Another Bulleid Blunder?

But First, A Song!

This version dates from the 1930s but it was written in 1883. 

It may surprise our loyal and gullible readers that a group of commuters in Surrey sought to produce a spoof version as a protest against a decision by British Railways.

Post WW2 the indefatigable Oliver Bulleid (he of "Leader" fame) came up with another jackpot idea. 

Instead of boring old buffet cars, why not dress a train's refreshment facility to represent a country pub.

So eight two car sets were converted into Tavern Car twosomes. The interior was all leaded lights and "oak"  beams ...

They served what we now call "pub food" ...

... and the bar had draught beer.  The interior was VERY quaint ...

... but badly ventilated.

But the exterior was simply bonkers!

The tavern end was "half timbered" on a "brick" base and each tavern had a pub sign painted on its sides.

Sweet!

Sadly, after about ten years of deployment in "blood and custard" British Rail repainted them in all over Southern green.

The tale is told in a YouTube video.

The two-car set was once offered (in "O" gauge tinplate?) by ACE trains ...

... but the 2025 Hornby catalogue features a "OO" twin.

The pair look great, but no price is given as yet, nor is a delivery date available.

Yes, of course, fbb would like a sample for Peterville, but the obvious choice would be the tavern car itself. But (Boo, Hiss) it looks like Hornby will only sell them as a pair.

Too much outlay!

There is also a book ...

... but the curse of the Macular (ARMD) means that the old bloke would struggle to read it comfortably; remember, one hand to hold the book, one hand to turn the pages and one hand to hold the magnifier!

Maybe one day a tavern "end" will pop up in the second hand market?

It'll ne "fat chance" within the rapidly diminishing statistic of fbb's life expectancy!

But, after hours on diligent research, fbb has obtained a copy of the spoof version of Rudy Vallee's hit.

Just a few of the words will enable readers to follow the thinking of the Surrey commuters in 1957,

There is a tavern on the train, on the train

Its design will really fog your brain, fog your brain

You drink your wine 'mid laughter free,

And never, never think of tea.

Fare thee well, for we must leave thee,

Do not let this parting grieve thee,

And remember that the best of friends

Must part, must part.

Adieu, adieu kind friend, adieu, adieu, adieu

The bosses don't think much of you

You'll hang your head on a Hardwood oaken beam,

And on you go in drunken dream.

There was a tavern on the train, on the train

But it cost thousands to maintain,, to maintain,

So change them back to drab normality,

No more a tavern will it be.

  Next Variety blog : Saturday 1st February 

Ferry Future?

What's It For?

We have all heard of the Ferry Cross the Mersey (have we?) courtesy of Gerry and the Pacemakers.

A variety of vessels ran to and from from in amcient times. ...

... with paddle steamers being the favourite mode.

Basically the busy routes were from Liverpool Pier to Birkenhead with two piers at Seacombe and Woodside.  Ferries were frequent, carrying workers from Liverpool to the docks at Birkenhead and from Birkenhead to the docks at Liverpool.

In the very early days this was the only way to cross the river. But in 1886 came the railway.

Ferries continued to improve ...

The two boats above were requisitioned for wartime use.

The Mersey tunnel did not abstract much from the ferries as bus routes through the tunnel were restricted to night services for many years.

Other ferry routes took holidaymakers to the Wirral seaside resorts. In the 1950s they were very popular indeed.

In the 1960s, the present boats arrived and have been in use ever since.

But with bus services through the tunnel and the terminal decline of the docks, the ferries usage declined dramatically.

What was left were peak hour journeys between Pier Head Liverpool and Birkenhead at Monday to Friday works hours; and a circular triangle service mainly for tourists running Pier Head, Woodside, Seacombe, Pier Head. This route is seen on the map above.

Other cruises are operated, but none like this one, sadly.

Things have got slightly worse with Woodside Pier being closed for repair. So today we have a peak service as below ...

... to Seacombe only. 

The triangle service remains but currentlydoes not call at Woodside as in the graphic below.

Woodside Pier us being r0furbished.

It is the long way round to Secombe thrn direct (ish) back to Pier Head.

The timetable is not well presented. It refers to a "One Way" service and gives times between Pier Head and Seacombe only.

But boats do come back "in service" to the Pier offering a 50 minute round trip.

In August 2012, it was announced that Merseytravel were initiating a review into cost saving on Mersey Ferries operations after the service is running at a £1 million annual loss. As a result of this review, the ferry Royal Daffodil was withdrawn from service in January 2013. 

Another threat to the ferries' future is the cost of replacing the current ferries, the oldest ever to ply the river, when required.

In December 2015 Merseytravel announced a 20-year plan for the ferries s.

The Mersey Ferries Long Term Strategy, whilst currently subject to approval, anticipates that a naval architect will be appointed with the intention of having a new vessel ready for service in 2020–21. The vessel will be used as the main day to day vessel with Snowdrop used as a secondary vessel.

Nothing happened! 

In January 2018, the Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram announced that plans had been drawn up for a new vessel.

At last this new ferry has been ordered.

The new vessel does not look paticularly revolutionary, but time will tell.

There is a video, without commentary.

As a ferry, the Mersey Crossiing will never return to its historic heyday; but it is good that the experience, however touristy, can be enjoyed further into the future.

John's funeral went very well with a congregation of 80 persons. Tributes were paid by fbb, sons Mark and Matthew; then Iain on behalf of the church; where John volunteered as a server.

The fbbs are travelling back to Seaton Devon today.

 Next undecided blog : Friday 31st January 

Fearful Funeral Failure

 fbb Confesses All

Axe Valley Mini Travel (that hasn't run a minibus for many. many years!) service 885 from Seaton to Axminster station was the first leg of the fbb's foray to the funeral. The 1020 from Seaton allows plenty of time to connect at Axminster with the 1005 train to Exeter.

