was a good idea.

And guess what? The 376s are now appearing in the same two blues paint scheme as the 707s.  

First we were provided with an artists impression of 376 ...

... and the real things are now appearing.

The very observant will immediately spot that a 376 has a three panel windscreen whilst a 707 doesn't!

The insides are almost identical ...

Class 376

Class 707

Or is it the other way round?

But one cheeky chappie has noticed a more tangible difference.

fbb is unclear why the wriiter is intending to play sport in a railway train. This is a most anti-social activity. Balls should be for the games field, not for South Eastern commuter trains.

Tut tut!

Spot The Difference 2

This is a Deutsche Bahn class 200/220 diesel locomotive.

The design and the livery were iconic, recognised world wide as a classic.

When British Railways was implementing its modernisation plan way back in the mists of ferroequinological history, the Western Region would have no time for they new fangled diesel electrics. Their diesels would be different!

So, up pops the D800 Warship class.

But, don't tell anyone, the Warship was very much a slightly cut down version of the DB 200/220 design.

Even a non-enthusiast could spot the similarity!

So is this a DB 22o hauling blue and grey BR Mark I carriages ...

... and arriving, possibly, at Whitby?

No it isn't!

It is a BR D800 repainted to look like it's German predecessor!

Nice but nonsense!

Spot The Difference 3

Can our readers tell the difference between a real news story and fanciful speculation.

The item above refres to a planned Tyne and Wear Metro extension to serve the now quite old new town of Washington. The Metro route is in dotty green on the above map.

The obvious implication is that the imminent (?) re-opening if the 'Leamside' line would be good news for the Metro extension.

Here is a slightly fuzzy plan of the proposed new chunk of Metro ...

... this time in red but shown as an addition to the existing  Metro route diagram.

The 'Leamside' line also runs through Washington and is a heavy rail route often proposed for re-opening.

Now hear is another on-line snippet headline.

The implications of this version of the story seem to be that the planned delivery if the Metro extension might be very good news for the 'Leamside' line re-opening.

So it seems to be a rejig of the age old philosophical question, namely, which came first, the chicken 'Leamside' or the egg Metro.

What has provoked this speculation is this on-line news item.

Contractors?

For contractor, read consultant! And it would appear to be another set of consultants.

So no rush, then?

The crunch question, consultants aside, is who will provide the money; Rachel, please add the projects to the list.

See the Obvious Difference!

A lot of somebody's money is being spent on Notwork Rail's Trans Pennine route upgrade and oodles of stuff is happening with the aim of speeding up the services.

Huddersfield station has been "done" ...

... with four tracks to the east.

Aerial views show the huge upheaval at Mirfield station ...

... and work to create a grade-separated junction at Ravensthorpe.

The whole project us known, technically, as "big"!

It is also costing we taxpayers a huge heap of pennies.

We can see why Rachel wants us to make a "small additional contribution" as our taxes (NI, income tax, VAT) are not being increased but thresholds and other "adjustments" will mean we all happily "make a small contribution".

Hmmmm?

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Please be Advised;

DECEMBER BLOGS

fbb will be adding his traditional "Advent Calendar" each day from 1st to 26th December. Thus year the theme is:-

Christmas is Not Just for Christmas

It's as Easy as A to Z

To that end, there will be a daily quirky quiz question, mainly about Christmas; to be answered in the following day's  blog.

Question : What have asymmetric, amorphous, agnostic and apathetic got in common? Answer tomorrow. (and its more than their initial letter)

Intriguing, eh?

As your increasingly ancient blogger is in need of a bit of a break, the Public Transport content of December postings will be somewhat reduced in amount, but, hopefully not reduced in stimulation and excitement.

Hmmm?

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   Next Seasonal A blog  : Monday 1st December 

Saturday Variety

PLEASE NOTE

Part 2 of Comfort-able will now followon MONDAY

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How Much?

Possibly a mistake, but you never know!

Really?

When fbb first saw this, he was very nearly convinced. But then he spotted this note skulking bottom left.

Another lie designed to draw you in to a web site so you cab be exposed to advertising. fbb is considering putting out a news item about a word-wide shortage of OO and HO tank wagons, the training to the Antibes on the proceeds of the sale of his collection.

No, that would contravene at least two of the Ten Commandments and fbb's ultimate boss would be unhappy.

There was some debate about the above illustration, asking from which hole the smoke might escape.

Obvious. Like a 9F with a Crosti boiler, it issues forth from the other side.

What a Good Idea

See, those clever chappies from down under have cone up with a cheapo way to cut their emissions. (fbb used to be fed Milk of Magnesia).

As the engin us a diesel generating the electric to power the motors to drive the wheels, why not tack a "tender" on the back and pack it full of electricity. Then you don't need catenary, third rail, sub stations or any of the other stuff that makes the electric rather expensive.

It us a wonder that nobody has though if that before - a truck packed full of fuel ...

... but, would it work?

Don't Panic!

Cornwall Council has done a 'Corporal Jones' in response to First's  clise-down in the county. First is contracted to run the Truro Park and Ride.

Apparently, the Coucil will award the contract to another operator.

Yet another big surprise from the convoluted world of Public Transport.

In the December Modern Railways, we have a lavish illustrated supplement telling hiw wonderful Freightliber is on its 60th anniversary.

The Future's Bright, The Future's Orange

Freightliner was the result of the much maligned Beeching report. The Great and Good doctor had rhe prescience to prophesy the proliferation of containerisation.

The loco in 60th livery was on display at the Derby Rail 200 show.

Privatised Frightliner went to an attractive green and yellow livery but GB owned. It is now part of ...

Genesis and Wyoming, itself owned by a Canadian investment bank. The orange is very powerful, but the above picture does illustrate that Freightliner is now a general freight company doting much more than carrying tim boxes around.

Remember Colindale ...

.... a London Underground station which used to look like this.

... and was rebuilt to look like this.

But the opportunity for property development and the need for accessibility has produced Colindale Mark III. 

The new station is bigger with an environmentally enviroomental timber roof.

It is nearly finished in reality ...

... spectacular inside (artist's impression below).

A view from the platform shows all the extra stuff ...

... to allow for a lift.

New tower blocks will be added beside the station building.

We will visit another much improved station as part of tomorrow's blog.

Tank Wagon Terminological Worry

This is a Hornby R227.

It is part if fbb's  additional collection of "Shell" vehicles from all over Europe. 

But then get came across this one, also Hornby and also in yellow "Shell" livery ...

E

... but without "Shell".

Oddly it is also catalogued as an R227.

  Next Variety blog : Sunday 30th Nov