Saturday Variety

Yet More Electrics To Pollute The Planet

OK, fbb does bore on a bit; but we do need to remind ourselves that, currently, electric vehicles continue to cause pollution at power station level and it costs and arm and part of a leg to recycle batteries - when they aren't bursting into flames, that is.

First Bus ais bringing a load to Leeds.

And National Express aid trialling a battery electric  coach as well.

The blurb makes them sound magnificent.

And their magnificence will initially be used between Stansted and Stratford, London; hardly a good test of battery charge longevity. The A9 timetable is every 30 minutes with a 40 minute running time.

And More Technology

Of course it will NOT be driverless - all such vehicles must, legally, carry a driver; and it it's anything like the Didcot service, the driver will have to "intervene" in difficult traffic situations when the technology cannot cope.

Thankfully the technology of a human brain is always the best! Even if fbb's is fading slowly but surely with the advancement of years!

Give A Train A Silly Name ...

As in Limo, Pendolino, Aventris, Adelante and now .... tada ...

..., it's Spanish for "ready".

So it is just what you would expect on a train service in France.

Already S N C F have ...

... where "oui" means "yes" but combined the name reads "we go" which is, as you may recognise, English for, erm, "we go"!!

But it gets dafter. The company behind "ilisto" is called "Kevin Speed" which does not sound particularly French. Speed is, obviously, English, but Kevin?

Kevin (with an acute accent on the "e") was a very popular name in France in the 1990s. It has faded from popularity as quickly as it appeared. Depending on what you read and wear, the name has unfortunate connotations in La Belle France.

"Kevin" equals "saddo" in fbb speak. Negatively a "Kevin" in France is regarded as a sort of badly dressed, car-tinkering, socially maladroit (look it up!) person. Other sources suggest that "Kevin" is the archetypical ordinary 30 year old "bloke". Maybe he is a bit of both.

The company has a whole family of its target customer base.

And further ...

If the French is "trop difficile" the Kevin Speed web site can be viewed in English - but it is not such fin!

So what is Kev planning. Frequent high speed trains will run from Paris to Lille ...

... from Paris to Strasbourg ...

... and from Paris to Lyon ...

... in direct competition with SNCF.

There is a senior team of four ...

And the promises are impressive.

Note that fares start at 3 euro per 100km but Kevin doesn't tell us where they finish!

And don't expect to buy a ticket at your local station!

Will it ever happen?

Only time will, tell.

Back At Ground Level

Above is fbb's latest piece of model railway scenery with a Mrs fbb clothes peg still in temporary use!

But what is it?

Here's a clue:-

All will be revealed in a few days. Exciting, eh?

And Some Weird Prices 

Back in the day you would expect to pay more for a BIG wagon that you would for a small one.

The BIG wagon would cost twice as much as the small one.

But look at this advert; two wagons side by side.

The small wagon is just £1.45 cheaper than the big long yellow wagon.

Is someone having a laugh; a costly laugh?

 Next Variety blog : Sunday 10th March