Saturday Variety

Not A Tram : It's A Train

At 0548 on Thursday last the first train left from South Yorkshire's  newest station. Yes it looks like a tram! but just under Sheffield's Tinsley Viaduct ...

... the Supertram stops being a tram and becomes a train, subject to National Rail regulations and National Rail signalling. The little used line once ran from Sheffield Victoria and once took trains to Tinsley Marshalling yard.

Magna is a station at Templeborough, Sheffield on the tram/train route to Rotherham and Parkgate.

The line gets a service of two trams (trains!) an hour; it would be too simple to make it half hourly!

The new station has a footbridge ...

... linking the staggered platforms. It has lifts ...

... and a rudimentary shelter.

Crossing the track on foot is forbidden; all because a 'proper' train could chug by.

The station looked very pretty at 0530 on Thursday morning!

It also offers substantial Park and Ride facilities.

And this is the first ever ticket issued for a journey from MagnA.

It's  stuff like this which makes this blog so stunning!

Look, Printed Timetables!

This selection is on display at Lincoln's new bus station.

They call it the "Transport Hub" but this hub is only for buses. But the trains are just across the road ...

... at the very attractive railway station.

Back to the buses ...

... where passengers are well protected from the weather. There are departure information screens at each stand, plus seats.

Buses pull in head first and reverse out, but well clear of any jay-walking passenger.

A printed leaflet has a plan of the stands ...

... and a colour coded index in route number order.

fbb assumes something similar is displayed at the hub.

Well done Lincoln City! Well done Stagecoach! BUT ...

Where's the enquiry office?

No Surprise There!

It was inevitable that Res Funnel, under new investment company ownership rather than ferry company ownership, would have to 'ditch' the Hythe Ferry Comoany. Without Red Funnel money, the end was inevitable.

Somebody might buy it, usually described as a "fire sale"but somewhat inappropriately for a ferry!

No Offence? New Fence

One of fbb's myriad of duties is as Company Secretary to the property management company that takes care of the shared car parking area to the rear of fbb mansions and five other palatial (?) residences.

Only it doesn't!

The company has no money, no insurance and is merely a legal nicety to ensure all six property owners agree and pay for any work to be done in the shared areas.

The process started in February 2025 when part of the fence fell down.  It was propped up temporarily.

But they didn't agree. There was a mass outbreak of prevarication.

Then came this year's storms and more fell down.?

This tine they agreed.

The old fence was removed revealing the hitherto hidden but richly refreshing views ...

... to the rear of fbb mansions. A temporary fence was installed.

The picture below was taken on Tuesday 7th when new fence posts began to appear. All were properly posted precisely perpendicular on Wednesday 8th. 

How fbb will miss the view from the master bedroom at fbb mansions!

Thursday and yesterday the work came to a conclusion with rails and vertical boarding all in place. Note a finishing rail across the top and substantial footboards at the bottom.

A good job well done.

But it has pushed fbb close to insanity as he battled to 'encourage' the other five owners to agree. Below, fbb eagerly awaiting the next few emails about the fence.

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fbb is very aware that many of his readers do not share the old man's  excitement for his model railway projects. But your worthy blogger has more to tell on the matter of model Newton Chambers car carriers.

So, to avoid dominating more thoughtful public transport blogging fbb will tell his latest tale in short sections at the foot of the next few blogs.

These scintillating snippets will be indicated by a section of Peco OO Setrack, as here ...

We begin with a puzzle Picture!

What is happening here ...

... and what is this?

More to follow!

======================

  Next Variety blog : Sunday 12th April 

Boring Visually? (Part 2)

Yet Another fbb Bludner?

fbb was idly watching a YouTube about Newton Chambers car-carrying van when up popped the above picture, inserted into the video as an aside.

The commentary went something like this:- 

The Newiton Chambers car carriers ...

... were based on the Tierwag carriers introduced by British Railways in 1957 and modelled by Triang, later Triang Hornby.

So not a highly modified Mark 1 coach then? The commentary continued.

The Tierwag wagons were probably not used very much.

So fbb searched on-line and found a picture of a Triang car carrier like the inset part picture from the video ...

... but without cars. But, as we all know:

IT'S ALL ON LINE

So next, up popped a snap of a wagon, plus six cars ...

... and even one on a retro Triang layout!

Of course Triang was initially a toy train manufacturer, so it came as no surprise to see a picture illustrating a working car carrier.

Lo and behold, you could drive two cars into the central 'cage' and lower them into the well between the bogies.  The resultant working model was too tall to be realistic, but the idea was exactly the same as the visually boring Newton Chambers van.

Also, the YouTuber mentioned "plywood body sides"! but, surely, Mark 1 coaches had sheet steel panels!

Finally, after some diligent searching, this picture popped into view.

It is definitely British Railways (see the GUV as part of the train). It does not look like a precursor of Mototail as all the cars look the same. So fbb guesses that it was a demo for car manufacturers aiming to use the skeletal wagons for bulk car delivery.

Another picture is of a single wagon ...

... again with similar-looking motors on board. Petrol heads may be screaming at fbb's ignorance of 1957 car marques, but the concept does match the Newton Chambers wagons with clothing removed.

So not really related to Mark 1 coaches ... BUT ... did BR pinch the idea (or maybe Newton Chambers did) from the Tierwag design. Tierwag sounds very much like a German 'brand'.

And finally ...

... two "cheap'n'nasty" Triang plastic cars in the 'cage' that was slid up and down by a huge over scale human hand. But the kiddies loved it - until the cage broke or dad trod on one of the cars, crushing them into tearful oblivion.

Toy trains were such fun!

Two Versions!

Strange things happen in the model world.

Only 14 vans were ever made by Newton Chambers. They started life in BR maroon (below in model form) ...

... but are mostly pictured in BR blue and light grey.

Heiljan, a Danish company, offered OO models in both maroon and the later blue/grey as did EFE,  a Bachmann marque. It is the latter that provides pictures for thus blog. 

Some modellers claim that Heljan has more added detail, but fbb thinks that is due to different states of the vans' electrical and braking systems over the years.

But the detail is impressive if you concentrate on anything other than the 'tin box', the very plain body. 

The bogie are well detailed ...

... and painted. The van ends accurately model all the gubbins ...

... and match reality very well.

Although nothing opens --- Boo!

The 'windows' represent translucent plastic on the real thing so are just painted.

The model comes with the obligatory bag of bits ...

... which enables the owner to replicate the two different versions of on-board equipment during the vans' long life spam.

Would anyone watching the train trundle by ever notice?

"Do you realise that this particular van was uniquely fitted with a Gunter-Wurmbrand experimental generator and your model shows the standard BR pipe and cable combination?"

Modeller hangs his head in shame, weeps copiously and throws his car carriers in the bin to take up cross stitch instead of  OO trains!

Now there's  an idea!

But the paint and transfer job is exquisite.

fbb cannot read the small print, but it is there! (picture is not very high quality due to fbb's incompetence!)

For the record, you can buy Newton Chambers car carriers in N scale, but you have to buy three.

But whatever the scale and, despite the odd bits of detail, these tin box models are a bit boring; even on a layout big enough to run them!

  Next Variety blog : Saturday 11th April