Saturday Mini Variety

It Seemed A Good Idea At The Time

There was much excitement when Stagecoach and a whole goody bag of "partners" announced route AB1 from Ferrytoll on the north bank of the Firth of Forth, over the old Forth Bridge and via the M8 to Gyle shopping centre on the western edge of Einburgh.

Promotional material showed a whole fleet of buses in dedicated livery following one another across the bridge. 

It is hard to see why so many vehicles were needed as the service could run happily using just one bus!

Fake News?

The route is numbered AB1 complete with smiley face.

Each journey requires two staff; a driver who doesn't drive unless necessry and a second man/woman to reassure the passengers.

Recently the following announcement has been posted on the Stagecoach web site and shared with the local media.

We're sorry to let you know that the AB1 service and our autonomous bus demonstration will conclude on Friday, 14th February 2025, as the current phase of research, development, and match funding comes to an end.

This groundbreaking trial project has delivered invaluable insights, with partners working together to shape the future of public transport. While the service will conclude in February, it has provided a wealth of learnings that will inform the continued development of autonomous technology in the UK.

Hmmm?

Although passenger usage on the AB1 route, linking Ferrytoll with Edinburgh Park did not meet expectations and therefore will not be directly replaced, the trial has significantly advanced the understanding of the operational and regulatory requirements for autonomous services, delivering what was expected from this demonstrator project.

We sincerely thank you for your support and custom during this innovative project, it has provided a wealth of learnings that will inform the continued development of autonomous technology in the UK.

Maybe inform us not to do it again?

The partners* remain committed to exploring new opportunities for self-driving technology in other areas across the UK, ensuring that this exciting innovation can play a transformative role in future transport networks.

For alternative travel options, Lothian Country service 71 operates between Queensferry and The Gyle, or plan your journey via Traveline.

The media seems to have picked up on the "low passenger numbers" line ...

... wth the article going on to a sub-headline ...

The service will close in February 2025 due to low passenger numbers.

To which fbb replies, "Pish, tish and utter tosh!"

Did anyone really think a paltry hourly service from a huge Park and Ride ...

... to a shopping centre with a huge car park ...

... was ever going to attract oodles of paying customers?

Of course it never would.

The official press release referred to the end of funding which, at least initially, sounds plausible. But, hang on a sec! If these autonomous buses were really the best thing since Shillibeers Omnibus ...

... then the investment would be flowing in by the truckload.

The most likely, but hidden, explanation is simply that it doesn't work!

One passenger who reported on his ride told his on-line readers that the non-driving driver had to take over at some road works and needed to take control to manoeuvre at both termini!

If yo want to go driverless, try using a tram on reserved track.

Underground TC4 Trains, a P S.

Herewith a somewhat dated snap (note the A stock) of a "heritage" train travelling away from the camera. (red lights on Sarah Siddons).

A close look shows the second loco on the front ot the four coach train ...

... as surmised by fbb.

Harrow Map a P. S.

It was, indeed, harrowing for fbb to spot his own error on his Harrow map, with the arrows wrongly pointing beside the route numbers on Pinner Road.

Now corrected and a little more information is added about lines and stations.

Should the women's footy team really be riding up and down on the Watford electrics?

fbb's New Tank Wagon ...

... but not an  iwagon .  

Here are a few pictures showing the exquisite detail that you now expect from a OO gauge model - and the detail you expect to pay for! OUCH: but fbb's was half price at £46. STILl OUCH!

The walkway on the top.

 ... the fine mounding on the bogies ...

... the exquisite lettering ...

... and the full pipe and hopper set from underneath.

Unless you have peep holes from under the baseboard or CCTV cameras between the rails you will never see all that. But dedicated modellers tell us they have to know it is there!

And A Puzzle Picture

In which work of children's literature (?) woud you have seen a picture of the above Dinky coach?

Answer tomorrow.

Pinterest Producing Problems

For some reason, Pinterest, which appears to know what flavour crisps fbb had for his lunch yesterday, has been sending the chubby one its own selection of Puzzle Pictures, entitled "Find the Fault".

fbb would love to know when they were originally published. It looks like 1930s. Some are very obvious, but occasionally some have stumped your intellectually acute (?) author.

