How It Was : How It Is (mini blog)
The United bus is in preservation and it showing the TV destination of Aidensfield, fictional home of TV's Heartbeat. Creeping up behind it is a real East Yorkshire bus in its well respected livery of maroon and cream. It shows route 128.
Collectors of model buses will know that route 128 was once part of the huge United Omnibus empire.
The route number is long-standing and the service has for some time been in the hands of United's successor, East Yorkshire.
The company bedecked its buses in an unconventional livery of dark blue with primrose additions and white band at roof level.
Buses acquired NBC floppy red upon "becoming part of the National Bus Company" ...
... which was just tinkered into its early privatisation version.
The distinguished maroon came next ...
The company was privatised under the boss-ownershipship of Peter Shipp, who sold it on to GoAhead on his retirement. The buses are now bedecked in a high quality family of liveries echoing the maroon and cream with, sometimes, nostalgic touches of primrose!
Occasionally a branded bus appears incorrectly on the 128 as here ...
... a scheme which should only be worn by buses on the East Yorkshire, guess what, coast!
The Coaster buses run between Scarborough and Bridlington.
... with variations in the amount and position of the cream.
The current 128 timetable provides a two hourly frequency Monday to Saturday ...
... with a little less on Sunday.
fbb would love to show you an extract from the East Yorkshire network map; but there isn't one. The rather feeble best the company can offer is one of those poor quality computer generated things with little bus icons jumping about.
Without route numbers alongside the roads, you are a bit in the dark unless you wait patiently until the little black bus icon gets to the point where the orange lines diverge.
You can find We?? ?yton on the map and in the timetable but point times at East Ayton and Seamer are not mentioned cartographically. Readers are invited to guess the route! In a later blog fbb will reveal the detail.
But changes are afoot! An X28 version is promised.
Obediently, fbb clicked on the link and ... Tada ...
... the secret remains secret.
Fortunately there is some potentially useful information elsewhere, but NOT on the main company web site.
But the peace and consistency of the 128 is about to be disturbed by an interloper.
Tune in tomorrow to meet the company that is ruffling East Yorkshire's feathers.
That picture above is a partly misreading clue.
James' Gin
The modern craze for branded flavoured gin is only matched by an equally crazy craze for completely fake OO gauge model railway wagons.
James May, the scruffy haired TV personality with a penchant for model railways ...
... is marketing a range of flavoured gins.
fbb thinks that it is unlikely that Mr May brews the trendy stuff up in his trendy kitchen ... but; you never know.
Not to be outdone by crazy crazes, Rails of Sheffield has introduced an OO fake livery James' Gin tank wagon in blue.
Most retailers have sold out, but the asking price was £25.
But have no fear dear ginthusiast, blog reader and railway modeller, Rails of Sheffield has produced more ...
... but you have to buy three. The wagons are still £25 each and they come in a posh wrapper so you need never take them out of their boxes then give way to temptation and put them into a train! It simply would not do to run them on any model railway; they might be worth hundreds of pounds in a few decades if they are untouched in their original packing.
Next Pickering Pottiness blog : Thurs 4 Sept
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