Brilliant Book Review (Part 2)

 

John Davies' excellent Book is hard to review because it is packed with delights, obviously the easiest review methodology is to look at maps - there is a clue in the book's title! The best way to approach the book is to scan quickly its joyousness, then go back and explore thoroughly.

In these blogs, the best that fbb can to is the quick flick shallow dive. The deep dive follows later when more time os available.

But remember, dear reader, that as well as a multiplicity of maps, there are other articles of interest. Do you remember British Coachways?

It was a small consortium of independent coach operators attempting to dent the supremacy of NBC companies and thus challenge National Express.

There is no British Coachways map,

There was no National Express map either, but it you lived outside the UK, you might have picked up this item.

But it's map didn't tell you much ...

... no routes, just an unhelpful set of names. fbb is not sure what the thinking was. You certainly could not plan any journeys!

The scope of the next sections of the book is to present cartography for the 1950s heyday of the British bus through into the PTE era..

Here is a very basic offering from Bradford Corporation under C T Humpidge ...

... who then moved to Sheffield Transport which begat a better map, one of which was well used by fbb in his University Days.

Legibility was good, despite only going for two color printing.  The first PTE fold out for Sheffield with Rotherham ...

... was also two colour plus a third (blue) for the county boundary; a bit if a waste of a precious and expensive colour.

Leeds, also managed three colours ...

... but the red was hardly over used.

Similarly, we see progress in Glasgow from Corporation, with trams on one side of the sheet ...

... and buses overleaf ...

... on to a huge PTE area map, fbb has chosen East Kilbride by wat of a sample, first in green ...

... then in PTE orange.

They were smart maps but perhaps a bit too big to open up on the top deck of a bus!

The  non-PTE companies continued their pre-war policy with sone 'challenging' results. Did it really make sense to put the whole of Midland Red on one huge map?

There is a different colour for Stratford Blue but what was needed was different colours for each main operating area. The technology was not yet available at a reasonable price.

At first, SELNEC PTE used Manchester red as its colour ...

... rather than SELNEC orange.

The livery never really sat well on traditional front engine double deckers.

Another less satisfactory map was an attempt to publicise the whole bus network in England and Wales..

But there was no detail, not even legible route numbers.

The Great Britain Bus Timetable map of UK bus services did a better job.

But Atlas UK does an even better job but it is only available on line.

It is based in operators' networks rather than a more useful set of colours based on geographical hubs.

But fbb is ahead of himself!

Tomorrow we are deregulated.

We also see how print technology makes full colour maps more affordable.

fbb is still luvvin the book! Actually luvvin it more!

  Next Book Review blog : Friday 19th Feb 

Brilliant Book Review (Part 1)

Give me a map good

enough and a timetable

on which to place it, and

I shall navigate the world

fat bus bloke

You do often hanker for the happy time when the National Bus companies would sell you a timetable book which often contained "other operators services", express coaches and appropriate train timetables.

Again, most NBC companies included a fold‐out map of the area covered.

Then, accompanying an email, there was a panel showing this wonderful creation. 

It was designed by fbb and executed by No 3 son in his 1997 summer holidays from school; it was distributed with the Great Britain Bus Timetable and was then the only National Express map available.

It was good. Modesty is one of fbb's rare assets!

But the NatEx map was part of the promotion for a truly magnificent work which duly arrived too big for the fbb letter box. The author and publisher had sent the old boy a copy for review.

Deep joy! The joy was even deeper because the book costs £40, not expensive for a high quality all- colour volume of approx 390 pages; but maybe too much for the old man's budget as well as a challenge to the ARMD!

But is the book good value?

This is what it says on the tin on the back cover. Click in the picture to enlarge it.

The 'end papers' present an NBC 'standard' map at the front ...

... and a street map based map from Edinburgh.

fbb is beginning to like this book a lot. 

There is an intro by Peter Hendy, once of London Buses, now a boss of Great British Railways and now Lord Peter Hendy of Richmond Hill.

The book is a chronological romp through bus maps and their design, with the earliest entry being from 1919.

It is from London General, printed in three colours (back then that probably meant three passes through print rollers.) It is surprisingly modern.

But the question has to be asked ...

... and the answer is given. Trains, Underground and even trams appear on maps, especially those of urban areas ...

... but the closest we ever get to buses is a bus station symbol from Ordnance Survey one inch or, in the new money, 1:50,000. On larger scales you might get "Bis Sta" in text.

These bus stations are much rarer beasts these days.

It is fair to say that most early bus maps were produced by the operating company or, as below, by a municipality. Below is an extracts from London County Council ...

... but for trams only!

Out in the country, maps were, indeed, a company product. There was little sign of any effort from the shire counties.

Often these company efforts were cheaply designed and printed as with Southdown above. Print technology was either basic and crude or very expensive!

As usual with a huge volume like this, there are a good few unusual items. Here, for example, is a Glasgow map produced in 1940 by a retail shop. 

