Sunday Variety

 Whippet Snippet

Whippet is a long standing and much respected bus and coach operator based at Swavesey in Cambridgeshie.

It was one of the first operators to embrace a Flixbus franchise; and the embracing was great ...

... and apparently successful!

But the recent headline is not so cosy,

Whippet have not said why, but have ceased their contracts with Flixbus.

Whippet hit the technology headlines by starting an electric coach service between London and Cambridge.

The green coaches were not green but blue!

But One Out, One In!

This seems one of the biggest deals with Flix.

The boss is pleased, but he would say that, wouldn't he? 

Let's hope that the deal has greater longevity than First's dramatically expanded open top buses in Cornwall. The open toppers always carried good loads but all such delights have been dramatically withdrawn  this season.

How long will it be before the Flix box of tricks leaves First's coaching mix in a fix, earning a profit of nix?

Electric Bus : They Can In Cannes

Globe trotting No 3 son has been to the Cannes film festival again this year. Sadly, actually gladly, he was nothing to do with the famous "red carpet" or the pretentious and pricey frocks worn by people who, it would appear, are famous|!

That gear would go down a bundle on the local bus to the theatre!

No 3 son was promoting some clever technology in a sweaty hotel room and had no contact with the hype!

But he did find time to photograph a bus for his papa. The local inter-urban and rural operator is called "Zou" and is part of the Keolis mega conglomerate. Keolis is, effectively, owned by the French Government and wins most franchise contracts with various arms of the French Government.

Bus 620 runs between Nice and Cannes, every 15 minutes Mon to Sat, on Mon to Fri from the first trip of the morning until past 1800.

Being France, the evening and Sunday frequency is a very memorable (NOT) every 25 minutes!

But what intrigued No 3 son was that the buses were electric ...

... and recharged via a pantograph. The pantograph drops down from a gantry ...

... pumping the electric into two conductor rails on the roof of the bus.

No 3 son did not realise that we have similar technology in the UK, not only in London ...

... but in the wilds of Yorkshire (where they have now got the electric installed!) at Harrogate.

Globally there are two styles of pantograph technology. All the above are "top down" but in a few places the buses have "bus up" pantographs on their roof.

You would guess the latter is more expensive with lots of costly pantographic gubbins to add to the price of each vehicle.

Talking Of First Kernow ...

... which is now to be developed as "First Boring", the new "national" brand.

The company is about to lose the substantial contract to provide 18 bus services for Cornwall College's multiple sites.

These establishments provide post 16 courses in a similar vein to sixth form colleges but with a bias towards the practical rather than the academic. First had provided branded vehicles ...

... and very smart they were. fbb is not sure which operator will take over from September but all bets are on GoAhead!

Puzzle Picture 1

This was the London and North Eastern Railway's class U1 Beyer-Garratt freight hauling monster. It was even bigger and more monstrous the the LMS Beyer Garratts.

The loco was designed for hauling heavy coal trains up the Worsborough Bank between Wath yard and Penistone. Such trains would continue via the Woodhead line to Manchester etc.

With the electrification of the Woodhead route post WW2, the electrics could cope more effectively with the hills. Here we see two electriic locos handling a heavy coal train from a standing start at a set of sidings at the foot if the hill.

The U1 was transferred to the Lickey incline but "the Midland lads" did not like this "foreign" intruder from Yorkshire.

It was changed to oil fired to placate them but never achieved the star status it's uniqueness deserved. It is the oil-fired version that is available as an OO model.

The Danish model railway supplier, Heljan, is offering the model of the U1, complete with two motors as it us effectively two steam locos on one underframe!

You can pre-order your model for just £400 discounted to £320 or, fitted with sound, a modest £520 discouned to £442.

Ironically, Heljan are also introducing "Big Bertha" ...

... built for the Lickey incline.

Bertha was an 0-10-0 and, well, big! But a more modest £220.

Puzzle Pictures 2

The two A4 Pacifics (nicknamed "streaks") are different models of locos from the same era. They both represent the "fully streamlined" version with valances covering a goodly chunk of the driving wheels.

One, by today's standards, is cheap; from Hornby ...

... and well discounted.

 

The other ...

... isn't!

Can you tell the difference?

Back to Harrods tomorrow.

  Next Knightsbridge blog : Mon 18 May