An Open Letter To First Great Western
Above is an example of the publicity you produce for the Tarka Line. You may not have heard of it, but it is one of yours. It runs every hour from Exeter to Barnstaple through some very pleasant country offering a huge range of walks and opportunities to explore quaint and interesting communities.
It is an ideal tourist line.
Your member of staff at Barnstaple station informed the author of this blog that you do not consider such things as printed publicity necessary,
Twaddle.
Here is a sample of some of the bus publicity prepared for similar road vehicle explorations throughout Eng;and,
Peak Sightseer
Stagecoach
Tour based on Chatsworth, Derbyshire
Snowdon Sherpa
North Wales
This covers a wide range of services that offer excellent opportunities to enjoy the Snowdon area.
And as a special bonus, you can have the information twice; once in English and once in Welsh on the back.of the same leaflet. Or on the front if you are Welsh speaking.
Good innit - and it encourages visitors to use he bus!
Perhaps you don't want people to use your trains, it is very inconvenient if they do.
And fbb does know that the Welsh Government has decreed that Snowdon no longer exists.
Southern Vectis
Isle Of Wight
All Bus Operators
And you can get key tourist routes TWICE via a second leaflet!
If course, there is no mention of the Island Line in it, operated by another First Rail company, but you may not have heard of South Western Railway.
All the above printed publicity is widely distributed in the areas concerned, to tourist information offices, hotels, places of interest etc..
But apparently your associated rail company doesn't want passengers either.
Maybe you are in the wrong business?
If printed publicity isn't necessary (so you say), why do these companies produce it?
My guess is tha they want to attract more business and a piece of paper or a booklet in hand is far more effective than the incessant prodding of a keyboard.
Saving The Planet (1) Electric Cars
They are heavier that petrol or diesel cars, so, whilst saving the planet, it now appears that ...
... they break up the roads because they are carrying those chunky and environmentally damaging batteries.
Saving The Planet (2) Hydrogen Buses
And we all know how environmentally costly it is to make Hydrogen and transport it.
Saving The Planet (3) Cheap Trams?
Twaddle, TfL.
Saving The Planet (3) Cheap Trams?
Whenever an organisation is cornered (see the rail unions) it always plays the "safety issue" card.
The company is offering to build a tram at no cost to the taxpayer.
Maybe it IS too good to be true - but surely, TfL, it is worth a serious look?
Saving The Planet (4) - Express Busway?
Saving The Planet (4) - Express Busway?
This blog has already recorded the stunning success of Fastrack in the Dartford area. Its core services have been reduced and the super duper "keep cars off the road" route AZ for Amazon has been an utter failure.
To build on this stunning success (Ahem?), Kent is constructing another one. Details are sketchy on-line, but a new bus only road is being build from B & Q at Whitfield ...
... then across the A2 ...
... and on to ordinary roads in Dover. At the edge of the town, the new busway will serve a housing development on the site of the former Connaught Barracks.
There is some disquiet locally that this new road will take buses from Whitfield to the traffic jams of Dover slightly faster but at significant expense. "Why," asks a local blogger, "is money beng spent on this waste-of-space when bus companies are reducing services all over the place."
To build on this stunning success (Ahem?), Kent is constructing another one. Details are sketchy on-line, but a new bus only road is being build from B & Q at Whitfield ...
See Dartford Fastrack!
This is the Dover Fastrack in diagram form.
fbb awaits the timetable with interest.
Cross-Patch About Thatch
It is very rare indeed for thatch to look like the above. Apart from a few regional examples, when you look at thatch you look at the end of the straw or reed, and NOT its length.
So fbb was anxious that his new old cottage had good, accurate thatch. So off the old bodger staggered to Bradfords yard, almost next door to fbb mansions. 
Cross-Patch About Thatch
"Thatch" was purchased for a modest £3.53 ...
... and fbb only needed one of the five sheets.
Here is attempt one with 'thatch" on the new old extension.
The process was surprisingly effective, so work continued on the original cottage.
You can see he join between "extension" and original, which will eventually be filled in. You can also see the gloop of PVA (No More Nails) needed to hold the "thatch" in place and cover joins between bits of sandpaper. It will look better when it dries.
