Weekend Mixture (1)

Sacrilege, Surely?

fbb can just hear the rivet counters and historical experts (he is neither!) harrumphing with disgust at some the the money making schemes adopted by the Preserved Railway operators. Thomas days, 40s revival, Polar Express, Haloween parties and (surely fbb's favourite) fish and chip supper evenings; all designed to get the punters in a remove the contents of their wallets.

With the exception of the wartime reminiscences, none of these would have been part of the original "business" of the line.

So a recent happening on the Bluebell Railway might well make the founders of this preserved line turn in their graves (and profuse apologies of they are not in them yet!)

Deltics!

For fbb, on an occasional "trainspotting" trip to the East Coast Main Line, the magnificence of a thundering Deltic was unsurpassed anywhere of the UK rail network; and that includes "Prinnies" roaring through Road cutting>

Somehow, they don't look right, rumbling very gently along a single track branch.

Despite fbb's misgivings, the event looks very successful on Twit site video, with a crowded platform at Horsted Keynes eager to experience at east some of that triangular engine roar!

From the same collection of snaps and clips, fbb downloaded this one. The locos are all older but the likelihood of this ever happening on the line concerned is probably lower than Elvis finally retiring from his chip shop in Scunthorpe.

Stupidly, the old man forgot to note down which Preserved Railway staged this Cavalcade.

Barmy Branson Again?

In 1870 in New York there was a demo of a pneumatic train.

In the same vein, fbb well remembers Northampton's Co-op store, where all transactions were handled in a remote cash office and cash, change and the divi ticket were all whizzed about in pneumatic tubes.

(Note the pipes behind the sales assistant).

Richard Branson has just invested his millions in a reprise of the idea.

In this case the propulsion system is different.

But Mrs B has opened his rather capacious wallet and proffered some pennies; he has also joined the board of Hyperloop.

It does work, apparently.

The current pod is about the size of a coffin.

fbb will stick to train or bus! It will be some time before Hyperloop runs between Seaton and Axminster.

Oh Dear?

The media love a bus story, especially if it is disparaging about the industry. A Leeds bus driver informed a buggy pushing passenger that she would have to fold her collapsible perambulator or wait for the next bus as both buggy-spaces were full. Tough.

Unfortunately, and promoting dodgy PR, one of the buggies contained a happily snoozing cat!

fbb is lost for words - unusually!

It's All On Line - No. 346

Alan (from Northampton) came across the public transport information on Blisworth's web site. Blisworth is a small village on the southern fringes of Northampton part way towards Towcester on the A43.

It used to have a dinky little branch line allowing Northamptonians to connect with a few West Coast main line trains using a two car push-pull motor train set.

The branch is long gone and the A43 is now a super dual carriageway by-passing the village on it western edge.

This is what a village web site said a few weeks ago.

Almost everything above is wrong. The 86 is very infrequent ...

... there are a few 88s ...

... leaving just the 89 which isn't hourly.

But there is an X89 which completes the hourly service.

So wrong in almost every piece of information.

To credit to their webmaster the old note has been withdrawn and replaced by our Alan's email, sent to them by way of a gentle rebuke.

Alan's note is more about "what it isn't"; Blisworth would have done better if they had researched what it is!

But beware.

Do NOT believe anything you discover on line without at least one corroborative source.

Tates Travel sank in February 2016 - but their web site is still in place complete with all the no longer operating timetables.

More "stuff" to follow!

 Next Mixture blog : Sunday 15th October