Beautiful Barton Bus Book

 A Christmas Treat

It definitely is NOT the effect of seasonal over indulgence alcohol-wise, but fbb did not grasp the hilarity of author Keith's jolly jape. The "streetlights" are hospital bedside drip feed things. Hence the phrase 'intensive care'.

Chortle, chortle.

The Book deals very thoroughly with Barton's struggles in the chaotic years following deregulation. The blub on the back of the book gives a good summary of its contents.

So the tale starts with the take-over  by Trent.

Looking back, it does seem that the sale to Trent (Wellglade) saved this historic bus operator from likely extinction.

A short blog cannot do justice to the book which is packed with timetables, vehicle allocation rosters and loads of local maps. The book begins with the network on takeover ...

.. and ends with the consequences of the intensive care under the encouraging heading of ...

You would need to look closely, but the later network is similar but more commercially sustainable.

Well that's what they hoped for.

It is worth, at this stage, reminding ourselves that Barton was still very much a separate operation from that of Trent. Now the companies have become one!

As well as the "inheritance" network, we are reminded that the takeover was a tough time for Barton's loyal staff ...

... but, inevitably, there were redundancies as the new management worked to stabilise their acquisition. An urgent need was to deal with the competition which, as was common in these early years of the new-look bus industry, was a real challenge.

The author gives detailed timetables for the days preceding 'treatment', plus a whole heap of other operational detail. For the student of the bus industry, this information is a real eye-opener. For a Nottingham resident and bus enthusiast, it is  fascinating to look at then and now.

fbb may well do that in a future blog,

Pictures of the competition illustrate the challenge that the 'new' Barton faced.

One of the biggest attackers was Nottingham City Transport, then, as now, a Council owned company

Melton Mowbray, an area somewhat remote from home base, was particularly challenging because town services were not strong enough to sustain two rival operators.

The book has short chapter on what Barton did and didn't.

Then there were the minibuses ...

... and fbb had never thought of the hallowed Nottingham stalwart as lowering itself to run bread vans!

Even as the company returned to stability, there were still outbreaks of competitive incursions and here on route 115 ...

Annison didn't last!

We read of brightening up of the livery with a less fussy logo ...

... printed publicity in colour ...

... and a share in Trent's route branding.

Bus stop poles and frames also got a much needed refresh.

The original "style" appears on the right!

Of course, Keith Shaysutt knows what he is talking about, he was there ...

... which makes the book even more telling.

This book is a MUST for the serious student of the industry but for the bus spotter it is packed with pictures of Barton's fleet during those years - sadly no double decks back then! 

Get someone to buy it as a Christmas present then ...

... settle down with a mug of tea and a couple of mince pies ...

... and enjoy. The log fire is joyous but optional!

It will certainly be better than Christmas telly!

A minor health warning. This book was delivered to fbb mansions on Saturday so this review has been somewhat cursory. But it did seem to sit well with the old man's Nottingham railway investigations, which continue tomorrow.

If fbb has misrepresented Mr Shayshutt's book, he apologises but a short blog can only be a taster.

You know what to do to get it right!

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 O utstanding  O ffer

Quirky Answer, coming up ...

But first, another question. What is Christmas FOR?

Since Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, the gift of Free Will to humanity has allowed people to make a choice, between good and bad, between right and wrong, between truth and lie. 

Many want God to do something; but it turns out that they want God to do something to change others but what God really wants is for people to do something to change themselves.

That is why Jesus was born; that is what Christmas in FOR!

Quirky Answer coming up!

Nicodemus came by night!

He was a respected member of the Sanhedrin, the leadership of the Jews, which was appalled at Jesus' revolutionary teaching; a group that ultimately condemned him to death.

One night Nicodemus went to Jesus and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher sent by God. No one could perform the miracles you are doing unless God were with him.”

Jesus answered, “I am telling you the truth: no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born again.”

“How can a grown man be born again?” Nicodemus asked. “He certainly cannot enter his mother's womb and be born a second time!”

The Son of God must be lifted up (on he cross!), so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him  may not die but have eternal life .

That last sentence is what Christmas was for!

Christmas certainly wasn't pretty in the end ...

... as Nicodemus and his friend Joseph (called "of Arimathea" also of the Sanhedrin) took the body and laid it in Joseph's tomb. Quirky Question answered. 

And we know what happened next!

