Monday Variety

 Bits Of Blogging Business.

1. Apologies for the appalling number of tripeing mistooks in yesterday;s blag. Two things didn't help. Firstly the eyes are giving trouble; and secondly after a tiring day you are simply too crurdled (technical medical term) to think straight. Usually the text is checked at the end of the day - but if the day has been unusually hectic, this process is highly unreliable. On Saturday fbb was trying to complete his GoTimetable Sheffield updates.

2. Apologies for NOT writing about Rennes today as previously announced. Hopefully that post will follow tomorrow.

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Caught on Camera At Catcliffe

So there IS bus stop publicity for the timetable changes that started yesterday. The above was a rare find by correspondent Roy.

Really helpful if you have turned up at the stop and are waiting for a bus, innit?

Bigger Bakerloo Beckons

The extension of thy Bakerloo line from Elephant and Castle to Lewisham has been a sound proposal for nigh on 25 years. Nothing tangible has happened and nothing seems very likely due to the parlous emptiness of Transport for London's moneybox. In view of recent political decisions, it seems highly unlikely that ANY UK government will have the lolly to spend on such a project for the foreseeable future

This does not prevent an occasional outburst of pressure from the locals.

This time it is the local authority that is campaigning.

Good on you, Southwark and Lewisham but ...

... don't hold your breath too long. And as for the further extension to Hayes?

Hmmm?

Puzzle Picture

Taken some time in the 1960s (clearly under the blue/grey livery regime) the setting is Waterloo Station on tracks that later served the Eurostar terminal and now serve a very posh bit of the rather ordinary Waterloo station!

The long coach is a Cinema and the small coach is (probably) a former Great Eastern Railway 6 wheeler converted into a generator wagon. It is undoubtedly the oldest vehicle to receive BR blue/grey colours.

And here is a model of the self-same coach offered by Hattons.

It is being held in the hands of Sam Turner.

Who?

He claims to own 500 OO gauge locomotives. He must have a huge layout - or maybe he just collects the models.

Sam Turner is, fbb believes, known as a Vlogger; he makes videos under the generic title of "Sam's Trains". Hattons had asked him to be part of the announcement for the launch of their new product.

Maybe not quite new - more of a clever paint job.

If you compare the model with the reality you will see that it is not quite accurate. It is, in fact, one of Hattons enormous range of "Genesis" generic 4 or 6 wheel coaches which are now filtering on to the market. Some of the livery types are labelled "sold out on pre order" but fbb has one (can't remember whose livery) coming soon.

Sam tells us that Hattons have had only 300 blue/grey made without lights and 300 with lights - so here's guessing that they, too, will be sold out before most modellers are tempted buy them.

Sam thinks they are oodles better that similar coaches produced by "another company". (That would be Hornby, Sam!)

fbb will proffer his considered opinion when the vehicle in question arrives.

fbb would bet a substantial sum (maybe a shilling) on the fact that few railway modellers had ever heard of an ancient six wheel coach in BR blue/grey livery. fbb hadn't!

Maybe someone should make a model of the former LNER (that's to old LNER not th modern state-owned upstart!) Buffet Car, also in blue/grey!

The Elizabeth Line line

As TfL have decided to call the Elizabeth line the Elizabeth Line line, maybe it is time to do a bit more renaming ...

... in the interests of consistency, of course.

Give Them Credit For Trying!

Above is the latest speculative venture from the Derbyshire company, Hulleys. Sadly most of their speculative ventures have failed! But they keep on trying, which is more than can ber said for the big groups! Sadly, fbb can tell you no more about Service 7 as the PDF refused to Define any Printer File. It don't ackle!

Sheffield Changes ... More Of

When fbb was a keen student at the Uni, the Greystones area had a paltry hourly service on route 74. This became route 61 and then was absorbed into the frequent cross-city 81, 82, 83 and 84 service complex from Middlewood to Ecclesall etc.

Front yesterday its half hourly service 83 (still keeping one of its route numbers) running seven days a week has been withdrawn completely by First Bus.

Its route 6 tendered replacement (Stagecoach) runs roughly every hour with nothing in the evenings and nothing on Sundays. The recent 83 ran half hourly seven days a week with evening buses every day.

Potty again.

First has also totally withdrawn its 27 from Rotherham to the Crystal Peaks shopping paradise (?).

This has the knock-on effect of reducing the service between Rotherham and Swallownest from every 30 minutes to hourly ...

... ANd leaving parts of "greater" Swallownest with no buses at all. Which parts are so deprived are not revealed by Travel South Yorkshire. So adieu 27.

Of course there are no maps - don't be silly!

Pottier than potty!

Whatever happened to Mayor Dan Jarvis' promise to improve bus services through South Yorkshire.

He even commissioned a report!

So he must be keen.

Sadly, not keen enough. Very quickly he became fed up with playing at Metro Mayorhood and returned to being a full-time MP.

So that was all very useful!

Tomorrow we return to the comparative sanity of La Belle France.

 Next Rnnes blog : Tuesday 4th October