High Speed Line Cancelled?
It doesn't just happen in the UK. Spain, too, is developing a network of high speed lines with trains racing along at up to 300 kph.
The particular network runs from Madrid (there in he middle) to the Mediterranean coast. Plans were developed to continue the line south from Murcia.The town looks so good you might wonder why you would need to go further south! The next stage, however would be to Almeria where the splendid station as due for a rebuild and extension.
But, following political shenanigans the project was cancelled in 2017.
Five companies awarded contracts to build sections of the planned AlmerÃa to Murcia high-speed train line (AVE) have rescinded their tenders since January, it has emerged.
The five follow the lead of constructors Sacyr, who late last year controversially broke away from the project citing concerns that the project would never start.
The contracts were all awarded in 2011, when work first started on the AVE lines. More than one billion euros was spent building two of Spain’s largest railway tunnels underneath the Sierra Cabrera in Sorbas, along with 12 kilometres of track.
But the project is now back on track.
Any chance of 2024's new UK Government seeing sense and reinstating the cancelled HS2 from Birmingham northwards.
What's left will be a bit silly on its own, surely?
Maybe Mr Starmer (or will it be Andy Burnham by then?) might be quite keen on a vote-winning faster route to Manchester, and so will change the nation's mind?
A Visitor To Harrogate
And, talking of Rishi!
Rishi is Conservative member for Richmond (North Yorkshire) so, as well as stopping the boats, sorting out NHS waiting lists and providing us all with NHS dentists, he also has his constituents to look after. Busy man?
If he were in Harrogate on a Friday he could have benefitted from a special deal - all part of a wider campaign.
Harrogate Buses are offering a 2 for 1 deal - which sounds great ...
... but it only applies to a day ticket; not to all fares. A Daytripper costs £14 and is valid on all Transdev routes EXCEPT Coastliner.
So two for one is really only a good deal for longer distance days out, e.g. Harrogate to Leeds, Harrogate to York; and only then if you are making a few connecting trips.
Nice idea, but ...
The Bearded One Wants A Gofer?
Ray Stenning of Best Impressions has posted a trendy, inviting and very different job advert on line.
Looks fascinating. If fbb were 40 years younger and prepared to live and work in Shepherds Bush (which he never would be!) he might have given it a first thought. But the actual job description is as boring as they always are.
It looks as if Ray is seeking to employ an office manager, despite the hype.
Bill Bodge & Fred Fudge At Large.
It seemed a good idea at the time. fbb's illuminated camping bus ...
... is lit by part of a string of LEDs, the sort of thing that you scrunch up into a jar for your trendy soirees. You know the sort of thing; low lighting, soft music, fatuous conversation and platters of indeterminate "nibbles".
So very enjoyable!
But the question remains, what to do with the rest of the string?
The refettled Nissen Hut holiday let, on sloping land atop Peterville Tunnel, shares a site with the bus. So let there be light there!
It is relatively easy to poke lights inside the buildings, but the balcony definitely needed external lighting.
So, install lamp posts c/o Mrs fbb's pegs ... then ...
... fix LEDs to the top of the posts holding the stiff bits of wire in place with, you guessed it, Mrs fbb's clothes pegs.
Glue "bulbs" and a blob of Blu Tack (as a finial) on top of the poles and, Bodge and Fudge behold, you have a lamp!
But if you use too much super glue it dribbles down the poles and super glues the clothes pegs to the stiff wires and the fragile plastic posts ...
Aaaaghh.
More tomorrow.
It's Happening Again
To populate his blog with stunning illustrations, fbb takes plenty of snaps on his cheapskate phone camera. These pictures are stored on part of the Google world dominating empire. fbb is told they are in "the cloud".
That equates to being hidden in electronic obscurity.
So for the last few weeks, the cloud has been decidedly unwilling to give up its contents.
All that appears is this:-
Or even this:-
It sometimes takes six goes to get a response. It makes blogging S-L-O-O-O-W and very frustrating.
But pictures are there none!
Last time this happened, fbb contacted the Google "Community" who blamed ...
fbb's internet provider
BT Openreach
fbb's laptop
fbb's land line
fbb's cat
fbb's old age
fbb's modem
International internet overload
Mr Putin
The weather
High price of chocolate peanuts
Unspecified technical difficulties
And more besides
It could not possibly be a Gratuitous Google Goof-up!
After some acrimonious altercation from fbb ...
Nothing happened.
Then, suddenly (about a week later) and without explanation, it all started working properly.
Presumably someone put a shilling in the meter.
The upshot of all this is that blogging is currently more difficult and, surprisingly, the old man does have a life.
Blogs may be curtailed in simple but blotchy frustration.
Next Variety blog : Sunday 18th February
The Caledonian line between Muirkirk and Spyreslack in Scotland was completely finished, down to signals, but never opened as the CR were worried the G&SW would acquire running rights over it. Much of the NER's Collywell Bay branch (including even some electric third rail) was finished by 1914 but WW1 killed it off. I remember as a child some of the earthworks of the LT Northern Line Bushey Heath extension. And then there's the Charleroi (Belgium) Metro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeMJBqU_eYc
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