The Lengthy One, The 321 - Two

If any blog reader may be thinking of diversifying into criminal activity during the fbbs' absence, please note that fbb mansions is protected by Mr Tubbles and, perhaps more significantly, by next door neighbours and their lap dog - a huge husky.

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Can't You Tell; It's An STL

The AEC bus, STL class, numbered over 2000 vehicles and was in use thoughout the 1930s ans into thr 1940s, serving in the red bus and green bus fleets. 

Is the STL below showing a genuine destination? You can never be scertain with preserved heritage vehicles.

It would seem likely hat the northern destination of the 321, in Luton, was served pre WW2. fbb guesses, because routes did not change vey much well into the 1960s, that 321s may have been running between Luton and Uxbridge since the mid 1930s.

The standard double decker would next be the RT ...

... and this one, standing at the Luton terminus, is going to Maple Cross, always a short working. And this Green Line liveried decker is on its way to Rickmansworth.

The atmospheric picture below may well be on an RT running day, but it is pictured on its customaty toute at Croxley Metropolitan Line station.

And the picture below has Rickmansworth as an intermediate point on the blind ...

... so, risking the wrath of London's green bus enthusiasts, fbb is goung to state that the 321 has run between Luon and Uxbridge for many a long year.

It was definitey serving Uxbridge in Leyland National days ...

... and the same marque briefly wore the Watfordwide branding.

TPL 449T is preserved in the Watfordwide amended National Bus Company livery of the 1970s.

The National Bus Company was formed in 1969, so the abive livery would begin to appear in the early 1970s.

The 1977 bus timetable is a typical Londin Transport size and style but wrapped in a cover based closely on the standard NBC design adopted theoughout England and Wales.

15p (three shillings) was a lot to pay for a timetable book in 1977.

The timetable page that concluded yesterday's blog is from the above booklet..

We will look in more detail at that timetable in tomorrow's blog.

The collection of route maps, supplied to fbb by Julian Peddle, offers more clues as o the stability pf the 321.

Here is 1948 in the Watford area ...

And tenty years later.

Both maps confirm the 321 as running south beyond Maple Cross and, off the map, north to Luton.

It was certainly lengthy!

As well as a close look at the 1977 timetab;e, fbb will eventually look at what happened when rhe National Bus Company was progresivey privatised post 1986.

And finally for today's 321 exploration ...

Here is an early STL as originally deliveresd to the General Onmibus Co pre London Transport ...

... and a later preserved version in red bus livery.

More From Sheffield

fbb is now sufficiently awake (after Sundays lengthy coach journey) to expand yesterday's short report in the public and mayoral reaction to First's revised netwok which happend on Sunday 1st Sept.

Fact Check

fbb has analysed ALL the Sheffield changes amd can confirm that there are no sognificant improvements in any services. Where frequencies appear to be better, they are at the expense of wothdrawals and reductions in parallel netwoks. 

The changes have caused untold disuption to existing services.

The changes have been badly publicised; indeed some would claim, in the ansence of printed timetables and a new network map, there has been no helpul publicity at all.

The Press Speaks

The Sheffield evening paper, The Star, is not renowned for pto bus articles; furthermore it is often wrong in what it writes, largely because its authors do not know where the buses go and cannot understand the changes anyway.

But AGAIN this time ...

“Passengers will be left confused by these big changes to our local bus networks, especially as they are being introduced with very little advance warning (actually published less than a month in advance and badly explained as well, with no maps - even fbb struggled to understand!) and sometimes wrong or misleading information” said Fran Postlethwaite, convenor of the BBSY campaign.

“Bus apps like Moovit and even Google Maps had been inadequately updated and were still showing routes that had been withdrawn as late as 1st September, the day of the change! What’s more, even Travel South Yorkshire’s Journey Planner was advising passengers to travel on buses that were no longer scheduled!

“Changing routes and timetables on such a scale is difficult for existing passengers to understand, let alone those trying to use the bus for the first time.  For most passengers there is no improvement to their services whilst others have seen a big reduction.”

In case it's too small to read, the caption to the above reads ...

These changes seem to have been brought in for the convenience (and financial benefit - fbb) of the operators rather then the passengers.

Why should we be surprised at that?

But Mr Coppard (South Yorkshire Mega Mayor) thinks it is OK.

