Saturday 24 April 2010

I know where I'm going ...

Destinations blinds are a vital part of the public transport experience and, in the age of electronic display, can offer a bewildering array of  useful (?) information.   Over the years the amount of detail included on traditional roller-blind screens has been reduced; with recent moves in London, for example, to just show (unhelpfully) the ultimate destination with no "via" points at all.
Nevertheless, the places shown have a fascination all of their own; here are some that have mostly disappeared:-
STANKS - from Leeds; possibly the home of some foul Dr Who monster!
TEA HOUSE - from Barrow; anyone for cucumber sandwiches?
WALES - from Sheffield; a long journey!
RHODESIA - from Mansfield; even longer!
WARSAW - from Corby; and this one IS the real Warsaw (in Poland) - a service run by Barton many years ago for migrant steel workers.   As an aside, this service had its own route number and appeared in Barton's printed timetable book; in amongst local and rural services in the Nottingham area.
SWADLINCOTE via EUREKA ROAD - from Loughborough
WHITWICK DUMPS - from Coalville
PART WAY BUS - in Northampton; really helpful!
And sometimes even senior staff can get it wrong.   Back in the late 60s / early 70s (?) the bus from Sheffield to WYBOURN Estate (note, no "e" on Wybourn) moved stands at Pond Street bus station.   The replacement stand sign was the wrong size so an enthusiastic Inspector cobbled one together with paper and felt tip pen.    Unfortunately he couldn't spell ...


... the sign was photographed for posterity by fat bus bloke and rapidly removed by one very embarrassed Chief Inspector!
But at least they cared.   Nowadays we get odd bits of paper and the universal catch-all when things go wrong, "SERVICE".   Could do better!
P.S.  Why do buses say "sorry, not in service" - when nobody is actually sorry?

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