Monday Variety

 Brighton Gets Bigger

Hitherto, Stagecoach has operated a clutch of services north from Eastbourne via Hailsham (see above map).

The 54 route has run hourly to Uckfield for some time ...

... operated by a variety of Stagecoach vehicles.

A recent announcement from Stagecoach revealed that the company was ceasing all operations on the 54, presumably because the service "was not performing up to expectations".

At Uckfield, the 54 meets up with Brighton and Hove's "Regency" branded routes.

The main line routes continue northbound to Tunbridge Wells; one of a set of services once in the hands of National Bus Company operators.

Brighton and Hove has announced that it will be taking over the 54 and bringing it into the Regency brand.

This will be VERY good news for existing and future clients for the 54, which will still run hourly with a minor route change.

And there is more from Ed.

From Seaside Huts to Steam Hauled

We go to St Helens but not the Rugby League town; this is a small community on the east of the Isle of Wight and on the way to  Bembridge which sits at the easterly point of the Island's diamond shape.

That spit of land creating the natural harbour is called the Duver. [Note for pedants : on the Island it is pronounced "Dove-er" and not "Doo-ver".] The blob is in the hands of the National Trust with the seaward side protected by a substantial promenade.

For many years the walkway has been graced by bookable beach huts.

The above picture comes from London Underground which claims that at least some of the beach hut coach bodies are from the Metropolitan Railway. fbb thinks that they came to the Isle of Wight system as second hand purchases. The Island's railway companies were always very short of cash and a mix of "as used" plus a fair dollop of "make do and mend" characterised their rolling stock policy.

Over many, many, years there has been much "make do and mend" with these ex coaches, so much so that any resemblance to anything that ran on rails is hard to discern.

Possibly the doors, with their distinctive rounded tops, and the curce of the roof are the only  clues?

Peep inside and you will find very little "coach"ness ...

... but, occasionally bits of the originals do remain!

The ceiling original, as is the luggage rack and it's mirror(s). Apparently, despite their outward demeanour, the framework and much of the now protected walls and roof are in reasonable shape despite their great old age.

So the IoW Steam Railway is taking charge of some of the better examples for restoration.

Again, there is the whiff of the old man's broom; 150 years old; during which time it had 8 new handles and 7 new brush heads!

For the record, here is a typical Met coach (built in 1905) with curved top doors ...

... and a compartment still in use at the extremities of the Met network in 1948.

The Steam Railway is making a habit of such projects having just taken delivery of one of four carriages, the very first to operate on the Island running between Cowes and Newport from 1862.

fbb Fusses About Footbridges!

And not for the first time! 

In one of the current issues of a model railway magazine is a delightful layout based on Southern Railway practice.

One of the stations on this gorgeous model has a footbridge ...

...which looks as if it is a skilfully modified kit from Ratio, a Peco company.

At the other station is something quite different.

It suffers from the common mistake of installing a ground level footbridge on a platform making it far too high! This is not a criticism, just a fact - the owner of this layout can do what he likes - it is his toy, his pride and joy. fbb has several misplaced items at Peterville just because he likes them.

The Coca Cola 6 wheel milk tank is a case in point, a model that never existed in reality!

But the grey footbridge looked very familiar.

It is a Triang model from the mid to late 1950s, so up to 70 years old.

And it was too tall then to stand on a platform; which is why fbb never bought one. The Hornby Dublo version was also the same; over high for platform installation. 

ffbb did not buy one of those, either. 

Yikes, fbb is only ten years older than a really, really old Triang footbridge.

Should you wish to purchase one to plonk at track level, however, EBay has offers at various prices.  Remember there will be postage to add, and that can often be quite pricey.

 More Variety blog : Tuesday 19 Aug