Here is an easy one.

Answer later.

It might be worth making up a showreel of some of these as a Christmas Quiz.

============================

"NOT the Advent Calendar", but ...

     The      

  CHRIST -mas 

  Criss-muss  

   Confusion  

 Critique  21 

 Time To Tick The Boxes?

Mary, teenage virgin, but promised to Joseph, was miraculously pregnant.

Both she and Joseph could trace their descent 1000 years from King David ...

... and thanks to a remarkable census decision by a Roman Governor, they went to Bethlehem, the City of David, for the "arrival".

Instead of throwing her out, Joseph decided to stick with it - not perhaps miraculous, but certainly contrary to every shred of Jewish social mores. Joseph married Mary, loved her and the child and cared for them.

So the Word became a human being; the Saviour, The Christ, the Son of God. The Word was born of a virgin, was from David's line and was born in David's town.

Too many coincidences; seems like they were "God-incidences".

Ticks all round!

But there is more foretelling to think about; this time showing that CHRSTmas was just the start of something big.

For this we must go back 500 years before the Nativity.

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  Next Variety blog : Sunday 22nd Dec 

First And RATP - But Where?

 It Would Be Easier With A Map

As fbb has mentioned occasionally, London Transport is USELESS at useful information. There are no timetables and no network maps. These essential requisites of a bus traveller are not even on line. 

The above is a small extract from the excellent independent Mike Harris map which shows the whole red bus network.

London Transport used to publish this.

Formerly there were also quadrant maps, four off, with more detail. This extract being of the Docklands area.

"Ah, but", (Harbutt as in Plasticine?), we hear a London Buses manager cry; "you do have our much adored and really useful Spider maps."

Really?

Above is the Spider map of Harrow. Clearly it is impossible to "appreciate" this whole map in a blog; the size and scope are too big. Therefore fbb decided to take a look at the H18 and H19 routes.

RATP tells us they form a circular "via Kenton" running both ways round.

The Spider offers some guidance as to how to use this diagram.

fbb has not counted, but there might well be 100 locations marked on the map. Where to start? 

fbb decided to start with H18 ...

Central Harrow is just off the map, bottom right. The box at the end of the CYAN coloured line tells us where to get on ("from stop D") and where H18 goes. It goes to HARROW, from Harrow! But there is no mention of the route in the opposite direction.

There is, however, an H19 (in a slightly different blue) on the map.

It, too, goes from Harrow to HARROW using stops C, F, and M; it does indeed run via Kenton. But FROM Kenton to Harrow you would really need the H18.

We can see the stops in the highlighted central area of the diagram.

What do the routes look like when emphasised on the Mile Harris' map?

We can now see that the H18 and H19 are, indeed, circular routes.

A proper Harrow network map ought to be available, surely.

It Would Be Better With A Timetable!

For the record, we can use Robert Minster for timetables as Transport for London won't tell us.

H18

H19

We now know where the H18 and H19 go; we know that Monday to Saturday each runs round its circular route every 20 minutes with a half hourly headway evenings and Sundays.

By pure coincidence Ian Armstrong bus routes site has a route map as well but with an older date.

Transport for London has a sort-of geographical map. It is computer generated, Yippee!

The whole route is accurate but lacks any detailed information. But these maps do enlarge. Here is an extract.

Clicking on a tiny dot does bring up a stop name with a very tiny arrow showing direction of travel. But the road names of the H18 and H19 route are obliterated by the red lines.

So could fbb make a better route map? Could fbb make a better Harrow network map? Of course he could, but it will be diverting him from understanding more of what First has bought from RATP.

The H18 H19 route map should be straightforward but the network map will take a bit longer. See you, big map, in the New Year!

Maybe?

The sadness is that First Bus will be contracted to run the H18 and H19 with no funding to improve the publicity and thus no ability to help the perplexed passenger.

But a quick draft of am H18/H19 geographical route map has been completed by fbb.

Spot the mistake?