Sawers sold fresh fish, poultry and game. 

The business must have been really keen to get bus passengers to their shops. 

While in Glasgow, we should appreciate their tram map,

Then Sheffield Transport are quoted as promoting their buses into Derbyshire.

The map is weak with the above reproduction (and possibly the original as well) does not show route numbers clearly. But it does indicate that, even for a municipal operator, country routes were a "good earner".

With the arrival of the Traffic Commissioners and the dreaded regulation of bus services things began to look familiar. So we have a Green Line map ...

... and look, it gives fares from Central London. And, lettered routes!

Another 'oddity', not previously met by fbb, is a full network map of London's red bus routes, published in 1947.

Bit it is not geographical as such. Look ...

... it is all straight lines, not a curve in sight. The illustration is a bit spotty, so fbb cannot get a really crisp photo. But the intriguing nature of the design is obvious. The three termini just north of the Thames are Creekmouth, Dagenham Dock and Ford Works, familiar destinations until relatively recently.

The modern version was abandoned by London Buses and is now in the very capable hands of Mike Harris. Here is Mike's version from 1970.

It's a bit different!

There is, of course, far more detailed information than the superficial perusal (tautology warning - you cannot have a superficial perusal!!) that this blog can provide.

Tomorrow we move into the post WW2 age and soon get to dates and publications with which fbb is very familiar.

The blog will take us, eventually, back to the future.

Great Scor, Marty. This should be 1926, but we've  gone back to the future, it's 2026 and bus maps are still produced by bus companies for their own services and none other. Good Grief!

Extract from "Back to the Future IV - Which 26 is it?" by permission of Amblin Entertainment and Universal Studios.

But fbb is luvvin' the book!

 Next Book Review blog : Weds 18th Feb

Monday Variety

Internet Insanity!

fbb is often amazed how naive some Internet users a4e. From time to time he collects ridiculous intro screens to YouTube postings. Inevitably the utterly crackpot "amazing" event never appears in the actual video.  No vehicle like the above would be practical, and it would not be allowed on the road even if it were technically possible.

It is odd that this horrific boat crash never registered in the conventional media.

fbb is really excited to contemplate the raising of one of Adolph's "treasure trains". It is just such a pity that the salvage experts didn't check the the doors were locked before the crane hauled.

It wasca clever idea, however, to hide8 gold in the locomotive boiler.

Then there is the return if the scantily clad female running away from a crashed train. In this picture a super giant truck is relatively little harmed as it has been driven into a badly dented train.

This is the fourth time fbb has spotted the dolly bird at various train mishaps. 

A truck of normal size would be about the same height as the headlights.

Then there is this item.

It is NOT a 'model train', it refers to a 'miniature railway' and no part of its layout looks like the above. Here is what it looks like for real.

And finally another daft crash. For this to be real, the railway company must have built a siding (without buffer stops) into someone's back garden.

One of the huge benefits of the Internet is in providing helpful and interesting accurate information.

Trams For Bristol

About five years ago a report was published suggesting strongly that a tram network makes sense for Bristol. Recent schemes have included underground railways (VERY unlikely, ever!) and the very underwhelming Metro which delivered a few bits of guided busway (but not on the corners!).

The current tram plan is shown below ...

... and the report shows purple trams on the Gloucester Road!

Local press articles are guarded.

And rightly so!

But we've been there before.

And again.

Will this time be any different?

And, ahem, when will Portishead actually happen?

Misery At Mousehole

Yesterday was the day that GoAhead replaced First Bus in Corwall. fbb has already examined the new services and found most of them to be worse than First's immediately before their departure.

But the natives are revolting.

From yesterday, Mousehole buses turn well short of Mousehole, a poor replacement for buses to the harbourside.

Here is an extract from the local news feeds.

And a rather feeble comment from GoAhead.

Buses have reached the harbour for many, many years. And for most of those many years the vehicles have been far bigger and thus better than the outgoing minibuses.

Bring back the LH!

The recent pictures show crowds waiting for the bus ...

... but a film crew often attracts more passengers than a routine bus departure!

But one thing is certain. There will be far fewer passengers for Mousehole under the pathetic GoAhead timetable.

Peterville Castle Progressive Creation

The 'Black Tower' now has its viewing gallery re-installed. Also appearing is a quaint hillside cottage. It was a gift from a chum whose father made models professionally. 

It is to 3mm scale (UK old TT scale). The idea is to experiment with "trompe l'oeil" fake perspective.

fbb also has the local ancestral hall in 2mm scale to be added somewhere. 

Currently the white cottage is glued to the backscene with land and foliage are still to be added.

Here is a view showing both the miraculously suspended cottage ...

... and the developing ancillary premises and souvenir shop all on the escarpment level. These extra buildings were small Metcalf kits supplied free with Railway Modeller.

Coming tomorrow, this:-

  Next Book Review blog : Tues 17th Feb