Monday Variety

Internet Insanity!

fbb is often amazed how naive some Internet users a4e. From time to time he collects ridiculous intro screens to YouTube postings. Inevitably the utterly crackpot "amazing" event never appears in the actual video.  No vehicle like the above would be practical, and it would not be allowed on the road even if it were technically possible.

It is odd that this horrific boat crash never registered in the conventional media.

fbb is really excited to contemplate the raising of one of Adolph's "treasure trains". It is just such a pity that the salvage experts didn't check the the doors were locked before the crane hauled.

It wasca clever idea, however, to hide8 gold in the locomotive boiler.

Then there is the return if the scantily clad female running away from a crashed train. In this picture a super giant truck is relatively little harmed as it has been driven into a badly dented train.

This is the fourth time fbb has spotted the dolly bird at various train mishaps. 

A truck of normal size would be about the same height as the headlights.

Then there is this item.

It is NOT a 'model train', it refers to a 'miniature railway' and no part of its layout looks like the above. Here is what it looks like for real.

And finally another daft crash. For this to be real, the railway company must have built a siding (without buffer stops) into someone's back garden.

One of the huge benefits of the Internet is in providing helpful and interesting accurate information.

Trams For Bristol

About five years ago a report was published suggesting strongly that a tram network makes sense for Bristol. Recent schemes have included underground railways (VERY unlikely, ever!) and the very underwhelming Metro which delivered a few bits of guided busway (but not on the corners!).

The current tram plan is shown below ...

... and the report shows purple trams on the Gloucester Road!

Local press articles are guarded.

And rightly so!

But we've been there before.

And again.

Will this time be any different?

And, ahem, when will Portishead actually happen?

Misery At Mousehole

Yesterday was the day that GoAhead replaced First Bus in Corwall. fbb has already examined the new services and found most of them to be worse than First's immediately before their departure.

But the natives are revolting.

From yesterday, Mousehole buses turn well short of Mousehole, a poor replacement for buses to the harbourside.

Here is an extract from the local news feeds.

And a rather feeble comment from GoAhead.

Buses have reached the harbour for many, many years. And for most of those many years the vehicles have been far bigger and thus better than the outgoing minibuses.

Bring back the LH!

The recent pictures show crowds waiting for the bus ...

... but a film crew often attracts more passengers than a routine bus departure!

But one thing is certain. There will be far fewer passengers for Mousehole under the pathetic GoAhead timetable.

Peterville Castle Progressive Creation

The 'Black Tower' now has its viewing gallery re-installed. Also appearing is a quaint hillside cottage. It was a gift from a chum whose father made models professionally. 

It is to 3mm scale (UK old TT scale). The idea is to experiment with "trompe l'oeil" fake perspective.

fbb also has the local ancestral hall in 2mm scale to be added somewhere. 

Currently the white cottage is glued to the backscene with land and foliage are still to be added.

Here is a view showing both the miraculously suspended cottage ...

... and the developing ancillary premises and souvenir shop all on the escarpment level. These extra buildings were small Metcalf kits supplied free with Railway Modeller.

Coming tomorrow, this:-

  Next Book Review blog : Tues 17th Feb 

Sunday Variety

Olly Spends The Lolly!

We don't hear quite so much from South Yorkshire's Mega Metro Mayor as we do from Andy, Steve and Tracy. But, occasionally he does make some earth shattering (?) announcement. A couple of years ago, Oliver Coppard announced that buses would be fully franchised by the end of 2026.

Really?

Anyway he has had a jackpot idea.

Has nobody tried that before?

We have heard it all before. YAWN!

£800,000 for "a test".

For 800k less, fbb will do a study. 

Done it!

DRT doesn't work, is not popular with passengers and will cost shed loads of money with little or no benefit.

Almost all "revolutionary", "innovative" and "inclusive" DRT services introduced elsewhere have closed once the taxpayers significant start-up contribution runs out.

Some have been replaced by "revolutionary", "innovative" and "inclusive" normal bus services at a much lower cost to their community.

Somebody should tell Olly!

Everybody's Extremely Excited ...

... about a repainted train!

They used to look like the above. Who remembers when Virgin CrossCountry started running trains everywhere? There were, briefly, hourly trains from Birmingham to Portsmouth. 

The excessive complexity failed, mainly because of overcrowding on the 'traditional' Cross Country networks.

Virgin then begat Arriva and a repaint ...

... with matching HSTs providing much better accommodation on the core network.

But the HSTs, although popular, have been withdrawn.

Some Voyager trains have now been transferred from West Coast but overcrowding is still a problem, particularly on that busy core between Sheffield and Bristol, Manchester and Reading.

But we are not buying new trains. We are "refreshing" the old ones.

So here is an old one ...

... and here is a similar interior, 'refreshed'.

It looks like new seats, brighter lighting, new carpet and a full repaint. Nice. Ditto in First Class ...

Ditto the toilets.

King of the rail and bus video, Geoff Marshall, was particularly excited by the toilets. And the outside is repainted in the new CrossCountry livery all launched recently with much drama at Litchurch Lane, Derby.

There was a speech (brief) from the boss ...

... a bit of a refurbished trains glided through the curtain.

It is red!

