Saturday Variety

PLEASE NOTE

Part 2 of Comfort-able will now followon MONDAY

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How Much?

Possibly a mistake, but you never know!

Really?

When fbb first saw this, he was very nearly convinced. But then he spotted this note skulking bottom left.

Another lie designed to draw you in to a web site so you cab be exposed to advertising. fbb is considering putting out a news item about a word-wide shortage of OO and HO tank wagons, the training to the Antibes on the proceeds of the sale of his collection.

No, that would contravene at least two of the Ten Commandments and fbb's ultimate boss would be unhappy.

There was some debate about the above illustration, asking from which hole the smoke might escape.

Obvious. Like a 9F with a Crosti boiler, it issues forth from the other side.

What a Good Idea

See, those clever chappies from down under have cone up with a cheapo way to cut their emissions. (fbb used to be fed Milk of Magnesia).

As the engin us a diesel generating the electric to power the motors to drive the wheels, why not tack a "tender" on the back and pack it full of electricity. Then you don't need catenary, third rail, sub stations or any of the other stuff that makes the electric rather expensive.

It us a wonder that nobody has though if that before - a truck packed full of fuel ...

... but, would it work?

Don't Panic!

Cornwall Council has done a 'Corporal Jones' in response to First's  clise-down in the county. First is contracted to run the Truro Park and Ride.

Apparently, the Coucil will award the contract to another operator.

Yet another big surprise from the convoluted world of Public Transport.

In the December Modern Railways, we have a lavish illustrated supplement telling hiw wonderful Freightliber is on its 60th anniversary.

The Future's Bright, The Future's Orange

Freightliner was the result of the much maligned Beeching report. The Great and Good doctor had rhe prescience to prophesy the proliferation of containerisation.

The loco in 60th livery was on display at the Derby Rail 200 show.

Privatised Frightliner went to an attractive green and yellow livery but GB owned. It is now part of ...

Genesis and Wyoming, itself owned by a Canadian investment bank. The orange is very powerful, but the above picture does illustrate that Freightliner is now a general freight company doting much more than carrying tim boxes around.

Remember Colindale ...

.... a London Underground station which used to look like this.

... and was rebuilt to look like this.

But the opportunity for property development and the need for accessibility has produced Colindale Mark III. 

The new station is bigger with an environmentally enviroomental timber roof.

It is nearly finished in reality ...

... spectacular inside (artist's impression below).

A view from the platform shows all the extra stuff ...

... to allow for a lift.

New tower blocks will be added beside the station building.

We will visit another much improved station as part of tomorrow's blog.

Tank Wagon Terminological Worry

This is a Hornby R227.

It is part if fbb's  additional collection of "Shell" vehicles from all over Europe. 

But then get came across this one, also Hornby and also in yellow "Shell" livery ...

E

... but without "Shell".

Oddly it is also catalogued as an R227.

  Next Variety blog : Sunday 30th Nov 

Comfort-able in Leicestershire

Way Back Then

Back in the 1900s the main employer in Barlestoner was the local pit, involving a stroll along the road to Desford.

Two Miners saw an opportunity to enhance their income and in 1919 bought a bus to carry themselves and their mates to and from the pithead. They were Walter and Edward Gibson who often worked a shift at the pit aftet dtiving their bus.. 

Their first vehicle was nicknamed the "Misery" because it was not particularly comfortable and didn't like going up hills. Rumours were rife that passengers had to get out and push!

To expand their business to carry passengers between the local villages, they bought a somewhat more luxurious vehicle which gained the name "Comfort" which soon became the brand name for the company.

A deep red (maroon) livery was chosen as illustrated in these 'colourised' photos of a selection of older vehicles.

Their first service that has a link with today's routes started in 1922 and ran to the Blue Boar pub ...

... on Southgate Street in Leicester. The pub is no more.

The brothers appointed a manager (Mr Mills) in 1931 who actually designed a bus, one of only two made and bodies by Willowbrook of Loughborough. It cost £500.

