Because of its Forth of Firth waterfront, Edinburgh had numerous suburban rilways for freight and passenger, particularly leading to harbours at Leith and Granton.
The South Suburban line, shown here in two bits; west ...
... and east ...
... once carried a respectable circular passenger service.
It was also used for freight ...
... and is still a freight line also used for passengr train diversions when access to Edinburgh Waverley is blocked by engineering work at one end.
For many a long year, there has been talk of a re-opening for passengers - but nothing practical has, so far, materialised.
The latest scheme is to operate tram trains, possibly using existing tram tracks via Princes Street to avoid complications at Waverly itself.
It is not at all cear how likely this might be, but it seems, from an outsiders point of view, to offer som merit.
Mind, if it takes as long at the current Edinburgh tram line to get going, best not hold any breath!
More From LA : Another Bus Operator
No 1 and No 3 sons have had a California holiday and provided fbb (and Mrs fbb) with a huge number of snapshots. Sadly, very few of them are of buses and trains. But a few snippetrs do appear; like the bus shelter aboveeand its associated pole and flag.
Exciting eh?
Culver City is yet another of the dozens of "cities" that make up greater Los Angels. Many of these authirties have their own bus netwoks which often overlap with the big LA Metro operation. Culver City ...
...with a green livery ...
... and buses carryimg bikes like the Metro. (Remember? "Metro" is the name of the ooperator that runs buses and a metro rail network.) The undertaking only runs a few routes ...
... bit still has a noticeable fleet. Vehicles are often fully wrapped in the evil Contravisiom ...
... with at last one such promoting the impeding delivety of elelctric vehicles.
The above is therefore a green green bus! Maybe American bus pasengers simply never look out of the windows?
Like many other oprations, the standard bus was one known as the "new look" style ...
... represemting what is recogniseable and almost the standard single decker in the USA. Ubiquitous is a very appropriate word!
The publicity is in the form of a very minimalist PDF leaflet which ought to mean that it is available in printed fom. Sadly slacker sons were intent on enjoying themselves; and failed to spend a day seeking out sources of bus timetable information, What did they think they were on - a holiday?
Each leaflet has a route diagram ...
... a list of stops ...
... and a timetable summary. A full timetable is also available, necessary as "repeat pattern" frequencies are rare.
The horizontal journey format seems as common "stateside" as does the vertical table layout in the UK.
I Don't Believe It?
This was a notable catch phrase of Victor Meldrew, brilliantly portrayed in all his grumpiness by actor Richard Wilson.
fbb has learned to "treat with suspicion" any public transport infromation provided by drivers on coach tours. Tracey, from Lochs and Glens, was enteraining, cheerful and informative. But she didn't know about longer trains due on the West Highland line.
Neither did she know the whole truth about Ancasater Road bridge at Callander. Stupidly, fbb failed to take a picture of the current state of the road crossing south of the former station.
Tracey infromed her passenger that the tunnel had recently been filled in. The area below the iron parapet has centrainly been infilled. The results of the infill are shown using fbb's AI software, namely his Appalling Illustration.
But, as fbb listened to Tracey's blether, he wondered whether any tunnels had a parapet made of cast iron.
Here is a Streetview view of Ancaster Road ...
... and it must have been a very short tunnel!
Of course; it's a bridge, innir!
Here is the bridge in railway days, looking towards the station, which is now a car and coach park. The track has been removed and demolition of the buildings will soon follow.
But here is the bridge before infill, but after tasteful repainting.
Nice job, council people!
The moral of this tale is - beware tour guides who don't usually understand public transport.
fbb is planning a blog about railways via Callander and to Aberfoyle in due course. Sadly there is not much left of either.
Next Variety blog : Sunday 23 March
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