But fbb was forgetting the floods.

These happen quite regularly at the blue X.

The effect on the 885 is that it cannot serve Whitford (BLUE). It gets as far as Colyton, (RED) then it does a U-turn round a little estate ...

... where the residents really do not like nasty buses. But they don't mind cars which are much more polluting than a modern bus!

So it is back to Colyford and then non stop to Musbury (GREEN) ...

... where the route regains its normality for the short run into Axminster. Because the diversion is faster (but longer) than the normal route we will not be late in Axminster.

Thankfully.

Out six coach class 158 wil speed us to Exeter St Davids,

The on screen information is much improved

From Exeter, the fbbs were booked on the 1227 to Birmingham with seat reservations. After a previous difficult journey, fbb checked what was going on at Exeter. The internet was confusing.

The 1127 had been cancelled which might make the fbb's train over full and unpleasant with the distinct possibility of pinch-ups because to sets of people may have reserved the same seats.

Not nice.

And the 1127 was also running about 30 minutes late.

Confused.com!

The fbbs had a cunning plan. They would look carefully through the windows of the 1127 (at 1155) and see what's what.

In fact the late 1127 was almost empty. So the fbbs took the earlier train. But what about conflicting reservations? No problem, there weren't any reservations; the system had been switched off.

But there were plenty of seats anyway.

Arrival at New Street is on platform 9A ...

The excellent news is that the next train they needed, to Sutton Coldfield, leaves from just across the platform, i.e.b8A.

And so to Sutton Coldfield.

Out of the station ...

... down the road ...

... and turn left and walk to the old Police Station stop.

To catch their Arriva service 110 ...

... for a short toddle along its lengthy route to Tamworth. It would drop the fbbs off outside the hotel at Whitehouse Common.

Only the 110 does not stop at the Old police Station. 

fbb had misread the map, a mega scheduling boob.

Rather the walking all the way back to the busy town centre bus stops at Sutton C - they booked a taxi! fbb hangs his head in th shame of incompetence. Maybe he is just getting old.

Today the fbbs are involved in John's funeral at 12 noon at St James Church Mere Green.

 Next non funerial blog : Thursday 20th Jan 

Competition is MAGIC (bus!)

Wilmslow Road Honey Pot

Honey Pot - a seemingly inexhaustible supply of sweets revenue in any commercial venture.

Those who are unlucky enough to NOT be regular visitors to Manchester may find it odd that 16 buses an hour along Oxford Road and Wilmslow Road is not enough. Actually it is more than that, but, to keep fbb's brain from imploding, he has just counted the 41,42, 42A. 42B, 42C and 43.

We start at Oxford Road Station which is not now ON Oxford Road, but poked away "round the back".

But we do see the railway bridge on the line that is a fork right from the otherwise terminus platforms at Manchester Piccadilly. Our 16 buses an hour (plus) go under the bridge ...

... where once ran trams.

The theatre is still there. But the honey pot opens wide just under the bridge where we have Manchester Metropolitan University.

That's the new upstart in the world of Academe.

Next, and for several blocks, comes the original Manchester University ...

... with many modern departments in many modern buildings.

But you do get a real university under that archway (below).

Whitworth Park provides a pleasant oasis ...

... with more hunny nearby in the form of a huge swathe of Hospital departments. It looks quite innocuous from Oxford Road ...

... but round the back are lots and lots of places to go for work or appointments.

Almost everything in the block revealed by Google Earth ...

... is hospital "stuff" with Whitworth Park peeping in beside Oxford Road, bottom left. It is at the junction by the park that Oxford Road becomes Wilmslow Road ...

... which morphs into small shops suburban with housing behind the Wilmslow Road frontages.

But it is not just any old shops. We are soon enjoying Manchester's celebrated Curry Mile. Shop after shop is poised to dispense oriental delicacies.

fbb does not know whether it is really a whole mile long ...

... or whether every shop sells curry! But a recent on-line article, from the ever reliable Auntie BBC, asked whether it was the most antosocial street in Manchester. 

fbb doesn't mind a blob of curry paste in his mince now and again, but it has to be mild and fruity. Eating something that blows the top of your head off and acts like strong sulphuric acid drain cleaner in you digestive tract holds little joy for the old bloke.

But the antisocial aspect of a considerable convocation of classic curry consumers, possibly lubricated with an occasional glass of alcoholic beverage, may well be the reason for a bit of bus bafflement.

Look at the map!

Our friends the forties plus a few others, including forties plus a hundred, are shown as avoiding the Wilmslow Road in a southbound direction.

Likewise ...

... there is a similar northbound diversion to the west of Wilmslow Road.

These diversions only operates on Saturday evenings.

Although we are not told, fbb guesses that there are no stops for the Wilmslow Road routes on the two diversions. You might think that it was unnecessary to show the green route numbers plus arrows.

As simple box with the route numbers plus something like "diverted away from Curry Mile on Saturday evening" would cut down cartographic clutter.

50 and 87 plus 111 (part) are the only "usual" bus route which serve the diversions seven days a week.

In the next Wilmslow Road blog fbb will look briefly at competition but more closely at any changes made by the Burnham Bee Network as "normal" routes have replaced the Magic.

When this next episode appears depends on the quality and quality of WiFi available at the Sutton Coldfield Premier Inn.

Something of interest will, however, appear tomorrow, promise.

Tomorrow is, of course, the day for ex bro-in-law John's funeral. The fbbs are travelling to Sutton Coldfield today.

 Next indeterminate blog : Wed 29 Jan