The changes, which came into effect on Sunday, September 1, have been welcomed by South Yorkshire mayor Oliver Coppard as a ‘step towards... getting back the world class bus system we once had’.

What kind of dream world are you in, Olly?

“I’ve been committed to radically improving our public transport network since day one; because ultimately, if we want people to stay near and go far in South Yorkshire, we need a better public transport system.  

Could we have a list of the improvements you have implement, please. 

Here are those that fbb has logged over recent months

But never mind, eh? With Olly off his trolley, he has announced that he will have a county-wide franchise scheme (just like Manchester's non-event)  by March 2025 .

“And while these changes will not solve all the public transport challenges we face; they are a step towards us getting better buses and getting back the world class bus system we once had."  

What kind of dream world are you in, Olly?

 Next 321 Blog : Wednesday 11th September 

The Lengthy One, The 321 - One

 PLEASE NOTE

Yesterday, the fbbs travelled from Seaton to Llandudno for a short break c/o Daish's Holidays. The company informed them that Wifi was only available in communal rooms. In case this presents a problem, fbb has prepared and posted mini-blogs to appear from Monday 9th Sept o Friday 13th Sept inclusive.

However, North Waiian matter may be added if practicable.

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By Bus From Luton To Uxbridge

Traveline tells us that it is not such a difficult a journey as we might expect.

We catch a local bus from Luton to St Albans (Arriva route 321) where we change to an Arriva Green Line 724 for the journey on to Uxbridge. Journey time two hours and 14 minutes.

But, supposing for some masochistic reason, you wanted to do the whole thing on "ordinary" stage carriage routes eschewing Green Lines's limited stoppiness; what then?.

We can plot the journey on the Hertfordshire network map.

We can catch Arriva's 321 all the way from Luton to Watford ...

... below described in map extracts.

Luton to Harpenden

Harpenden to St Albans

This is where Traveline would encourage us to change to the 724.

But on our theoretical journey we are made of sterner stuff - but we would need to make sure our 724 was going to Heathrow and not Harlow. But, bravely, we'll stick with the 321 all the way yo Watford Junction station.

St Albans to Watford

Just a bit further!

Fun, isn't it? Now we strike off west on route 322.

This would take us to Maple Cross (if we caught the right one) ...

... where our bus ride all the way to Uxbridge would come unstuck.

Watford to Maple Cross

Maple Cross to Denham

On the map there is nothing but the 724 south of Maple Cross.

The 951 is not much use.

The code FN means Friday  Nights only. They must go to bed early at Watford!l 

So we would be forced on to the 724 at least as far as Denham!

Denham to Uxbridge

We would need to change to a London Transport 331 from Denham to Uxbridge ...

... but fbb suspects that, after the tortuous journey so far, we would be only too happy to stay on the 724!

A bit of a palaver all round!

But, once upon a time we could go all the way on a 321.

And it would be quicker than today's official 321 plus 724 combo - just - at two hours and ten minutes!

Sheffield Shambles - A Snippet

Item added at 2020 yesterday evening.

Blog readers may remember that, yesterday, First Bus in South Yorkshire, introduced a baseball bat smash up the of the network network in Sheffield. Of course the publicity is poor and what was revealed was badly explained. So to the following headline comes as no no surprise.

The only person who seemed ro like what has happened is Oliver Coppard, the Mega Mayor. He probably doesn't travel by bus!

Bit then he would say that wouldn't he?

More on the Sheffield silliness in due course.

 Next 321 blog : Tuesday 10th September 

Sunday Variety

 PLEASE NOTE

Today, the fbbs are travelling from Seaton to Llandudno for a short break c/o Daish's Holidays. The company informed them that Wifi was only available in communal rooms in the hotel. In case this presents a problem, fbb has prepared and posted min-blogs to appear from Monday 9th Sept to Friday 13th Sept inclusive.

However, North Waiian matter may be added if practicable.

For the same reason (apparently, according tp Mrs fbb, there was packing to be done) this blog is also slightly curtailed.

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Thinking Of Taking A Test?

What does the above road sign mean and is it one that is legally binding. fbb is quite happy with the meaning, but sometimes it all depends on the location. 

When fbb was just a spotty teen, the Warboys Committee published its report in preparation for the change from UK's anomalous road signs ...

... to those similar to European practice.

fbb rushed (c/o a United Counties 402 bus) into Northampton's Central Library to read a copy of the report,  available in the reference section on the first floor.