But we are only at the beginning of the story; there is a long three year way to go!

Quirky Question : Which despised man did what a priest and a professor wouldn't?

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  Next Nottingham blog : Tues 16th December 

What's Not In Nottingham (2)

 Passengers : Parcels : Pool

We need to get our bearings! The RED line is the Midland Railway running from the east into Nottingham Midland station. The PINK line is London Road, leading from the historic centre of Nottingham to, guess where, London. The YELLOW area is Nottingham London Road Low Level station and its approaches and appurtenances., the ambit of the Great Norther Railway (GNR).

The rest will feature later.

The GNR arrived from the east - from Grantham - and, at first, had rights of access to the original and only Nottingham station,later with "Midland" added. But the relationship between the two companies was, at times, tortuous.

So in 1857 the GNR opened its own station, Nottingham London Road, later with 'Low Level' added. 

This was a grand affair with opulent station buildings ...

... and a large four bay covered train shed, subsequently extended with a three bay addition, The station handled passengers ...

... with parcels and light goods services sharing the platforms.

By the end of the 19th Century, The Great Central Railway was building its Victoria station in Nottingham, so the GNR jumped into bed with them and built a chord line into their station. This took most trains away from Low Level and into a better environment for connections and onward travel.

After lingering for a good many years, the original terminus closed to passengers in 1944.

But the (not so Great?) British Railways were ready to take over their splendid station and transform it into the parcels depot for Nottingham ...

... ultimately becoming wholly BRUTE-alised!

For a while in the early 1960s the station was a popular visit for rail tours.

... even hosting a visit from the preserved GNR Stirling Single ...

... attracting far bigger crowds than the station ever did when in normal passenger use!

Because of its rebirth as a parcels depot, the station buildings survived intact and were later occupied by a well known Health Club.

Whether by planning requirements or by commercial constraints, much of the station was rebuilt, refurbished and upgraded for its new purpose, and that included its splendid train shed.

Ineeed, the roof is unchanged in size and scope.

No doubt the ghosts of GNR passengers would recognise something of their former terminus, but fbb does wonder how many of those submitting themselves to today's masochism will realise that they lift, groan and sweat where once stood trains for Grantham!

Virgin customers now swim where once GNR locos deposited ash, steam and oil in the inter-platform track beds!

Only a hazy memory exists photographically of where eager travellers would enter for the departure of their eastbound trains.

Hey ho, such is progress.

Sadly, the other three stations did not fare so well. We shall return to them from Tuesday onwards. In the meantime a book review from Nottingham will adorn tomorrow's blog.

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N azarene  N onentity

Quirky Answer, coming up ...

The title might shock some readers, especially some Christian readers. But. because of the extras that has been heaped on Christmas to make it pretty and to provide fodder for nativity plays, we become bamboozled by a sort of folksy celebration of prettiness and clutter - so bamboozled that the historic Birthday of Yeshua Ben Yusuf (Jesus son of Joseph) is lost in the man-made hype.

The Nativity was NOT PRETTY.

The most likely location for the birth of the Christ Child ...

Quirky Answer - and his manger was in one of the caves used by Shepherds to winter their flocks.

These caves are near (even under) what is now known as "The Shepherds' Field".

About two years later a group (number unspecified) of Zoroastrian Magi rocked up having studied the stars and followed one that was a bit weird. [Note : God's miraculous involvement in the  ways of humanity can be scary and weird - but they always make a difference.]

They came, according to Matthew's Gospel, to the house where the family was living.

It is unlikely that they would wear posh costumes and silly hats for a lengthy journey by horse (yep, no camels get a mention, horses would be the choice of such VIPs!) ...

... but whatever clutter you add, the most important part of the visit was he gifts.

Gold for a King - Jesus in his heavenly role.

Incense for a Priest - Jesus as the our way to God

Myrrh for a Death - Jesus came to die on a cross

The Wise Man narrative was NOT PRETTY.

Apart from one incident when, aged about 12, Jesus got separate from his parents because he was having a theological discussion with the Temple Priests ...

... we know NOTHING of the Nazarene Nonentity until ...

... It was the right time for the Nonentity to assume his full identity - and begin just three years of carefully recorded activity.

Quirky Question : Who came7 to Jesus in secret and, three years later, helped him publicly in death?

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  Next Beautiful Bus blog : Mon 15th December