Some Tyme In Lime (3) Delayed

And So, Instead, This :-

Puzzle Picture Plus

This rather sad trolley bus tolleying through dilapidated housing beside a tired railway line with views of some industrial hugeness opposite was originally entitled "North Woolwich'. District names are always a bit dodgy as they tend to move around a bit.

So your rather overheated old bloke decided to see if recreating the picture  in "North Woolwich" today might be feasible.

Well it is and it isn't!

A comment posted on yesterday's blog from an "Anonymous" AlanJS was very helpful and confirmed fbb's early guesstimate but added some location detail.

fbb peered myopically at the original to try to see Silvertown Church and, with a bit of electronic skullduggery and some fuzzy over enlarging, he spotted the distinctive spire.

Obviously (?) the wodge on the left is the iconic (how we misuse that word!) Silvertown sugar factory and our identification quest is cooking with gas.

And so to Google Earth.

Bottom right is the Woolwich free ferry and the little blue dot above it is the entrance to the foot tunnel. The former rail terminus at North woolwich is just off shot to the right. 

Now take a glance at the upper left.

This is where High Speed 1 running from left to right to the Channel Tunnel plunges underground to dive under the Thames to (South!) Woolwich.

Today's high speed line follows the North Woolwich branch from Custom House to the above plunge.

Travelling further west ...

The main road and HS2 curve inland here and the older building is indeed Silvertown Church, actually the former Silvertown Church ...

... above being the view from the south. It is now Brick Lane Music Hall which seems far more blasphemous than was the supposed tableau at the Olympics opening "do". (fbb's take on the Paris controversy might appear in a weekend blog.)

Below is the church from the northern side looking across the HS2 boundary wall fom the road.

A comment from Julian confirms the HS2 identification.

So there is a lengthy section where Albert Road (A412) runs parallel with Factory Road (as in "Sugar") with HS2 or the former North Woolwich branch running between the two thoroughfares - it's a thicker black line.

Does a google Streetview ride along Albert Road recreate the trolleybus picture?

Not really; because so much has changed. There is almost no property from the trolleybus era standing. Here are a couple of likely candidates, but they cannot be identified on the old picture.

The boarded-up building is, anyway, much newer than the trolleybus!

The ex-church spire is clearly visible, but the original picture is from a slightly different angle, presumably from a now-removed footbridge over the railway.

But, thanks to Google Earth's historic views, we can see the removed footbridge on a 1999 aerial view - well before HS2 annexed the solum of the North Woolwich branch.

And below is where the footbridge isn't on today's Google Earth

We cannot stand on the non existent footbridge but we can try a Streetview view from nearby. Contrast and compare!

The non-church spire peeps up over the top of the bus.

And a bit nearer the church we see a different footbridge that spans HS2 further west.

A 669 trolley is seen, below, travelling west in a similar location to the original (which was eastbound) ...

... and another is approaching the North Woolwich terminus.

Note the vessel outbound on the Thames.

Trolleybuses ran from 1937 to 1960.

The present bus equivalent is the 473 as you might have supposed from the present day picture above.

Its route is different in detail, including a nip to the  airport,  but similar in concept. The route used to be service 69.

The Fiery Cauldron

We were all impressed/asleep as, after a very lengthy journey from The Eiffel Tower back to near the start of the parade, we saw the Olympic Cauldron burst into spectacular balloon-raised flame.

But, on reflection, there was something odd about it. How would they get the burning coals up in the air? Or even "hide" a gas pipe up there. And what would happen if the pipe broke in a high wind?

Even the smoke looked odd? 

And the torch bearers stood mighty close to the potentially explosive ignition point

But, like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the burning fiery furnace (Bible Book of Daniel) ...

... the igniters were not ignited ...

... not even singed just a little bit. It was, however, not a miracle from the gods of Olympus.

It isn't a flame!

The so-called cauldron fire is fine water vapour "ignited" by dozens of LED lights. It is 100% fake. And nottot.

All of fbb's childhood dreams are shattered. Never again will he strive for Olympic Gold!

But well done to the four UK women's rowers who beat the Netherlands by 0.015 (1/150th) of a second!

They are saving the chocolate coins for later, just enjoying the rich aroma of cocoa solids!

 Thyme for Lime at Last : Friday 2nd Aug