It all seemed terribly obvious and straightforward with a few weird exceptions.

So the blue round sign above means that the designated section of road is legally for buses only and, in this particular cases, other vehicles. It is a bus only road, not just a bus lane.

This is what DaFT says the sign means.

Apparently he good folk of Bristol cannot "get" this.

Maybe the guy with the sign on a pole is right. Maybe a "No entry" sign with an extra panel saying "Except buses and taxis" would be clearer.

A man campaigning against a bus gate scheme, which has issued 50,000 fines since it began operating, has successfully appealed three fines.

Latest figures from the bus gate on Cumberland Road, show it has raised £1.6m for Bristol City Council - which has defended the scheme, despite fierce criticism.

The council has insisted the scheme is compliant and explained it is there to reduce air pollution and increase bus travel options, not to generate income.

Matt Sanders, who has spent hours investigating the bus gate, said he expects more appeals to follow.

"I pointed out in May, dozens of problems with all the signage," he said.

"The council's transport designers told the executive officers and the councillors that it was all fine.

"Now these three adjudicators have said the signage isn't correct and so the people who claimed it was correct are now discredited."

Mr Sanders said his winning cases can now be used as a template to help others who also wish to appeal against their fines.

"I can just use exactly the same evidence for the cases that have won," he said.

"The council has made their bus gate unenforcable, because now anybody can appeal on this basis and they're bound to win," he added.

A council spokesperson said the signage installed surrounding the Cumberland Road bus gate is "compliant".

“The bus gate has not been put in place to generate income, 

Yeah, tight! So you'll be giving the 1.6 million to charity, then?

"it is there to help reduce air pollution and increase the number of bus travel options for residents," they said.

"We understand drivers' frustration when, without their realisation, they have accumulated multiple fines before they have received the first letter, and while each appeal is considered on a case by case basis we will continue to be sympathetic to people in this situation.

“Despite winning 31 appeals and an adjudicator confirming that our signage is adequate, we continue to listen to drivers' feedback and make changes to the bus gate signage."

Yeah, right! Of course you do.

Cumberland Road runs alongside the river and has been a quiet road and a useful short cut to parts of the city centre. But drivers are now warned that it is effectively a no through road at the city end.

There are the blue signs as above ...

... which have the words "BUS GATE" on the road, which it is, and Bus lane (black on white sign) which it isn't.

Now a red colour has been added to the road surface on the approaches to the "gate" which might suggest that the (red?) bus lane ends at the blue signs.

The only frequent bus along there is the Metro Bus M2, the Long Ashton Park and Ride service

Seems a lot of clout to protect just a few buses and it could not possibly be a money making scheme, could it?

Better In Bridlington

East Yorkshire has had a re-vamp of their Bridlington Town services. The new publicity material by "you know who" ...

... looks excellent with timetables and maps all included.

fbb has downloaded the former leaflet, map and timetables and hopes to have a detailed look when returning from holiday.

The suspicion is that it might be a clever way of reducing services.

A Fat Rascal?

No, not an epithet used about your noble and aged blogger, but a type of cake made famous by Betty's of Harrogate, the posh caff which everyone wants to try.

The local fruit and veg shop in Seaton ...

... as well as a tempting range of fruit and veg ...

... does dairy and selected bakery items. A chum treated the fbbs to a share of a "Fat Rascal" cake.

it's a bit like a rock cake and very filling. Apparently it doesn't need WD40 to help it go down.

TT120 A-Plemty

Many railway modelling practicers were astounded and slightly discombobulated when Hornby announced a brand new scale of TT120. 

But there are signs that the range is expanding with more and more wagons, coaches and locos from Hornby including some Duchesse class steamers with sound fitted.

Nice if you have got the money. 

For the confused; TT lies part way between OO and N in size and matches the scale and track of the European TT manufacturers. 

How about over £400 for a very tiny model?

Exquisite and Expensive.

But, for starters, a few diecast models might arouse some interest before huge monetary contributions are committed.

The smaller vehicles are £6.95 with the bus and larger items are £9.95.

It is a lot of money but you can get a lot of railway in a smaller space and it is all a bit less fiddly than N gauge.

fbb will stick with second hand OO purchases and bodging and fudging.

It's a lot less financially fraught.

 Next 321 blog : Monday 9th September