Colin Clears Up Confusion
Keen-brained readers will remember that fbb commented adversely on "Note A2" in the above timetable extract which told us (at the foot of the timetable) that, exceptionally, these buses terminated at Albion Street. But the timnetable actually shows them terinating at Albion Street. Furthermore, fbb said he couldn't find any Google Map stops on Albion Street.
That is because fbb was having a potty turn!
The stops in question (on Albion Street) are on the white bit of road between the STREET of Albion Street and the junction with Great George Street. fbb failed to do his homework correctly and did not search on the aforementioned "white bit".
Straight ahead is Woodhouse Lane where be the vastness of Leeds University and, long ago, where BBC Yorkshire once had its distinguished (but small) studios.
Traveline, which delights in its own flawed technology, finds it hard to cope with such subtleties and produces an unhelpful table with the second Albion Street (for terminating journeys) relegated to the bottom of the column. Hence the note A on the PTE table at the top of this post and ...
... the Traveline heading which suggests, erroneously, that route 1 terminates at "Headrow M" which is, obviously, Albion Street, but inbound. The use of the unhelpful stop name "Headrow" is because the PTE has created city centre stop "zones" to make travel easier. Ha ha!
Here is the group of stops all called "Headrow" ...
... and here are the stops on the Headrow but NOT called "Headrow". Of course, obviously, they are called "Civic".
Remember the catchphrase :-
"Easier to Get Across The City"
Yeah, right!
And thanks to Colin for exposing another limitation of the new "lines" policy. Here is an extract from the Headlingley Line map (YELLOW):-
It would appear that 1, 6, 8, 27, 28 and possibly X84 (shown in blue) run via Headingley, whereas 19, 19A and 56 (lower left shown as via "West Park") do not. Lawnswood would be better than Weetwood as that is what the timetable and the front of the buses show. Such niceties never seem to bother bus cartographers who, mostly, don't seem to understand buses.
See also West Yorkshire politicians!
Here is Colin's list of services via the Otley Road shown with daytime frequencies Monday to Saturday..
1 Beeston - City - Lawnswood 15’
6 Bus Station - Tinshill - Holt Park 15’
8 Bus Station - Lawnswood - Holt Park 15’
27 Bus Station - Guiseley 30’
28 Bus Station - Adel 30’
85 Bus Station - Pool 60’
X84 Bus Station - Otley 15’
alternate buses to Ilkley
That's 21 buses every hour!
But there are problems with definition once again. The "Core Network" ...
... is supposed to be for frequencies of 15 minutes or better and 27, 28, and 85 run every 30 or every hour. Should they be included because they run via Headingley or should they be excluded because they are not frequent enough?
The Beests may not like it!
After all the Circle Line in London doesn't circle any more and the District Line goes everywhere, man. There are TWO Northern Lines and the Central line can be as un-central as you like way out Epping Way.
It is only a "brand". But whatever brands you choose really must preserve the links across the city, not change colours in mid-route. That is daftness in the extreme.
Congratulations At Cardiff.
One of the things that has crept into to bus publicity is short notice changes. The dreaded lurgi has been blamed, possibly unfairly, but even without the joys of Covid, some operations have changed services with very little notice to the passengers. In some cases what feeble notice there has been has appeared after the event.
Disgraceful.
Which all makes the above panel very encouraging indeed. Here is Council-owned Cardiff bus telling its passengers A MONTH IN ADVANCE of timetable changes. Steps back in amazement!
It is not at all clear where you might find this information in printed form, if at all, but even fbb has to admit that It Is All On-Line and, encouragingly, simple to find.
Click on the panel as above and you get a simple list in numerical order.
Most of the changes are relatively minor ...
Services 21 and 23
Monday – Friday
Small changes to the timetable
Saturday
no change
Sunday
no change
Services 21 and 23 timetable from 5 September
Services 24 and 25
Monday – Friday
Small changes to the timetable
Saturday
no change
Sunday
no change
Services 24 and 25 timetable from 5 September
Service 27
Monday – Friday
Revised timetable with extra buses in the evening
Saturday
Revised timetable with extra buses in the evening
Sunday
no change
Service 27 timetable from 5 September
Services 28, 28A and 28B
Monday – Friday
Small changes to the timetable
Saturday
no change
Sunday
no change
Services 28, 28A and 28B timetable from 5 September
... but each one is clear, concise and free from bus-man technical language. It says it like it is, and there is the timetable for you to check.
There are two more significant changes. There is no map showing the new routes, but the old map is good enough to get the picture.
Service 13 (YELLOW) from Drope via Cardiff Centre and on to ...
... the Sports Village, a terminus which fbb would be visiting day after day ...
... were he a local resident (???!!!). Or not!, ...
... is split with the Sports Village section becoming a new Service 5.
Broadly speaking the 13 to Drope is unchanged, we hope!
Then the fairly nominal 9C ...
...is merged with the 95A (MAROON) ...
... to Penarth.
This creates a new route 7.
It looks like Cardiff Bus has made a bit of a bus saving wth this merger. But fbb does not really grasp the significance of these relatively minor changes.
The important thing is that they are clearly explained and even a remote enquirer sitting in his mansion at Seaton can make some sense of them.
West Yorkshire Metro, please note.
Thanks to correspondent Andrew for alerting the old and incompetent one to these changes!
Box Bodge Becomes Better
Once interior light are fitted to fbb's little signalbox, it becomes horrifically obvious how crude, how awful his original bodged interior was. The teeth of a comb, badly painted, plus a poor quality "suggestion" of the shelf of block instruments. Even the signalman's chair was one of the most uncomfortable anywhere on the OO gauge model rail universe.
Something had to be done.
A kit with a combination of laser cut bits and 3-D printed other bits is being installed. fbb is thrilled with the clock.
It just shows how much time these "small" modelling projects take. And how fiddly the rest of the assembly AND the painting will be.
Next Variety blog : Saturday 7th August
Interesting what you said about Cardiff. I was emailed today about changes in Glasgow starting next Monday. I haven’t looked at in detail but where I live in Bishopbriggs we are going from 8 buses an hour to 6. The people of Kilsyth have 2 buses an hour leaving Glasgow on the hour and half-hour. They still have 2 buses but at 20 and 40 minutes past each hour.
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