Saturday 13 June 2020

Weekend Mixture (1)

New Train - Rubbish Livery
Thanks to the wonders of the twitterati, fbb is able to bring you the progress of the first shiny new train delivered to First. Class 701 will be the "standard train" for South Western Railway's London suburban services.

Here it is at Etches Park Depot in Derby ...
... being hauled south past Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station south of Derby ...
... and ready to snuggle up nicely in the yard at Eastleigh.
No doubt the lads will be running it up and down the main line a few times to see when it breaks!

Stocksbridge Service Slaughter Suspended ...
... well, just a little bit. Alert readers will remember that Stagecoach in Sheffield "snuck" in some controversial timetable changes under the heavy disguise of the virus timetable uplift. One of these was to reduce buses to Stocksbridge from six an hour to two.

Almost 1,000 people have signed a petition after a Sheffield tram link service was scrapped and another bus service was significantly reduced.

Not quite. The "other bus service" was increased from every hour to every half hour. Some journeys did, however, omit some little bits of the town.
Passengers say they will be left stranded and isolated after changes to the number 57 bus route and the cancellation of the tram link bus service SL1/1a which runs from Middlewood to Stocksbridge.

No part of Stocksbridge has lost its service completely so nobody is "left stranded and isolated".

Rebecca Burnham-Wake only started the petition three days ago and it has already attracted more than 900 signatures.

She said: "The community is currently in limbo and facing almost complete isolation from neighbouring communities, the city centre and access to friends and family.

In a word - twaddle!

fbb is not, in any way, condoning Stagecoach's cynical attempt to sell a massive service reduction as an improvement. But Rebecca Burmham-Walker, as usual, forgets that bus companies are in business not to "provide a service" but to make a profit for their shareholders.

fbb is quite certain that if every one of the 1000 petitioners travelled on the buses concerned at least once a week then the service would not have been chopped. Under the present vexatious viral circumstances, responsibility for "providing a service" rests with South Yorkshire PTE and Her Majestey's Government - NOT Stagecoach.

So from Monday 15th June, guess what ...
... services SL1 and SL1a return.
It is a pathetic service, being "one bus in steam" running every two hours alternate ways round the route as before.
But this feeble effort does, at least, connect with the tram at Middlewood.

Continuing in bus management "newspeak", Stagecoach announced that this service re-introduction was to "provide additional capacity for essential workers". How very altruistic and noble.

It wasn't that they got it wrong. Of course. No way. Yeah, right!

Or that the PTE gave them a sharp kick up their corporate exhaust pipe? Surely not?

Trams Better At Last
Also from Monday 15th, Sheffield tram services are increased from hourly as follows (Monday to Saturday daytime frequency shown).

BLUE             : every 15 minutes but
                         NO SERVICE between Gleadless and Halfway
                         rail replacement work

YELLOW       : every 15 minutes

PURPLE         : NO SERVICE - rail replacement work

TRAMTRAIN : every 30 minutes

Replacement buses are NOT being provided, but tram tickets are valid on parallel bus routes.

Service 120
provides links between Halfway, Crystal Peaks, Moss Way and the city centre
Service 8
provides links between Crystal Peaks, Moss Way, Hackenthorpe, Birley Moor Road, Birley Lane and the city centre.
Services 50, 53 and 80a
provide links between Birley Moor Road and the city centre.
Service 252
provides a link between Gleadless Townend and Crystal Peaks,

Some of these routes, notably the 252, are a very long way round indeed. The 50. 53 and 80a are, taken together, very much less frequent than the uplifted 15 minute tram service.

Not very good news, especially if you journey is essential to get to work.

Happy Birthday Metro!
The Tyne and Wear Metro is 40 years old in 2020. Yikes! is it really that long ago?

Local rail services on the so-called North Tyneside loop were electrified by the North Eastern Railway in the early 1900s. The were joined by the South Tyne line to South Shields in 1938. A variety of rolling stock was used at various times ...
... culminating in BR units similar to those in use on the Southern Region.
With the prospect of huge renewal costs and rapidly declining passenger numbers, the lines were de-electrified in the 1960s and replaced by a diesel service.

To attempt to stem the decline, a bright orange "image" was adopted together with the brand "Tyneriders".
It looked impressive ...
... but, when fbb visited, he was decidedly underwhelmed to find, not bright orange DMUs in Newcastle Central station, but tired old green units just like anywhere else.

The lines were saved from death by a thousand cuts by the vision of the PTE which led to the current Metro network.

To celebrate the 40 years, the Metro has painted the original very first train in a combined livery.

There is a bit of the original PTE scheme ...
... the sloping slabs of blue and red ...
... and today's black and a brighter yellow.
So here is the medley of mixed liveries.
If you have never ridden these routes be aware of one bonus. The driver's cab is only half the width of the train, so, if you are lucky enough to bag the place, you can get a splendid view out of the front window. Very juicy indeed!

The Puzzle Picture
Linked to a signal and with a counterweight in the pot with the open lid (far left) it was a primitive form of Advance Warning System for use in fog.

The treadle (right) would operate a bell in the driver's cab.

It was trialled on the L N E R between the wars.

Another puzzle with an answer tomorrow.

What is it? What was it?

 Next Weekend Mixture : Sunday 14th June 

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