Sunday Variety

 Puzzle Picture

Leeds! The city's trams were famous (?) for huge route numbers, often displayed blocking the front top deck view. Eat you heart out Contravision!

This style was by no means universal Some had smaller destination boxes which were less intrusive ...

... and some has blinds in a more conventional place.

The style, but with a slightly reduced size of font, continued on the motor buses ...

... and remained so into PTE times.

Sheffield Transport, too, had an "odd font" with a totally circular letter "O"

But the "S" was aways condensed.

 "C" and  "G" were also parts of a true circle.

But when the words were longer a more "normal" font was used.

Once again the big round "O" style continued into the PTE age.

Technology Puzzle Picture

What Ellis Clark is selling are "O" gauge "Buckeye" couplings.

Errm ... what?

Let's go back a bit. Way back when, wagons and coaches were joined by simple chains; which developed into what were known as "three link" couplings.

A slightly more sophisticates version has one asymmetric link. This meant thet rolling stock could be "close coupled" using the short bit of the link if required.

This unsophisticated system produced the "clang clang clang" as a train accelerated and the links became tight. Wagons had handbrakes.

Later vehicles were "fitted", i.e. fitted with brakes operated by air or steam. 

Screw link couplings arrived ...

... whereby the connection could be tightened until buffers touched. But, to do this, an operative had to stand between two wagons and do the screwing. This could be, indeed was, dangerous.

So "buckeye" couplings which came together without human intervention arrived on the scene.

On broad principle they operated like a model railway Peco or Hornby Dublo couplings of old.

The real things still needed a human hand to uncouple, but this was via a yank on a chain from the trackside and not between vehicles!

Some buckeye couplings were made so the could be folded down, out of the way of other linkage.

These were known as "drophead" couplings. Both sorts were usually spring to ease the sudden shock as a train moved off.

So there you are ... Ellis Clark drophead sprung buckeye couplings for your "O" gauge rolling stock.

The set of two will cost you £12.50. That is about the price of a cheapo open wagon in OO gauge.

Topless Art (Not What You Think!)

It was only a week or so back that fbb was extolling the virtues of MoreBus Bteezers. Two routes combined to offer a link between Wool Station and Lulworth Cove

Those services approach from Bournemouth and Poole. But coming in from the west is First Wessex X50.

This service supplements the rather sparse X54 that used to be part of a through service from Exeter to Bournemouh. The main thrust of the X50 east of Weymouth is to get folk to Lulworth Cove. The X50 runs hourly seven days a week,

And it appears that the Bearded Bus Beautifier from the Bush has provided one of his stylish and stylised interpretations of this beauty spot.

Here, for comparison purposes is the reality.

The rocky arch is Durdle Door; the nearby Cove is almost circular.

But don't expect such glorious views from your open top X50. This gets the merest long distance glimpse until you arrive at the main village and  car park.

Despite a rather faintly marked bus stop bay outside the visitor centre ...

... the buses stop at the entrance to the huge car park.

From here it is about 3/4 mile to the beach down a narrow road.

It is only when you get there that you get the view of the Cove! Or you can take cliff top paths and gaze down at the rock arch nearbyn! 

But it is the icing on the very pleasant cake of a ride on the X50.

The other poster was something of a challenge!

For this we need the other open topper, the X52, running west from Weymouth to Bridport.

This supplements he all-year-round X53 from Axminster to Weymouth.

So, where are those gorgeous golden cliffs?

Well, they are golden if you turn up the colour and the brightness!

They are the East Cliffs at West Bay, just south of Bridport.

But you cannot really see the cliffs from anywhere on the X52!

So you need to get off and walk - which is well worth the effort.

And the ride from Bridport to Weymouth - the best way to do it - is gorgeous.

Baslow Breezer Is Blue!

Hulleys publicity for their Breezer from Baslow to Castleton showed a very red bus, but on-line was a ranralising glimpse of something more Hulley-like.

Here it is coming up the hill out of Hathersage.

And here it is in red ...

... and now in blue with registration number very visible.

And here with Aldermaston Coaches running a shirt-lived sea front service at Portsmouth.

Before that, with the Bath Bus Company running happily in Windsor.

Even before that it was topless in London, but for the wrong reasons!

And originally!

Presumably Bath Bus Company fettled up the top deck after the accident.

 Next Red Arrow blog USA : Monday 12th June