A Bridge Too Far (1) ...

 ... A Bridge Too Big?

Tim Berners Lee (Sir Tim! He's getting on a bit, being born in 1955)  is oft credited with "inventing the internet" which is only partly true. Timbo saw the huge potential that lay latent in technology used by the US military for its internal communications system. So he designed a range of simple (?) systems which would have the potential to create a world wide web of computers, allowing anyone and eveyone to share information anywhere.

His altruistic desires were noble, but with world wide accessibility comes the potential for world wide rubbish and world wide criminality.

An expert, Dean of the Faculty of On-line Learning at the University of the Arts London, David White ...

... has opined that "the internet is broken"; information is posted solely as a means of filling the ether with advertising. Try finding anything on any newspaper site and you will see what the keen Dean means.

Many bloggers earn cash by allowing adverts on their exciting and informative postings. 

fbb doesn't! 

Here is a screen shot from Ian Visits (mostly visiting London) blog ...

... where adverts are a bit less intrusive than many other blogs or vlogs.

Because of this advertorial impetus, we have to be careful about what we trust as we surf on line.

But even without adverts, it is an ongoing challenge to know what is "right" and what is maybe less obviously wrong.

For fbb, this looked interesting!

Both purport to show "the longest bridge in the world". It certainly looks impressive but (spoiler alert), are these pictures "right"?

YouTube is littered with videos about this record breaking bridge of which this is just one.

So where is it?

It's in China, innit? 

And China is, to use an often overused epithet, "big".

The little red dot on the coast (centre right) is where you might find Shanghai. One of the black squiggles is the Yangtze river.

Many of our readers will have heard of either or even both.

We can zoom in a bit ...

... and a bit more. And we can then see a map of the "bridge".

Readers may think, "what bridge" and their thought processes would be correct.

It ain't a bridge. It's a very long viaduct! Even the video admits that! The video also refers to the bridge as crossing the  Yancheng  Lake ...

... so maybe that's where that sinuous construction over the bright blue waters of somewhere might be located?

Well, No! This is the dull turgid green waters of Lake Yangchen ...

... and the "bridge" crosses a bit of it, lower left in the above aerial view.

It also skirts a bit more further east ...

... but that's the limit of water crossing of any noticeable size.

But if we look at another version of the map ...

... we might suspect that the "bridge" has links further afield than its Danyang and Kunshan end points. We can zoom in even further.

What might Danyang North be? And there is a Changzhou North a bit further east-ish.

The truth that is so far untold is that the Danyang Kunshan Grand Bridge is a railway viaduct carrying no motor traffic whatsoever. But the obscuration continues unabated because this picture ...

... is also NOT of the "bridge" in question.

So, almost everything that we have gleaned from the interwebnet so far on the subject of "the world's longest bridge" is, to put it delicately ...

 UTTER GARBAGE 

Spot the cars!

Spot the road junctions on the railway viaduct in a picture  from an article about "the transportation benefits" of the Danyang Kunshan Bridge.

Crackpot!

Tomorrow, fbb will attempt to unravel some of the truth. 

It ain't easy.

Just a thought ...

... should we now call the London viaduct of the Chatham and Dover Railway a long bridge?

Absolutely not!

 Next China bridge blog : Thur 10 July 

Tuesday Variety

Change Becomes Normality

For most of its life, the 56 to Wybourn had a stable route from the bus station (it has enjoyed all three of Sheffield's bus stations!) via Cricket Inn Road and Maltravers Road to perform a large loop through the estate. The terminus time point has always been at the former Windsor Hotel. In fbb's more youthful day it left from its own stand at the northern end of platform D of the second bus station.

The first thing to happen under First's ownership was that the service was linked cross-city. This offered some advantages to the more recent batch of passengers. With the decline and eventual demolition of the superb Castle Market ...

... it allowed better access to the city centre and Moor shipping. 

The 56 went to Herdings then ...

... Nether Edge but renumbered 22 ...

... and as present to Nether Edge as 56.

fbb cannot remember (or maybe never knew), where the number 22 came from and why - equally why it reverted to 56! Who understands deviations from the sensible aim of consistency?

For the record, Nether Edge was once the 63, then the 97 and 98, then  route 3, route 22, route 56 and possible a few more that fbb has forgotten!

In passing, we note that the ancient 56 ran every 10 minutes, then reduced to every 15, then down to every 20 and it is now every 30 minutes.

But two route changes (one very recent) have shocked the vibes of the stable 56.

Duke Street used to be a major bus artery in the city but nothing alse now leaves that way until the 120 enters further up the hill.

It uses to carry the frequent 95 and the equivalent tram before that; plus numerous suburban and out of town services. Much of the housing was low grade with high occupancy. It is very different now.

Or maybe the 56 was re routed to serve that infill development that fbb has dubbed "Manor Oaks"?

And here is one doing it!

But the very latest change is more interesting. After a largely stable route history the 56 has been extended to Manor Park Centre.

It runs beyond the former Windsor Hotel, beyond Manor Castle ruins ...

... and via Manor Park Crescent where there is a large swathe of new housing.

But why, muses fbb? The road is already served by the hourly 10/10A.

One possible thought is that the extension is "political". Recognising the near terminal decline of shopping on the Wybourn estate, maybe there has been pressure on First to offer passengers the option ot riding to Manor Park Centre.

There you will find the Merrie Monk pub ...

... a wide range of small shops ...

... plus a Co-op.

This is vastly superior to anything that Wybourn ever had to offer.

Despite this abundance, fbb and chum David were the only takers for Manor Park when they travelled a week or so back at about 1000. 

The 56 left empty on its way back via Wybourn.

The practicalities of this new extension have, as is fairly normal, been badly ordered by Travel South Yorkshire and not much better by First.

First uses the PTE network map but, sadly, has not updated it; so the extension to Manor Park is not shown.

The timetable heading also shows the route as running only to Wybourn.

... although the on-line timetable does admit to Manor Park.

Travel South Yorkshire is equally confused, poor thing. The departure list at the bus station doesn't mention Manor Park at all ...

...whilst the minimalist route diagram does show the correct terminus.

However, the line diagram mentions Skye Edge - which is not served by the 56.

Most buses on the route were showing Manor Park on the blinds ...

... but fbb spotted at least one bus that just said Wybourn.

As usual, it was poor service all round!

The Lavender Line

The more wide-ranging railway press has carried articles about the latest train operated by Belmond - they who run The Orient Express and other luxury rail touring stock.

This is the Britannic Explorer.

If you've got the money you can book a suite ...

... and enjoy "fine dining", a euphemism for "not much to eat!" ...

... all in a luxurious dining carriage.

Last Thursday there was a "lavish" launch party at Euston Station hosted by Keira Knightley ...

... (who apparently is famous) and joined by other beautiful people.

This was a precursor to its first commercial trip to Cornwall at the weekend.

Only it wasn't!

The explanation was not convincing.

Oh dear!

The train was due to be hauled by a very distinguished locomotive (NOT) ...

... namely a Railfreight diesel, seen above on a test run. In case you wondered, it is the second train that passes by! At least fbb hopes so.

Actually, it does appear that the lads from Railfreight have painted a loco in a fetching lavender hue to match the coaches.

That will make the whole very expensive trip worth while, won't it!

 Next Bridge That Isn't blog : Wed July 9th