It will take at least two years to do them all, by which time ...

... they will need the new and exciting GBR corporate identity.

Whilst it is great to see trains properly refurbished, what the CrossCountry network needs us more, longer trains with more luggage space and, above all, more seats to cope with demand.

More Local Control

It's a bit like DRT. As yet another franchising is an unproven and expensive craze,

And, so far at least, all we have seen elsewhere are some new buses and a lot of yellow paint!

For The Man Who Has Everything

A small flock of chickens that cluck.

Or two men in lederhosen blowing alpenhorns.

Both have real sound, but sadly, no movement. Surely the chickens should scuttle about and peck the ground whilst clucking happily. 

fbb thinks you have to be fairly static to work an alpenhorn.

You will soon need ear protectors to visit a model railway!

This is not a joke. German manufacturer Noch, purveyor of superb HO scenic models and miniature people, has just launched a range with sound.

ADVANCE NOTICE Tuesday's blog will be a book review with a subject that is very dear to fbb's heart.

Cross Country A P.S.

Those invited to Derby got posh illustrated biscuits - you could eat a refurbished Voyager!

You also got a badge.

Now those are far more exciting than the not new trains!

  Next Variety blog : Monday 16th Feb 

Glasgow Metro - Part 5

Baffling At Barnhill : Confusing At Cathcart

Glasgow's suburban train services are complex and baffling to newcomers and visitors; as lines have re-opened and services have improved things have become even more baffling. Services are particularly complex on the lines coloured DARK BLUE on the map above.

Here is the map that accompanies some of the information.

It is shown here in two bits with its continuation eastbound shopping below.

And here us just a teensy chunk of the timetable.

And that is not the whole story. On the above table, services via Bathgate to Edinburgh are only shown with selected stops; you need another map ....

... and another table for the whole picture. This is to cope with the huge number of stops served on a train, for example, from Helensburgh to Edinburgh!

The map above only gives limited information west of the centre of Glasgow. So you need two maps and two vast timetables to get the full picture.

But this blog concerns, in part, services from Milngavie, ancestral home of Mrs fbb. For many a long year there has been a train every 30 minutes via Glasgow Queen Street Low Level to Springburn. Recent developments have added a Monday to Friday peak hour service to Airdrie and Edinburgh giving a train from Milngavie every 15 minutes.

All trains from Milngavie use the line via Queen Street Low Level ...

... which they have done since 1960 when the Blue Train electrics arrived.

On the contentious 'Get Glasgow Moving' map the service from Dalmuir and Milngavie is coloured YELLOW.

All train on this route now run into Central Low Level and beyond, thus diverting passengers who have used Queen Street for 66 years!

But it is how they get there that will challenge even more users, IF it ever happens.

After Jordanhill and just before Hyndland, train will turn left and run via the long-closed Botanic Gardens ...

... and the long-closed Kelvinbridge ...

... to join the former tunnels under Central.

Here, courtesy of Google StreetView is that left hander just before Hyndland station (Below, bottom left).

The turn would involve demolishing those new-ish grey-roofed buildings, part of Gartnavel Hospital and dropping down in height to that leafy scar running to the right of the blocks to be demolished.

The knowledgeable might think that the route follows that curved line of tenements on the right. In fact there used to be a short branch to the original Hyndland station ...

... shown below with a steam train in situ.

A church is still there ...

... and opposite the church is the appropriately named Station Gardens ...

... but we are not going that way because it always was a dead end terminus station.

No, sir; we track northbound with the hospital to our left.

It is here that the re-opening brigade will have to lay their double track and overhead string electrified at 25 kilovolts. fbb is sure that the hospital management will not mind a bit.

We come to the Great Western Road A82 which we crossed riding southbound at Anniesland some time ago (see first "yellow route" map above).

Here once stood Kelvinside station and the entrance to a short tunnel.. 

Perhaps we need another map.

The Great Western Road runs diagonally past Kelvinside station. Blue lines are still open, red are very much closed.

fbb is sure that passengers from Milngavie and Dalmuir plus intermediate stations will really appreciate the more wiggly and thus more tedious route to where they don't want to go in central Glasgow.

Kelvinside station building is still there c/w the tunnel mouth ...

... and it looks very grand as a posh restaurant.

Our re-opened yellow route then curves round to aim south again for the former Kirklee station.

Kelvinside and Kirklee are not on the proposed map of the yellow line.

The approach to Kirklee from the north seems to need some demolition!

But the bridge abutments are still there!

A turn eastbound takes the line in tunnel to Botanic Gardens, then southbound again via Kelvinbridge.

Today's Kelvinbridge area is almost unrecognisable compared with the old picture from above ...

... with the main girder being the last remnant.

And how you would get a double track railway from Kelvinbridge (below, top right) ...

... to Exhibition Centre bottom left is beyond the wit, the knowledge and the remote investigation skills of your inquisitive blogger. It is also, fbb suggests, beyond any conceivable bank balance of Strathclyde PTE, Glasgow City Council, the Scottish Government, the UK Governments and a whole cadre if Russian oligarchs.

You would be VERY surprised if this yellow route EVER happened.

There will be more from Glasgow next week. 

  Next Variety blog : Sunday 15th Feb