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?

=======================

   Next Seasonal A blog  : Monday 1st December 

Saturday Variety

PLEASE NOTE

Part 2 of Comfort-able will now followon MONDAY

====================

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 

Comfort-able in Leicestershire

Way Back Then

Back in the 1900s the main employer in Barlestoner was the local pit, involving a stroll along the road to Desford.

Two Miners saw an opportunity to enhance their income and in 1919 bought a bus to carry themselves and their mates to and from the pithead. They were Walter and Edward Gibson who often worked a shift at the pit aftet dtiving their bus.. 

Their first vehicle was nicknamed the "Misery" because it was not particularly comfortable and didn't like going up hills. Rumours were rife that passengers had to get out and push!

To expand their business to carry passengers between the local villages, they bought a somewhat more luxurious vehicle which gained the name "Comfort" which soon became the brand name for the company.

A deep red (maroon) livery was chosen as illustrated in these 'colourised' photos of a selection of older vehicles.

Their first service that has a link with today's routes started in 1922 and ran to the Blue Boar pub ...

... on Southgate Street in Leicester. The pub is no more.

The brothers appointed a manager (Mr Mills) in 1931 who actually designed a bus, one of only two made and bodies by Willowbrook of Loughborough. It cost £500.

In 1949 the first double decker arrived and the company history reports that it was ex London Transport RT but "bought from a depot in Stratford upon Avon" (would that have been a Stratford Blue RT?). Several RTs joined the fleet in the post WW2 years.

By the early 1970s the company owned 13 buses and employed 19 staff still based in Barlestone.

The company's core main line route had become at least hourly running from Market Bosworth via Barlestone to Leicester.

More Recently

Sadly, for their loyal local customers, the company was sold to Leicester City Tranport in 1979. Operations were still based in the Comfort garage in Barlestone and, for a while Leicester City buses carried the former company name ...

... but, oddly, not the much better known Comfort brand!

The end came in 1993, when Leicester City sold the business to Midland Red ...

.. who closed the Barlestine depot - surprise surprise. The core route became 153.

And Now ...

... Midland Red was to become Arriva blue witth the core route still being numbered 153.

Note certain journeys omit Barlesone on the above Arriva map. Buses now run hourly and have been diverted to serve Kirby Muxlow ...

All journeys now do a loop from Newbold Verdon direct to Market Bosworth then returning via Barlestone which makes for a lengthy journey from Leicester!

How the mighty have fallen.

If you go to Barlestone and seek out buses in the Leicester direction from outside the pub ...

... you are treated to a lavish pole and flag plus a timetable frame containing some sort of information.

... whereas opposite you get a stop but an empty frame.

This is from Streetview which, understandably, is not always up-to-date, so hopefilly the travelling public is better informed by now.

Hmmm? It is Arriva!

What hasn't changed is Leicestershire County's 100% awful network map ...

... so different from that produced for City services. There is the 153 powering into town via Kirby Muxloe c/o 'Leicestersj Buses'.

Is Arriva's on-line route map better than the County's?

NO!

In a convoluted way, we do still have a sort of "Comfort" bus service running in the UK today, of which more tomorrow.

 Next Comfort Bus blog : Saturday 29th Nov