Weekend Mixture (2)

A Good Idea From The USA

The clever chaps at Uber have been hard at work in their focus groups, with blue sky thinking and running ideas up the flagpole, to come up with a new and revolutionary idea in the taxi/car hire business. It is experimental at the moment but, you may wonder, it might actually catch on.

Wow! Speaking to a "person" who will book your car.

It is a wonder that no one has thought of the idea before.

Whatever naxt?

And, Talking Of Uber ...

An interesting piece appeared in a recent edition of the Guardian.

The propositon of the article is that private cars have amost disappeared from central London as a result of the congestion charge. But they have been replaced by "white van man" and uber (and similar) car-booking services.

Is there real evidence for this?

Is there statistical evdience for this trent or is it just a piece of doom-laden journalism?

In rain-soaked Seaton, the fbbs sometimes have to wait for half a dozen cars to pass by before they can exit the parking area behind fbb mansions.

It can be very frustrating!

Does Anyone Remember Terry?

fbb doesn't, but he appeared in 1983 and was short-lived. Hornby have had their rather crude model of the Great Western Railway's "Holden" 0-4-0 tank locomotive in their catalogue, on and off, for years.

It sometimes appears in genuine GWR colours ...

... replicating the real "one-off" 101 loco. More often it is sold in a variety of Private Owner colours, or from Railway Companies that never owned or operated the unique engine.

But as fbb was "browsing" EBay one day, he spotted this:-

Apparently a complete "Terry" is rare as he only appeared in 1983, never to be repeated. A further search revealed that complete versions can be pricey ...

... and at least one seller has created a "marriage" with a chassis with green wheels. Sacrilege!

So why not buy the body, cobble up a new funnel top and stick it on a bog-standard Hornby 0-4-0 chassis, available dirt cheap "pre-owned", and make youself something a bit special. A bit more black paint, some "metal" handrails and red buffer beams and you would have a presentable "free lance" industrial railway model.

fbb was tempted. But, sadly the body only was "out of stock".

But the future's bright and it may well be orange.

It's Electric In Cambridge ...

Having announced 77 elelctric buses for Manchester ...

... Stagecoach have really pushed the boat bus out by annoucing TWO electrtic buses for the light blue University town. Shock! Aghast! Wonder!

And they have an even more blotchy version of the new livery, meaning you would really struggle to recognise the rear "beach ball". And of course ...

... they may be "emissions free" from the non-existent exhaust pipe in Cambridge - but somewhere, somebody will have to emit nasties to make the electricity. Until wind power, wave power or (horror of horrors?) nuclear power are more prevalent, electric vehicles are most definitely NOT emission free.

And Gas In Gloucestershire!

A snap from the body builders' works reveals that not all Bristol's new gas vehicles will be for Citylines East.

This one is liveried fot the "South Gloucestershire" sevices to Thornbury, Yate and Chipping Sodbury. The "South Glos Lynx" branding ...

... will be added later.

102 is Red And Blue

Maybe it's purple?

Carousel's re-instated service 102 to Heathrow Airport (reinstated as a result of a Heathrow hand-out) ...

... began life witb Oxford Bus cast-off coaches in grey and grey but labelled with anticipation.

These have now appeared.

They may be shiny buy they are not new!

Some commentatord hav expressed the view that these motors are unsuitable for what is, essentially, an ordinary many-stops bus service.

No 3 Son's Puzzle Picture ...

... provided a bit more interest than expected and will feature fully in tomorrow's blog.

They don't write songs like that any more!

 Next Vienna blog : Monday 17th February