An Older Bus Model
Not that one above, but something very similar. fbb bought a second Oxford Diecast cheapo "bundle" of shop-soiled (but not very) models or models with faults (but not many). One was a Routemaster bus which fbb forgot to photograph before starting work on it.
For reasons that may become obvious, the first job was to disassemble the model ...
... which involved the terrifying removal of rivets with the help of a power drill. If you are not careful it is easy to break the sintered metal body.
fbb wasn't and he did!
Out comes the super glue again and, hopefully, you can't see the joins - and even if you could, the paint quality is a bit bobbly. (apologies for a technical term) so it doesn't matter.
Clearly the model was dressed, not for the bus enthusiast but for the souvenir trade ...
... with no side blind, a minimalist front blind ...
... and a very incorrect fleet name.
The platform pole and the "glass" for the lower deck back window ...
... were very much gorn!
All in all, not a good accurate model to grace the bus rally diorama that will ultimately adorn Peterville Quarry Railway.
So what might fbb do with his cheap and almost nasty bus acquisition?
At least it is not as nasty as some, as here with a ridiculous extra narrow window!
That unique and unrealistic feature only appears on Routemasters made by (or for?) Budgie Toys.
Weird!
An Older Bus Station
Looking at on-line pictures of the "old" bus station at Durham and its recently opened replacement ...
... it is not easy, at first glance, to tell which is which! (the new one is atop the old - above).
Durham once had an even older bus station ...
... which fbb guesses was owned by United and used by ...
... United and Northern. It was, as you might expect, an Omnibus Station - what more could a passenger want?
Quite a lot more, it would appear, so a swish new bus station (now the old bus station) was built on roughly the same site in the 1970s. It had head-on reverse out stands ...
The new new bus station is a clone of its predecessor but a bit smarter.
fbb will take a look inside the premises in tomorrow's blog.
Trafferth yn y Felin
Things were certainly not looking good in Wales. The headline horror is the 20mph blanket speed limit replacing 30mph. Generally speaking this small change alone may well make some urban routes unviable.
Then there is the prospect of the final round of subsidy and grant money post Covid.
Operators were very worried.
The final statistic in the above piece seems grim.
Is it right or is it a scary exaggeration taken out of context?
If it is right numerically and right contextually then the operators have good reason to be worried.
But much more worrying is the prospect for the humble passenger.
But That Was Then (Summer 2023) - Now ...
Even the Wales office of the Confederation of Passenger Transport i a little more upbeat.
Mt Hill is not 100% convinced ...
... and offers a slightly cautionary tale.
So the original article was a fuss about nothing? Or maybe a shot across the bows of the Welsh Government which has been muttering all year about cutbacks.
We shall see ...
Puzzle Picture
Please identify this station of the Great Western and Metropolitan Railways.
Answer tomorrow.
Next Variety blog : Sunday 14th January
The station stil looks much the same today apart from the loss of the canopy. The roadway outside is still made of stone setts. However being 2024 there is a 'Pret' in one of the shops. And the location, well I don't think you would want me to spoil other peoples fun so early in the day.
ReplyDeleteAh I was right first time :-) . Didn’t know it used to be Great Western though
ReplyDeleteYes. The really interesting bit is the erstwhile junction with the London & Southwestern just north of the terminus, including a viaduct (at least partially demolished) which was rebuilt in the 1920s and never used!
DeleteThose Welsh figures are, of course 18-months old (21-22) rather than last years 22-23 and the big recovery in passenger numbers really started to show in that period, many operators in England are showing recovery to 100% of pre-COVID or sometimes better (at least for full fare payers, concessionary passengers have been slower so some operators are still showing total numbers below pre-COVID but income comparisons will be different) though that 50% in 21-22 probably still puts the Welsh at the weaker end of the recovery at that time.
ReplyDeleteI read somewhere that half of the carriages were branded "Metropolitan & Great Western" and half the other way round. This may not be true. I also believe that ownership of some of the 1938 cars intended for the post-WW2 eastwards expansion of the Central Line was vested in the LNER.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the LNER 1938 stock cars were on the Northern Line, as the High Barnet branch (and the Edgware branch off a branch) was originally a LNER line. Some of the cars had a plate affixed denoting ownership.
DeleteI don't think that applied to the Central Line extensions, as the railways had become nationalised by then (as had the LPTB), so ownership was irrelevent.