Saturday Variety

 First Sheffield Fares - a P.S.

Thanks to Sheffield correspondent Andrew, fbb has been informed that First have produced printed leaflets for tomorrow fare change - i.e. increase. This is very odd as ...

IT'S ALL ON LINE

... and according to some large operators, printed material is thus unnecessary. So these unnecessary fares leaflets are in racks on the buses and, presumably, at enquiry offices.

If you were thinking you might get better information than is provided on-line, forget it. Effectively this is just a print-out of some of the on-line details together with pictures of leaping young things.

As a significant majority of First Sheffield passengers are somewhat older and definitely unable to leap, one wonders how convincing the publicity will be.

There is more leaping on the inner pages ...

... and the horrific 25% increase in a day ticket for App users is confirmed in print.

So, don't look in this leaflet if you want to know your local fare - it won't tell you. But you can buy season tickets!

And do a bit of leaping!

Will First Bus, goaded by the obvious success of their printed fares leaflets, maybe consider telling their customers, beset with changed fares, when and where the buses run - in a leaflet, like the fare printed leaflet?

Guess!

The Puzzle Picture

The Ex-Edinburgh bus is now with Notts and Derby, an imprint of Trent Barton in the Wellglade group. It was doing replacement work between Derby and Birmingham, seen here loading at Burton upon Trent.

The station used to look like this (seen in 1962) ...

... and now looks like this. 

Its architectural glory is, sensibly, hidden by the madder and white bus. Madder continues as Northampton Alan (who was involved in this box of diversionary delights) said that he saw no printed notices and no supportive posters for this substantial withdrawal of trains! But, of course ...

IT'S ALL ON LINE

Will the promised Great British Railways make this better?

Guess.

And the "new" station, from roughly the same angle as the 62 view, shows how it fits where the old and more distinguished edifice once stood. Use

Selected (Un?)Surprising Snippets

Newport's Ukraine Colours

Better colour reproduction outside!

Keep Your Eye Out In Jacksonville (USA).

Even if you cannot see where you are going!

It Seemed A Good Idea At The Time

And fbb was there; well not at the launch, but on the service pretty soon afterwards. The exciting thing was to sit on the seat (or stand) on the turntable where the articulation articulated. But it was a good idea to take your Kwells first!

Feeling A Bit Wobbly?

You have to hope it is the carpet design and not the floor that undulates in this hotel! Not good if you have perhaps imbibed a tad too much!

Embarrassment When You Lose A Button

Presumably, only the Brits are too thick to work it out. The other sign suggests that Spanish guests don't need the warning!

Where Am I?

It is a large rooftop garden associated with railway infrastructure.

It is a rooftop garden with its own roof!

So, where are we?

Answer and more tomorrow.

£40 For A What?

fbb is ever surprised at the prices of model railway (OO gauge) rolling stock which has inflated dramatically since the old man re-entered the hobby back in 2014.

If you wanted a very boring and rather old fashioned goods van, Oxford Rail will offer you one for just over £15.

It is a realistic model and far, far better in detail and realism than, say, a tin-print Hornby Dublo model of fbb's youth.

It was crude, but very hard wearing. Then came Triang with a body in plastic - far superior in its "look".

Hornby retaliated with plastic bodies ...

... but with a "basic" underframe with solid brake gear - very crude. A modern Hornby van is so much better ...

... but at a price.

Just announced is a new van model from Bachmann. It is called a "Vanwide" because it was designed to provide much wider doors than the norm of the day ...

... which slide wide to get big stuff from the goods platforms unimpeded by doorway clutter.

Bachmann's model is on sale at a wide range of prices. Here is Kernow Models asking £33.99; yeah, £34.

The detail is amazing. Look at those white painted metal handrails and, if you were to upend the wagon, you would see amazing chassis and brake detail - most of which you simply can't see when the model is on the track.

But look at Rail of Sheffield's advert for the same wagon.

Similar price (£33.95) but look at the small print below. It suggests that the "recommended price" is just short of £40.

Wowsers. £40 for a wagon. Most of fbb's locomotives cost about that! (OK, some of them were "pre-owned" but a few were new.)

Hooray for "pre-owned" web sites!

 Next Variety blog : Sunday 13th March