Playing Catch-up - Insignificant Snippets (2)

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The BBC broadcast one of the most positive bits of bus news that fbb can remember. fbb was idly watching the 1300 bulletin on Bank Holiday Monday (28th May) when up popped a long item about Transdev's Yorkshire Coastliner route 840, Leeds to Whitby. 

fbb would have liked to show you  the timetable ...

... but Transdev seem disinclined to let you see it! Extra journeys for the Bank Holiday weekend were still available yesterday.

The news "headline", at the start of the bulletin, announced the item above, "the UK's most scenic bus route", and the story itself  began with an aerial shot of a shiny blue bus zipping past Goathland Station  (North York Moors Railway).

Other roadside shots ...

... showed the route in all its picturesque glory. There was an interview with a very smartly attired driver who confessed that driving the 840 was a privilege and a pleasure. Thanks to a gorgeous bit of moorland weather ...

... the bus looked superb.

The "sitz im leben" should have been the presentation of the award ...

... but that only appeared as a "still" on the BBC News web site.

But there was an on-bus interview with Paul ...

... in which the Wetherby-resident bus supporter was able to lead into stats and comment about the shameful reduction in rural bus services caused by government cutbacks.

So well done Paul Kirby and Bus Users UK for getting some really upbeat bus reporting on the Beeb.

The item ended with a very short mention of Moorsbus ...

... portraying the service as the only link to the moorland villages and how it relies on donations to survive; not completely true but a reasonable point nevertheless.

Observed En Route

No 1 son is not renowned for his railway knowledge or enthusiasm, but does "commute" from Didcot to London several days a week. A couple of light-hearted observations have graced his twit site recently.

What exactly is this?

It looks, says the lad (aged 44), like a mediaeval illustration of a comet bringing doom on the overly superstitious populace.

In fact it is the lock on the door of a Great Western Railway HST guard's (train manager's) cubby hole worn from 50 years of use. An fbb guess; you would hope it isn't one of their very new bi-modes!

And, to quote, "currently stuck by the grooviest building on my commute."

It is (more correctly was) Southall water tower and is now refurbished as flats.

Not far away is the Southall gas holder.

Is Southall the only national rail station to have its name in Bengali?

Not to be outdone, if the fbb's peer over the new housing development adjacent to their extensive estate ...

... they can just spot Seaton Tower peeping up above the trees.

This, too, is an ex-water tower converted into just one dwelling but with more spectacular views!

Tram Track Renewal Snippets
The current rail replacement programme at Sheffield Supertram continues until mid September. The Supertram people have been admirably thorough in their at-stop publicity. The current work is between Hillsborough and Middlewood on the "Yellow" route to the north of the city.

Meanwhile, at the Halfway terminus to the south-east of  the city, (and about as far from Hillsborough as you can get by tram) everything is fully explained.

There's lovely!

There is also summary of the actual arrangements.

 

A fuller explanation is available on line as previously blogged.

Replacement buses are provided but timetables for the revised SL1 and SL1a remain a state secret.

Nobody has actually managed to publish a timetable anywhere. Presumably Sheffielders have to guess!

It's All On-Line No 421
fbb has been spending hisd pennies again on something brand new for the model railway in addition to the £34.90 three way point. It is coming from Hattons, formerly of Liverpool but now of Widnes.

It was ordered on Friday evening and the order was processed on Saturday. fbb was amazed that his goodies were "picked and packed" on Sunday afternoon and he could, thereafter, "track his delivery".

It was still "expected" by Royal Mail all day Monday 28th but, as it was a Bank Holiday, fbb "expected" nothing more.

Yesterday morning (29th), alas, it was still "expected" and at 1900 was, (pause for amazement at the power of modern technology) ...

... still expected at 06:08pm on Sunday 27th. At 2200 last night the Tracker page was ...

...completely blank.

When will it be delivered to fbb?

 At last The Scoop blog : Thursday 31st May