Knott End Ferry's End - Not!
The ferry has run for 180 years between Knott End and Fleetwood where it connects with Blackpool's super-swish new trams. Without the ferry it is a long way round via Poulton-le-Fylde,
The tide is hugely up and down at Fleetwood, where you often need to climb down to board at medium and low tide.
The smells are memorable. There is a lengthy trek at Knott End to enjoy as well.
News broke a few days ago that the service was to end ...
... as nobody wanted to run it!
fbb guesses that "compliant tenders" were not offering operators, including the incumbent, enough income.
But then, almost at the last minute, a reprieve has been negotiated between Council and the current team. 
Apparently a three year extension has been agreed.
New Station Announced - Not!
The hacks at "The Sun" are not renowned for their accurate reporting. Even fbb was utterly confused by this one. The pictures of the entrance were non help.
Of course it was NOT about a new station at all.
In fact what is being reported is a new "rear entrance" to Cambridge station.
The elegant station building has been progressively improved over the years and is now changed from a beautiful "porte cochere" style into a fully enclosed entrance hall.
The additional entrance was a small industrial area when Streetview last visited ...
... but will be super smashing and splendid when it is finished.
Work at Wixams - Not!
Meanwhile, over the border in Bedfordshire ...
Then along comes the lads from Universal and announces their mega project.
It will lie between the Bletchley to Bedford line (which should have been carrying East West Rail trains by now) and the Midland Main Line. Kempston Hardwick station exists on thei latter but Wixams will appear on the Midland Main line.
... a kerfufle has broken out about the new station at Wixams to serve the Theme Park being opened by Universal Studios. Bedfordshire Council had done a lot of preparatory work on a new two platform station to be served by local trains using the 'slow lines'.
So Notwork Rail planners have decided that Wixams needs to have FOUR platforms and be much bigger!
Thus the rail people have told the Council people that they can throw their planning work in the bin!
It does seem a bit unfair.
A Good Idea - Or Not
Certainly NOT if you are Southern Vectis!
Travel over by hover, no bovver; and waiting for you at Ryde will be a smart minibus to facilitate your tour of the Isle of Wight.
If you were a party of 9, the hire will still be dearer than two Vectis family day tickets.
So quite expensive to drive. The press release doesn't say how expensive, but it will surely cost more than two family rovers; even more if the mix is less than nine adults!
Perhaps this service will not make too deep an inroad into the bus company profits after all!
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Painting is what ruins it for an fbb model. His ancient left hand is unreliably wobbly, sometimes manageable, sometimes hopeless. So stuff like this would be, erm, challenging.
Chummy has spray painted the main body shell, then uses a very fine brush for the detail. And then there are the transfers. These are press fixed ...
Sadly the lettering never looks as good as that produced by modern printing technology, you can always see the edges!
You cannot see edges on a printed model.
The fuzziness is due to fbb's dubious camera skills; and NOT poor tampa printing!
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Next Variey blog : Sunday 19th April
