Open The Box
Well, there it is! Size for size the Clark Railworks demountable tank wagon is the most expensive wagon ever offered at any time in history - ever. In the picture above it is parked next to the very first tank wagon ever sold in the UK. The Esso wagon was made by German firm Trix in HO gauge and was sold here by Bassett-Lowke from 1938.
Here is the new wagon set against the largest UK four wheel tank wagon.
Increasingly, expensive models like the little red one will never run on a OO gauge layout. They might be displayed, as will fbb's. Or they might remain in the box.
And it is a fully padded thick card box with a very gloss finish. Inside the box comes a bag of so-called "accessories" for the owner to add should he (she) desire.
As yet fbb has no idea what they are, BUT ...
... there is a small and beautifully formed "guide book". It tells you how to fit scale couplings ...
... and, most importantly, how to demount your demountable tank.
The booklet also provides a short history of the genre.
fbb will examine the wagon itself in tomorrow's blog.
Pickering Pottiness in the Past
Readers may well remember the much loved Wally Arnold, holiday tour operator based in Leeds. The ailing company merged with Shearings but, after a few short years, the whole caboodle closed down.
Many folk do not know, however, that WA operated buses. (fbb didn't - and awarded himself several black marks!) Two well known Leeds operators were owned. They were the Kippax and Farsley companies, running buses from Leeds to Kippax and Farsley, surprisingly.
The routes eventually passed to Leeds City buses, later West Yorkshire PTE.
Also owned was a local bus and coach operator in Scarborough ...
... which operated some minor local services in the town. This vehicle actually carried the WA logo ...
... together with the Hardwick's name. The company dated from 1922 ...
... as covered in this local press report.
fbb has not been able to find out any detail, but pictures suggest steady progress through the standard lifespan of a local coach company.
Most recent on-line pictures show vehicles in a livery which might have been developed using something of WAs orange and cream ...
Roue 119 was subsequently operated by Scarborough and District ...
... part of East Yorkshire. But the double decker was red!
That is because it had transferred from sister company Farsley Omnibus. The vehicle eventually found its way to Black Prince of Morley, an operator who "collected" many odd and unusual vehicles.
Their Ailsas were a case in point!
But we digress!
It was Hardwicks which started a competitive 128 in 1987.
An interesting variety of vehicles was used!
East Yorkshire soon dealt with the interloper ...
... by buying Hardwicks, thus ending the threat!
So watch out Viscount!
Maybe a Yorkshire bus man and blog reader will send fbb some pictures as competition returns on Monday (8th Sept)?
One Hardwicks bus looked very familiar.
That blind layout on a two-door Swift could be nothing else but ...
... an ex Sheffield Transport, later South Yorkshire PTE City Clipper stalwart! It is seen above passing Shefield Station with an East Midland bus on a railway staff contract in the background.
McGills Invade Glasgow
The bosses of "the largest independent bus company" ...
... have just announced a major development in Glasgow.
Apparently this new site will hold 300 buses, far more than McGills operate in and around the city.
Surely the bosses are not eyeing a take-over of First Glasgow? And if so, why bother with a new garage as First already has a huge shiny new depot in the city ...
... now bristling with charge points for its electric bus fleet.
Interesting - watch this space?
On-Line Outrageous Lies Department
Terrifying; please note the staff fleeing from doom and disaster.
But, lo and behold, just a few items down the page-scroll we have another disaster post.
Terrifying; please note the staff fleeing from doom and disaster.
As usual, neither of the somewhat similar horrors illustrated is mentioned anywhere in either YouTube nonsense!
Tomorrow we are off to college.
Next Variety blog : Sunday 7th Sept
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