If it ever happens (there are at least three more consultation phases and the present plan is already Mark 2) the re-jig of bus routes in Dublin will be substantial and will "improve services" by removing many through buses into the centre of the city and replacing them with "local" links. In yesterday's blog we have already seen the negative impact of the cunning plan for the service 66 group of routes serving passengers in the Leixlip area.
Not good for the public, but, presumably good for reducing costs?
Today we take a quick look at the 25s. The 25 itself only runs hourly ...
... to Dodsboro (apparently without the "ugh") which is beyond Lucan and south of the M4.
Photographic evidence suggests that the 25 turns via this narrow road (Tandy's Lane) ...
... and re-appears at a picturesque shrine before setting off back to Dublin suitably strengthened spiritually!
The statue was erected by the people of Dodsboro (a k a Dodsborough) in the Marian year of 1954. (say Mary-an NOT Marry-an).
A Marian year is a designation given by the Roman Catholic Church to calendar years in which Mary the mother of Jesus is to be particularly reverenced and celebrated. Marian years do not follow a set pattern. They may be declared by a bishop for his diocese, or a national conference of bishops for a country. In Church history, only two international Marian years have been pronounced, by Pope Pius XII in 1954, and Pope John Paul II in 1987.
But, despite its holiness (?) service 25 is not the mainstay of the 25 group of routes.
The 25a runs every 30 minutes ...
... to "Lucan Church"; but does not serve the centre of the town.
It wiggles around some housing estates thwen, despite what the timetable and map might say, it turns at the roundabout and grazes peacefully outside Lucan Community College.
There is a churh further on, beyond the roundabout ...
... but it seems small to be called after the community - it looks more like a branch office to serve newer housing.
To go with the 25a is the 25b, also running every 30 minutes.
It also tours the estates but with a variation, then toddles off to Adamstown Railway Station.
There are a few buses numbered 25d which run at peak times only, also to the station ...
... but fbb will conveniently ignore those in favour of the bigger picture.
The reshaping plan rebrands these routes as C1 and C2.
The former 25a becomes the C1, but instead of running north to the College, it nips straight south and along to the station. Meanwhile, the 25b becomes the C2 but takes a more circuitous route to the terminus. Streetview shows this area as a blasted heath of emptiness ...
... but, by the time this scheme reaches fruition, ut will no doubt be full of "development" which has already started!
With the overall plan comes a frequency chart for the C "spine".
This shows a 30 minute headway on each of the four routes with extra on the C1/C2 at peak times. Incidentally, the 4 x 30 min frequency is shown as operating seven days a week.
Observant readers will also note that the C "spine", like all the others, will run cross city.
C1/C2 run to turning loop at Sandymount, circling St John's Church ...
... and here is a current service 47 obediently terminating!
The C3/C4 frequency turns short at Ringsend ...
... although fbb, sans route map, could not work out exactly where.
It will be interesting to watch the bus scene in Dublin as each "spine" is re-jigged.
If it ever happens!
It would be good to hear from a Dubliner or two with their reaction but fbb's concern still stands. Where these wholesale reorganisations have been attempted in the past, they have been less than successsful. fbb remembers in his old age, a smaller scheme instigated by Sheffield Transport to save five buses on a group of routes. Within a few months of implementing the scheme all those five buses were back on the road filling gaps which the planners had decided could be left unfilled.
No saving at all!
Readers will remember that the old man has been, over the last twelve months or so, amassing a collection of tank wagons, beginning with very early Trix totally tinplate from the early 1950s ...
... and following the development of model railways through to some of today's remarkable products as here, the latest from Oxford Rail.
He was intrigued by this "new" model from Hornby.
After investigating prices on-line from £15.50 to £21.99, fbb whizzed off an order which appeared promptly from the Cheltenham Model shop. For a recent entry into the Hornby catalogue, the model seemed "basic", even crude.
What is more, it had large "tension-lock" couplings which suggested that it wasn't a new model at all, but a very old model. fbb had seen that bar, linking the two axle-guards, somewhere before.
Yesterday, the old man tidied and catalogued all 36 (plus 3 duplicates) members of his tank wagon collection - so far! This box caught fbb's eye.
Taking the tank tentatively out of the box ...
... it was immediately obvious that Hornby's "new" model was first produced by Airfix (later branded Great Model Railways) long, long ago.
But when?
Very swirly - very "different".
From 1975 to 1981 Airfix also manufactured a line of ready-to-run models of British railway stock in OO gauge. Their details and accuracy were an improvement on rival products from other British manufacturers such as Hornby. The brand label was changed to Great Model Railways (GMR) in 1979, although the Airfix name was still included. However, Airfix left the model railway business in 1981.
So fbb's latest newly produced acqisition was first made between 1979 and 1981, let's say, for ease of arithmetic calculation, 1980. Hornby's "new" is 40 years old!
fbb's Airfix/GMR model cost £2.99 when it was first sold. That would be £13 in 2020 which is not too far from the £15.50 fbb paid, but a long way from the maximum £21.99 he could have shelled out had not been an emptor with a bit of caveatting!
But This Is New
East Yorkshire (a GoAhead group company) has just revealed the latest in its family of new liveries. (click to enlarge the pic).
Back in fbb's youth, it used to be said that using more than three colours in a livery was over the top and quite unnecessary. How many colors can you count on the coach above.
To tweak our declining memory, here are the other four from the family.
Next Variety blog : Sunday 4th October
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