Sunday Variety

Where?

Roger French is blogging from time to time, alphabetically visiting various UK transport operators; and yesterday he arrived at the letter "I" for Ipswich Buses. fbb remembers his explorations at a distance in connection with the Great Britain Bus Timetable and one visit hoping to sell the original Xephos. 

He didn't.

The company is an "arms length" operation owned by the council. From a staid but quality livery of dark green and cream ...

... the paint job then morphed into very garish green and purple dazzle mix.

There were variants!

Todays livery is, thankfully, more  sedate and, of course, a lot easier to paint.

Roger was, rightly, impressed with a working travel office ...

... plenty of full colour leaflets ...

... and, joy of joys, branded buses on the correct branded routes.

fbb decided to have a look at the route network today,

And that's where he met Babergh.

And asked "Where?"

More in a Holiday Variety blog tomorrow.

The Last Of First

Just a photo of First's Southampton bus depot on Empress Road ...

... which is now rebranded for GoAhead's Bluestar.

Infuriating Illuminations

Replacing Peterville Castle's coloured lights (which failed outdoors) was simple technically but troublesome visually. Coloured lights as previously seemed unavailable, so a set of white LEDs were strung around the trees and buildings.

And the result looked awful!

The shiny wires looked appalling and those wires were very stiff. Wherever you placed a provisional light, the previous "bulb" would ping out of place.

No adhesive devised by man seemed to counteract the "ping". So your aged blogger had to hold each fixing until it fixed. Of course, this meant that the fbb podgy finger was glued to the castle; and when removed the glued bit stayed with finger and not the castle.

And it still looks awful!

Hey ho.

But, once glued and with a dab of paint using dark dark green in the trees ...

... and grey for the walls ...

... the shiny wires fade into the background.

The Castle is at the back of the layout and, as usual with any fbb bodged project, it all looks splendid from a normal viewing distance.

Fbb has an idea of how to deal with the messy top of the tower. 

Apparently Lord Hardulph, castle owner and generous benefactor of Peterville Quarry Railway, intends to add a glazed done atop a viewing platform on the tower's currently exposed upper level ...

... but maybe a little more realistic than the above!

He does not anticipate any trouble with planning permission as he is both chairman of the Council and chairman of its planning committee.

The Puzzle Picture

British Railways (Scottish Region) were less interested in expansion about 50 years ago than Scotrail is now. There was an obvious need for a rail connection to Cumbernauld, a new town east of Glasgow. Rather than do a proper job, a diesel train met the existing Glasgow "blue train" electric units at Springburn.

The diesel then set off back towards the city centre and then wiggled its way to Cumbernauld. The 'interchange" is shown below top left.

The route to Cumbernauld strikes off upper right. Trains now run through using an alternative route out of Glasgow Queen Street.

This somewhat inadequate service started in November 1966 when the route to Glasgow Buchanan Street terminus was closed.

Mrs fbb found it near impossible o understand who, in their right mind, would want to go to Cumbernauld.

fbb did want to go, and; showing a magnificent something, the future Mrs fbb accepted her amorous fate and went as well

What a woman!

Holiday Variety blogs will continue until the gruesome twosome are back at fbb mansions.

 Next Holiday Variety blog : Monday 24th April