But first; a look at TV!
Confusing Continuity Complications
Hmmm.
New Year's day saw Episode 1 of a new three part series of "Sherlock". The episode was frantic, utterly daft but gripping nevertheless. It concerned an "undergound terrorist group" threatening a major attack on London.
The story so far. Holmes (Benerbatch Cumberdict) had plunged to his death off a London Office block (vice Reichenbach Falls) in a final altercation with Moriarty. Two years later, Watson (Martin Freeman) is recovering from his despair and decides to pay a visit to 221B Baker Street. By Underground.
There are many scene setting shots of Sub-surface (big) underground trains ...
... quite correct for Baker Street station, Circle and Metropolitan lines.
But the scene keeps returning to a morose Watson ...
... sitting on a tube (small) trains. Having followed his journey with outside shots of a big train, he concludes by alighting from a small train.
Well, he could have used the Bakerloo line. Possibly?
Later Holmes is examining closed circuit camera pictures of St James Park Station ...
... which is on the Circle Line (big trains) but which has suddenly developed a lower level tube (small trains) station.
In the dénouement to the adventure, Holmes and Watson scuttle through tunnels and passageways to investigate this particular train.
And there, near an un-opened station between St James Park and Westminster (? actually Aldwych) ...
... is the errant tube stock. The dynamic duo climb in ...
... and, once inside, the tube-sized small train expands to be a sub-surface big train ...
... which doesn't look quite like any "big" underground stock. But fbb is not an expert in such matters.
But, as they say of the Tardis, "it's bigger on the inside than the outside!"
Mrs fbb interjects, "But it's only a story!"
True enough! But, in a programme costing millions to make and being sold round the world for even more millions, you would have thought that the producers could get their continuity right! Hey ho; if it's in a tunnel and painted red, with white and blue, it must be Underground.
And, of course, Holmes did not die!
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Back to the quiz!
Some of fbb's old, decayed slides:
A selection will be presented in the
form of a post-festive quiz.
Answers and other information will be
posted on the following day's blog
yesterday's answer
Pedantically, this is the entrance to Townhead Street bus garage, Sheffield. But it wasn't quite as straightforward as that.
Sheffield is very hilly and there are few flat bits, even in the city centre. Once you leave the River Don and the Porter Brook Valleys (Porter Brook, a good name for a train leasing company?) it is uphill to almost anywhere. This geographical feature enabled Sheffield Transport's engineers to build a double deck facility. The lower deck was Tenter Street tram depot with an entrance far left on the above photo.
Here is the tram level under construction ...
... and, soon after opening in 1928, the upper deck bus level.
It was the last operational tram depot in the city and after "the end" in 1960 it was modified for buses.
There was plenty of opportunity for altercations with roof pillars, hence the extra "protection" at the foot of each column!
The depot was closed in 1968, quickly demolished, and replaced by a faceless concrete office block.
Whilst double deck buses have long been a feature of UK's public transport, double deck depots are not common. fbb remembers such in Bournemouth and (with unused lower level?) in St Ives. Were there others?
It is significant that only one of Sheffield Transport's 1960s garages remains in use today. Herries is largely rebuilt and modernised as warehousing, Greenland is a mega-B&Q, part of Leadmill's building remains ...
... leaving East Bank still in use and called Charlotte Road!
Oh, yes; and the stations.
Top left, St Enoch, Glasgow; breathing its undignified last as a car park. Now replaced by a shopping centre.
Top right, Southampton Central with the newer Overline House.
Bottom left, Birmingham New Street soon after its 1960s rebuild. The signals were distinctive.
Bottom right, Bridge Street "subway", Glasgow. Now rebuilt ...
... but not looking much better. Perhaps it's a bit less smelly?
Tomorrow and Sunday, we return to "normal" blogging (if such a description is possible!), with a look at some of the transport books that the other Christmas fat bloke ...
... popped into our own fbb's ample stocking.
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Next book review blog : Saturday 4th January
Not a depot, but there was the double deck bus/coach station at Kings Cross
ReplyDeleteI think the Arriva (former Maidstone and District) depot in Tunbridge Wells is or was on two levels.
ReplyDeleteEastern Scottish's now-demolished depot in New Street, Edinburgh, was also on a sloping site with two levels, although the lower was for single decks only. It was visible on the left as trains popped out of the final tunnel before arriving at Waverley station.
ReplyDeleteFor similar reasons, United Auto's Scarborough depot was also a double-deck affair, while LT's Gillingham Street garage in Victoria had a basement, used in later years by the (Streetline?) minibus unit. I have also seen pictures of a basement parking level at Victoria Coach Station.
But for really impressive multi-level depots, try Hong Kong, such as this example here: http://goo.gl/maps/JXq7B.
There's a closer view here - http://goo.gl/maps/YYA1J - though really that's too near to appreciate it in all its glory!