It is unlikely to get any further refinement for a week or so - there's something happening next Wednesday which may take up a good bit of the old man's time and energy.

The old nan will return to look more widely at what First will be running - sometime in the New Year.

============================

"NOT the Advent Calendar", but ...

     The      

  CHRIST -mas 

  Criss-muss  

   Confusion  

 Critique  20 

What Was CHRISTmas For?

A well known American pastor once wrote that CHRISTmas without Easter is utterly pointless.

These days people take even less notice of the true meaning of Easter than they do at Criss-muss. Which is odd, seeing that everyone wants to see the world "sorted out".

Whilst the opening chapter of John's Gospel serves as an introduction to the purpose and work of John the Baptist (as does Mark's Gospel, but in a different style). we do read a little more about the earthly purpose of "The Word", Jesus, God's Son.

He came to his own country, but his own people did not receive him. Some, however, did receive him and believed in him; so he gave them the right to become God's children. They did not become God's children by natural means, that is, by being born as the children of a human father; God himself was their Father.

John wrote some time after the end of Jesus earthly life, so he would know only too well how the Saviour of the World had been rejected by many, then crucified.

But John also knows that "becoming a child of God, would remain the offer on the table.

The long-term deal was part of the eternal grand scheme of things.

CHRISTmas was always just the start!

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  Next Variety blog : Saturday 21st Dec 

How We Present Tanks For Cement

You Have To Keep It Dry! (mini blog)

Whether wagons like the above were ever used for "loose" cement is unclear but mostly it was transported in sacks loaded into a covered van. Then a whole range of tank wagons was developed using compressed air to make the cement powder behave like a liquid.

A train of such wagons would deliver the product to the distribution centres for onward transit, ready-mixed, by road.

An awful lot of cement is still distributed in bags for the smaller trader to purchase from his local builders merchant's yard.

Breedon ...

... sells a huge variety of different cement and associated prodcts in 25kg bags.

Concrete is, of course, a mixture of cement, sand and gravel (a k a "aggregate").

Buying Bigger Tankers!

Like everything else traveling by rail today, huge cement tanks are now the norm. They are still loaded and unloaded by compressed air, and an awful lot of them (like that shown above) carry the logo "VTG".

VTG used to be the VT Group with the V and the T descending from Vosper Thorneycroft. 

Their business was ship building. In turn this company was formed by the merger of two firms, both heavily involved in naval vessel building.

How we get from there to VTG, a major leasing company, whose tank wagons are used by cement companies, is complex and a bit beyond this blog. Suffice it to say, most JPA tankers are owned by VTG.

The company also has flat wagons ...

... box wagons ...

... and hopper wagons.

But their latest product, ordered for use by Breedon, is one of these.

To most of us, it looks like a bog standard bogie cement wagon like the metallic grey one shown earlier.

But this is an  iwagon . It's got a prefix "i" so it must be special!

It has "technology"!

So there!

And fbb has just bought a JPA tank wagon branded for VTG and it isn't an  iwagon ! The old man will surely be awake for many a long night weeping with devastation.

For tomorrow's blog, fbb will be exercising his iBrain and continuing his exploration of First's purchase of RATP London.

============================

"NOT the Advent Calendar", but ...

     The      

  CHRIST -mas 

  Criss-muss  

   Confusion  

 Critique  19 

What Does "Son of God" Mean?

Over the centuries, we have made Criss-muss so unreal that it is easy to forget what it is all about. One thing is certain - it was not pretty. The manger would not have been clean, the cloth wrapped round the baby would not have been white and, certainly initially, the child would have been messy and bashed about.

Human birth is a messy business.

We already know that the baby was nor conceived by human activity but by Divine interventions, perfectly feasible for a God outside our universe and beyond our experience or understanding.

John' Gospel has a go at explaining the event.

The Word became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us. We saw his glory, the glory which he received as the Father's only Son.

No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is the same as God and is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

The activity and authority of God is born as a child in a manger ...

... but a child with a purpose, a child who grew up! In due course, that activity and authority will be revealed

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  Next First RATP blog : Friday 20th Dec