Here We Go Again!
A recent fbb blog revealed a potential move away from route branding in Glasgow (above); and here is an electric bus in Norwich ...
... and here is an electric bus in York.
And here is a non electric bus in Sheffield.
It stands next to a rather fine bus in the new Sheffield livery. Or might it be the old Sheffield livery?
So what's going on?
The not quite electric livery is now on a bus which is not new. An electronic display inside, but very much on the streets of Sheffield, makes that clear.
In fact, the Sheffield version ...
... used to look like this:-
It is, of course, a repainted Leeds cast-off but NOT repainted into the Sheffield blue and cream livery.
What's going on?
Some alert bus watchers, perhaps with inside knowledge, have concluded that First is abandoning route branding nationally and reverting to one livery for everyone and everything.
And what a poor livery it is by comparison. When will these mega groups (First less mega than it was) realise that local buses are local. A local identity is important for the passenger as it offers the possibility of local loyalty.
Back we go to a different version of boring Barbie now in boring blue and grey!
The "Three M" policy strikes again.
Doubtfully Digital
Adding the word "digital" to anything seems to be the way to excite buyers and managers.
All readers will immediately recognise the picture below as the coupler (manufactured by Schafenberg) on a UK South Eastern Railway class 395.
Is it "digital"? This one claims to be.
The picture above shows something that looks very Schafenberg but with some mysterious wires attached. So is there some control electronics which has led some to use the word "digital"?
Whatever the definition, the possible adoption of this technology is the subject of some debate.
If you are going to adopt a new system for freight, you really need to have it on a lot of wagons so that train length can be flexible. So it might well be expensive!
In the end it will be all about the money!
Through A Glass Darkly ...
... derived from a Bible quote. The message is that it is futile to try and undersrtand eveythings about God, Heaven and the like (darkly). We will only undertnd fully when we get there - i.e. to eternity in the presence of God - until which time we must be content with a clouded and incomplete understanding.
But we don't expect such deep spiritual insight, or sight if any kind, on a No. 44 bus ride in Manchester.
You will not see anything from top deck front of this bus! Wiith its previous ownder, seeing out was fine ...
... but the big Little Gem bus is ghastly for its pasegers in Manchester.
You would not see much from anywhere on the bottom deck either.
Such decoration is really an insult to the passengers.
Tme Fo A Rethink?
The collapsed VanHool, European coach builder, has presented some operators with a tough decision. Do you hang on in there in the hope someone else will take on the manufacture of your order, or, do you start again?
National Express are starting again. The Altano looks a very nice motor..jpg)
They are big!
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Triumph of Technology - Nearly
Mrs fbb's battery had swollen and she and he were concerned about the possibility of a minor explosion and fire. As it is easier (and, apparently cheaper) to start new "deals", the aged twosome decided to replace both their phones via a brief journey along the road to Tesco..
Meanwhile fbb's screen suddenly went very dim and, showing similar spirit of dimness, fbb couldn't, at first, undim it. Determination won in the end.
But e-mails are still recalcitrant!
Technical Support (No 3 son) is on holiday but, thanks to the marvels of technology, fbb has emails on the old phone, the tablet and the laptop. So he should manage.
Isn't technology wonderful?
Tomorrow, amongst other stuff, we go to Brighton and Silverstone and look at some bus models! They are green.
Next Variety blog : Sunday 14th July
No buses have been painted in the Sheffield blue livery since early this year; the same applies, I understand, to all(or nearly all) other local schemes. While the new scheme is something of a disppointment by comparison, the current level of transfers between First fleets- in part occasioned by the electrification of York, Leicester etc- has made the preservation of local identities hard. Sheffield is currently running buses in at least six diifeernt liveries, apart from the new corporate scheme and heritage liveries and the like.
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