Sunday Variety

That Chassis ...

... has re-opened one of these.

So here goes!

Way back, fbb bought a Hornby model of Thomas the Tank Engine. It was new and cheap, from memory (unreliable as ever) about £29. fbb thinks that Hornby had lost the licence to market Thomas models and were clearing old stock.

The purchase was fortuitous as son of a certain Mr Fearnley was a great Thomas fan! But, as is the way of things, just before a visit from young Archie, fbb's Thomas failed. Something burnt out - a something that has infuriated other purchasers.

What to do? 

In oder not to disappoint his guest, fbb whipped the chassis out of his GWR pannier tank ...

... and clipped it deftly into Thomas. Your cunning old blogger hoped that young guest would not spot that the wheels were not blue.

And so it has remained.

So when fbb spotted a blue-wheel chassis for sale on-line, he snapped it up and ...

... popped it in place.

If you want a Thomas today, you option is either second hand Hornby OR a Bachmann HO Thomas which is, very obviously ...

... too small and squished front to back.

A while back Sam Turner posted a YouTube video ...

... purporting to present ""Awdry's  Original Thomas". 

Only it wasn't.

This is Rev Wilbert Awdry's original Thomas ...

... made from a Stewart Reidpath cast metal kit in 1948.

The Rev's second Thomas ...

... created in 1978, was a Triang Jinty.

The third Thomas, born in 1980 ...

... was a modified Triang Hornby E2.

As you can see, the buffer beams have been deepened front and rear which has led to a bit of a tweak to the running plate - no wiggle at the rear. Otherwise Thomas's 1980 heritage is clear to see.

It is the 1980 version that features in Sam's video.

Sam's carriages are not original either.

They are repainted seven compartment proprietary models - whereas the original coach bodies ...

... we're hand crafted by The Rev from thin plywood and had just five compartments on a chassis equipped with wagon bogies.

Modern models, now called Annie and Clarabel have been Hornby short four wheelers inaccuracies ...

... with just three compartments or the HO Bachmann versions, also four wheeled ...

... but with four compartments.

The TV carriages matched the Bachmann models, probably vice versa in practice! 

The original "Railway Series" books produced sone variety depending in which artist was doing the illustrating bit.

More New Stations

These two stations are on the line that used to carry trains between Wolverhampton and Walsall, a reintroduced service that was de-introduced!

Trains are the former stopping service to Shrewsbury diverted ...

... and run every hour.

Three stations now adorn the "Camp Hill" line, being a long way round from New Street to join the Worcester line from Snow Hil and Moor Street.

The half hour "shuttle" offers connections at King's Norton.

Here's anol extract from the timetable.

A UK Post Bus?

There used to be lots of Post Buses in the UK.

Effectively they were rural Postie rounds that happened to carry passengers. They were often slow and very circuitous but offered a fascinating rural ride.

In Switzerland Post Buses provide a huge network of "proper" buses ...

... that occasionally carry bags of mail!

The Isle of Wight had two Post Buses, from Newport to Newtown and Brighstone.

Hundreds of years ago, whilst on a family holiday with Mrs fbb, the less old man took a ride to Brighstone. He was the only passenger!

Anyway, a Post Bus of a different kind has recently appeared Mill Hill Road, Cowes.

Ironically, Mill Hill Road used to have a "proper bus route but now only gets an occasional 32.

The post box picture came from correspondent Roy in Sheffield for which many thanks!

Revised Publishing Schedule

There will be another "Variety" blog tomorrow (Monday), a trip to Nottingham on Tuesday and the planned Bristol blogs will begin on Wednesday.

 Next Variety blog : Monday 16th March 

Saturday Variery

 Dawlish Drenching

A few years back (it was in 2014!) the Great Western main line was breached at Dawlish. It was a bad 'un, to be sure! So it was that a huge amount of money was spent on a mammoth rebuild of the whole of the sea wall.

The problem is, apparently, the expanse of wet stuff on the right in the above picture. When it us windy, the water gets "lumpy", to use a technical term.

It has ever been thus, as in the halcyon days of steam ...

... the 'Western' class diesel hydraulics ...

... and the much lamented HST.

In more recent times, we have the humble DMU ...

... the cramped Voyager ...

... and the slick but uncomfortable 800s.

The trains may change but the sea remains; when the wind blows, the big wave flows and the track goes!!

The latest interruption is minor compared with 2014. The big slab of seawall remained strong, but the boundary wall of the track  bed ...

... like Jericho in 1200BC, when the Israelite pounded round the walls, succumbed to the pounding of the sea.

And, in case you didn't  notice ...

It does pound.

Notwork Rail wants to make the route resilient!

Didn't the orange army do that in 2014?

But fear not dear GWR passenger ...

... the local MPs are on the job.

So that's all right then?

It's a wonder previous MPs haven't though of that?

Apparently they have, every time a storm hits. So no hurry then.

Two solutions have come and gone; and come and gone ... etc.

Ludicrously expensive would be to build a new line further in land - certainly not a new idea.

Not quite so expensive would be to reinstate the route fron Exeter to Plymouth via Okehampton. Most of it is still in operation ...

... just Okehampton to Tavistock to sort out.

The argument here is that you would still need the coast route because there are plenty of customers needing the line - but if you sent Cornwall trains via Okehampton, you could make the battered bit into single track and thus a bit further back from the pounding.

The sad fact is that the little man with the big cigar and silly hat ... 

... probably built the line in the wrong place!

Playbus in Place ...

.. with a Lego flower bed. But without Lego flowers!

They might be a bit big!

Some of the flowers were N gauge ballast plus pink paint ...

... creating floral 'clumps', surprisingly effective from a normal viewing distance.

Some astute blog readers will also be surprised by the lack of detritus, spilled paint and ugly gaps in the scenery of the 'installed' picture.

That is courtesy of the "Magic Eraser" utility on fbb's 'tablet'.

Here is how it works.

Take this picture of the much missed Goodwin Fountain outside the Town Hall in Sheffield.

But say that you don't  like Bert as he waits for the 'City Clipper' bus.

Speak nicely to the computer and it will outline Bert ...

... and with the tap of a button, there he is ...

... GONE!!

fbb could have obliterated Enid, far right, but he left her in situ in case you thought the old bloke had simply used a different picture!

Yet another good reason to treat anything on-line with a huge bucket of suspicion.

And Fake News On-Line

To be fair (although the author of the above doesn't deserve fairness) the impression is that a train operating company has gone bust. Even if that were to happen the great and glorious UK Government would step in to maintain the service!

To be fair (halfheartedly) the actual news is utterly different from the picture.

Here are some if the services now lost to the nation.

These are something akin to the items below as used for electrical isolation on a  model railway. fbb uses OO size.

And this ...

...whatever it might be, was also a product. fbb is sure that, if you want any cold bolts expanding, there will be other companies that can oblige.

Phew, what a relief!

The Latest Peterville Purchase

What for? Why? How Much?

Answer tomorrow.

  Next Variety blog : Sunday 15th March