So what colour will fbb use to paint the thatch? Most thatch, once aged a year or two, is a muddy grey colour as here in Godshill, Isle of Wight ...
... so that's a start.
Note, also, that fbb has added some timber framework to the extension. More painting to tackle and there is a need for window frames in the extension. More for the bodger modeller to bodge.
Note, also, that fbb has added some timber framework to the extension. More painting to tackle and there is a need for window frames in the extension. More for the bodger modeller to bodge.
A bodger, however, was once a skilled craftsman, not an incompetent worker. As an aside, fbb will bring a real bodger to the blog tomorrow.
Please note : on Sunday and Monday the fbbs will be welcoming guests to their Fellowship meetings; this month with a cream team. Mrs fbb's scones are the best in the western arm of the galaxy, and fbb writes without bias of any kind.
It maybe that Monday's and Tuesday's blogs are curtailed due to either weariness or gluttony or indigestion or all three.
Next Variety Blog : Sunday 2nd July
On a journey last week involving travel on GWR I came across their 20 page "A guide to the Dartmoor Line" at Paddington. Although the timetable information was for Dec 22 to May 23 it has a map and brief details of fares as well as lots of photos highlighting the benefits of using the line. The all important clue as to its existence is on the back page - "This guide has been produced with the help of funding organised by the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership which includes a grant from the Community Rail Development Fund, a joint initiative of the Department of Transport and the Community Rail Network" It would seem that many hands in many pockets are required.
ReplyDeleteI did also acquire a copy of "GWR and National railway network maps". The GWR side shows their services and bus routes where through ticketing is available. In addition, it shows a number of proposed branch line and station re-openings as well as heritage railways where they connect. The National side provides a useful reminder that we still have some sort of network for the whole country. It was interesting to note that on my return journey through Paddington later the same day the leaflet racks were devoid of these two so there would appear to be a demand.
As laudable as FBB's suggestion is that GWR should promote it's scenic routes, he is, I assume, aware that the TOC is struggling to carry all the customers it already has due to a shortage of rolling stock?
ReplyDeleteShort formations are a daily occurrence on the Devon network, with consequent over crowding. The failure of the 769s to enter service on the North Downs route means that a number of Turbos intended for the West have to stay in the Thames Valley. The withdrawal of the Castle HSTs means that the IET fleet is more stretched, with Bedwyns covered by a Turbo which would otherwise have been sent westward. Add to that the cracking problems and long-term remedial works reducing the available IET fleet, the new Okehampton service needing a couple of units, difficulties obtaining spare parts for the Turbos, further Castle withdrawals, and the situation is dire. Who knows where units will be found for the Bristol service enhancements due in the next couple of years.
I'm sure GWR would like to attract more passengers on to its trains, but I'm equally sure that it desperately wants more units to convey its existing customers on.
As a GWR manager, I can say this is entirely accurate. More passengers would be great IF we had space for them!
DeleteSo why withdraw all the castle HSTs if you’re short of stock? (Apart from to save money of course, which is more important than doing something which may benefit the PASSENGERS)
DeleteBecause the HSTs are expensive to run and the DfT/Treasury isn't prepared to pay for them. Remember that all the "privatised" franchises are operating on a "cost plus a small profit" basis since Covid reduced railway income.
DeleteIt's the same situation in the East Midlands, where the advice for summer Saturdays to Skegness is "book in advance or you will be put on a bus".
A 'cream team' sounds an interesting concept!
ReplyDeleteDevon & Cornwall - Great Scenic Railways
ReplyDeleteI have just been to my Farm Shop in Devon and it had the above glossy leaflet, March 2022 edition. It is produced by the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership with funding from the railways and it gives info and pictures for all the branch lines. I also have somewhere a Walks from the Tarka Line booklet from a few years ago by the same people.
They are available as much from tourist venues as from stations. Rail services unlike buses tend not to change from year to year.
It's not just GWR: my sister and brother-in-law travelled on Thursday from Stansted Airport to March on the last CrossCountry train of the day at 20:25. They reported that the 3-car (!) train was full on departure from the airport and there was hardly any luggage space available. One wonders why the preceding train starts from Cambridge at 20:00 rather than from SSD, and why the 20:25 from SSD is deemed unnecessary on Saturdays.
ReplyDelete