Sunday Variety

B&H Livery Delivery

fbb has been really unimpressed with GoAhead Brighton anf Hove's new-look "clothes peg" livery ...

... and other emanations of the new blue scheme seem equally "cold" ...

... compared with a traditional mix of red and cream.

After all, those were the traditional colours!

The corporation buses were in the same livery until they tried blue!

But in these image-conscious times, at least some B&H routes have a distinctive non clothes peg brand. The Coaster had become an intriguing mixture of blue and green.

The new buses for the route(s) maintain the colour mix of green, three blues, red, yellow white but applied in a different style - still swirly but unnoticeably different (now three blobby blues, green and white with no route branding!)

Are there two greens or is it just the lighting conditions? Livery can appear to change according to God's meteorological whim or simply the settings on the camera!

Will Coaster passengers actually notice any difference?

fbb still reckons that the red and cream offer a more distinctive and quality brand, especially out in the country.

Have You Ever Met One Of These?

Look, no chimbley? That is because it has no coal, no firebox, no fire, no smoke and no gritty bits to land in your eye - so no fun at all. 

They were used in places where fire would be dangerous (explosives factory?) or where smoke might harm the end product.

Smoky chocolate digestive anyone?

Here is a summary of the technology. And they DO require steam; they just don't make it in the engine.

Soon you will be able to buy an OO model of a fireless industrial shunter, a bit like this real one.

You can see the small-sized version in the line-up of liveries available.

The model is from Rapido Trains and ...

... the manufacturer's price is £140 with some retailers discounting to about £120. Price per ounce is high but it is a sweet and distinctive model. Maybe layouts based on a gunpowder works or a biscuit factory will proliferate.

Or will most of the locos languish in a display cabinet?

The Press : The Politician : The Proposal

The Press

There are only two things wrong with this headline. The railway line in question is NOT disused; it carries passenger trains at least five days a week at published fixed times. Secondly, nothing is being extended as the track, signalling etc. already exists.

Apart from that, the Press gets it right.

There is  another misleading part to this article. It appears on an "Essex Live" on-line hews feed - but the proposal is NOT for Essex!

The Politician

Here he is:-

Ciaran is a worldly wise, 24 year old having dropped out of a course at Leeds University in 2019. He is a Councillor for Hertfordshire and a Local Councillor for Three Rivers District (which includes Watford and Rickmansworth).

The Proposal

Here is the traditional current map of the ends of the Metropolitan line of London's Underground.

But the map misses out a bit of line that is, very occasionally, used for timetabled passenger trains. An additional curve should be included (possibly dotted?).

It is the "North Curve" which should, more accurately, be called the "West Curve" because it faces west! Here it is geographically ...

... and here it is c/o Google Earth.

There is even a diddy tunnel on the "North Curve" (that faces west) to add to the excitement of the journey.

The occasional service is mainly for positioning stock and to maintain drivers' route knowledge if the line is needed for an emergency diversion.

Councillor Reed wants a "regular" service. The current service is very regular with e.g. a regular departure from Rickmansworth at 0608 five days a week. Doubtless the lad means more frequent.

Whilst such a service could be provided, does Mr Reed realise that there are already FOUR buses an hour between the two (322, 724, 725) ...

... which run from Watford Town Centre. The train would leave from the less than appealing location of Watford Metropolitan Line station ...

... well away from the centre. 

Would such a link be used enough to justify the costs?

Answers, please on a postcard to Councillor Ciaran Reed at the usual address!

The Strength But Sadness of Superglue

Due to an over-enthusiastic dribbling of superglue, fbb discovered that he had successfully glued LED "bulbs" on to his model lampposts (hooray - it was very tricky and incredibly fiddly), BUT he had also superglued Mrs fbb's clothes pegs to the delicate construction.

Fortunately, fbb has learned something from his mentors, Bill Bodge and Fred Fudge. It is that superglue does not like having water seep into the glued join.

So, if you superglue your fingers together (fbb does so regularly) either dip your pinkies into a bowl of the wet stuff for 20 to 30 minutes or wait until you skin's natural perspiration does it for you. Do not try to pull fingers apart or you risk removing your epidermal essentials.

So soak the peg ends in water (fbb used a teaspoon) till the wood is really wet then wait patiently.

They will come apart and they did come apart.

And here are the lights working. You can see illumination atop the lamp poles (4 off), plus lighting inside the downstairs living area of the holiday let and (just) a glimmer of light from one of the bedrooms in the up-cycled Nissen hut.

There are wires to hide and a few dobs of paint to add but the next time this model features in this blog it will be in situ on the top of Peterville Tunnel.

Thamesmead A P.S.

An on-line report tells us that the new Not-Very-Super Loop route SL3 is under test prior to a launch, soon.

The author also includes a picture of route 301 (double deck) and B11 (little bus) at Bexleyheath. The SL3 will offer an additional 12 minute frequency between Bexleyheath and Thamesmead over a similar route to the 301.

Mike Harris' map explains.

Current and proposed frequencies are:-

301 : every 12

B11 : every 20

SL3 : every 12

Timetable not yet published

 Next Multi-Colured blog : Monday 19th Feb