Saturday Variety

Networker Nostalgia

There will be many of our readers who remember Network SouthEast, a branding of all suburban British Rail services in the greater Greater London Area (which stretched from Kings Lynn to Exeter!)

It was a brilliant move, masterminded by Chris Green with red lamp posts (and litter bins) and a bright new red white and blue livery. GENIUS.

Technically it was red, blue and a pale grey.

Today's nationalised South Eastern Railway has painted  a Networker four car unit in the good old colour scheme and a couple of days ago it was formally named by Chris Green himself.

And, surprise, surprise, the unit was named ...

... oh, you guessed!

Chris has had a train in Network livery named after him before ...

... this time with a commemorative plaque as well.

And if you have no idea what a 4CIG was (apart from a modest daily smoking regime!), it was also a four car unit, later becoming class 421.

You would have to say that Chris has aged well ...

... unlike Network SouthEast which was killed off, stupidly, by privatisation.

Overground Orbital Opportunity

Little has been heard recently about the "West London Orbital", a plan to bring a passenger service to the current freight route between Acton and the Midland Main Line. It has been talked about for many a long year.

Most recently, it was the subject of a major TfL report from 4 years ago.

Don't you just LOVE a good strategic narrative to fill those lazy evenings when there's not much on the telly?

The new service would augment existing routes from Hounslow and via Acton ...

... then strike off to ply two ways to serve stops on suburban routes from St Pancras and Thameslink.

Notably it would serve the big interchange at Old Oak Common thus connecting with the much enfeebled HS2 and a stop on the Elizabeth Line line.

Will Rachel have any pennies for this project? Very unlikely!

But the big news is that Hounslow Borough has given its support.

So that's all right, then!

McGills Muttering Menacingly

The company's boss doesn't like franchising, now so successful in Manchester (yeah, right??) - if you like painting buses yellow!

For some strange reason, Mr Roberts doesn't like the idea of possibly losing all of his business; which covers a fair chunk of the area proposed for "local political control".

So McGills has instructed solicitors.

Ralph has got a point; several points. Manchester has seen First and Stagecoach almost obliterated in some areas by GoAhead and Metroline. Buses have been sold to the new incumbents (at a possibly inflated prices) but the ongoing profitable business has just evaporated,

McGills doesn't want to be evaporated!

Ralph also has a valid point about the cost to Strathclyde council tax payers.

Buying A Big Bargain

fbb has oft reported on the eye-watering prices charged for and paid by today's cash-rich railway modellers. But there may be alternatives.

How about buying a few of these second hand ...

... and trying to straighten them out. This is what happened to very early Triang coaches over a few years after purchase. fbb was generously given two such by kind but misunderstanding parents. They went in the bin - the coaches not the parents! 

But surely some of the above would be cheap enough to risk a major fettling and a repaint?

Erm, no! 

Yikes!

You can get a very good brand new Bachmann or Hornby coach for that money.

And the new one has flush-glazed windows and a full interior plus, obviously, accurate prototypical detail

Hey ho: you pays your money ...

Look : Lovely Lettered Leaflet

This weekend is the fbb's monthly fellowship meetings. The widely distributed leaflet is in the form of the Old Te98stament lump of a very basic guide to the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation. It is NOT intellectually challenging.

Some readers may find it of interest, so chunks will be added to the next few blogs.

More tomorrow.

 Next Variety blog : Sunday 2nd March