In 1949 the first double decker arrived and the company history reports that it was ex London Transport RT but "bought from a depot in Stratford upon Avon" (would that have been a Stratford Blue RT?). Several RTs joined the fleet in the post WW2 years.

By the early 1970s the company owned 13 buses and employed 19 staff still based in Barlestone.

The company's core main line route had become at least hourly running from Market Bosworth via Barlestone to Leicester.

More Recently

Sadly, for their loyal local customers, the company was sold to Leicester City Tranport in 1979. Operations were still based in the Comfort garage in Barlestone and, for a while Leicester City buses carried the former company name ...

... but, oddly, not the much better known Comfort brand!

The end came in 1993, when Leicester City sold the business to Midland Red ...

.. who closed the Barlestine depot - surprise surprise. The core route became 153.

And Now ...

... Midland Red was to become Arriva blue witth the core route still being numbered 153.

Note certain journeys omit Barlesone on the above Arriva map. Buses now run hourly and have been diverted to serve Kirby Muxlow ...

All journeys now do a loop from Newbold Verdon direct to Market Bosworth then returning via Barlestone which makes for a lengthy journey from Leicester!

How the mighty have fallen.

If you go to Barlestone and seek out buses in the Leicester direction from outside the pub ...

... you are treated to a lavish pole and flag plus a timetable frame containing some sort of information.

... whereas opposite you get a stop but an empty frame.

This is from Streetview which, understandably, is not always up-to-date, so hopefilly the travelling public is better informed by now.

Hmmm? It is Arriva!

What hasn't changed is Leicestershire County's 100% awful network map ...

... so different from that produced for City services. There is the 153 powering into town via Kirby Muxloe c/o 'Leicestersj Buses'.

Is Arriva's on-line route map better than the County's?

NO!

In a convoluted way, we do still have a sort of "Comfort" bus service running in the UK today, of which more tomorrow.

 Next Comfort Bus blog : Saturday 29th Nov 

HST Worldwide Success 2

 But One Remains

One full HST remains for enthusiasts to enjoy via its programme of rail tours. This visually recreates the much missed Midland and Western Pullman trains from the 1960s.

The Nanking blue livery is unique in British Railways history; and truly magnificent it is!

But, for today's blog we need to look at  a GWR Castle class HST.

And One Fondly Remembered

Interior signage is very familiar ...

... with WiFi on offer; also seat numbers ...

... and coach letters.

We remember the door opening buttons ...

... controlling the newly fitted sliding doors.

We may mourn the passing of seats emblazoned GWR in the fake leather (leatherette?) of the headrests.

Sadly, these Castles HST delights are no longer available on normal scheduled services in the UK.

But ...

You can still enjoy them if you hop on a flight to Lagos, Nigeria.

The City is developing two rejigged commuter lines coloured coded BLUE ...

... and RED.

Both routes will be electrified in due course but, for the time being, diesels will be used. And the Red Line stock looks strangely familiar ...

... and not very Nigerian. What sits at the front end explains it all.

They are former Castles and still carry their UK TOPS fleet numbers!

But, you may wonder, why are these "InterCity" trains being deployed on African commuter lines.

Good question!

Here is the interior of a retired Castles coach ...

... and here is the Lagos version ...

... but still recycling the GWR seats.

Look closely at the sliding doors and you will see an important modification.

Fixed steps have been added to bridge the gap between the UK's smaller loading gauge and the platform, so a leap becomes two extra steps.

How come, fbb wonders, that these splendid trains, now "too expensive" for First GWR to operate according to DaFT, are providing cost-effective interim trains for the commuters of Lagos.

And the seats are far more comfortable than in UK commuter trains.

Other trains for Lagos are also second hand but not previously used. They were bought for the Amtrak Hiawatha route ...

... but never used. Hiawatha got these ...

... and the Talgo stock went to Lagos.

Wadnibs Wotsits Whatnot?

Mrs fbb has never been a lover of this tasty snack, challenging the Wotsit's food content and decrying its texture. fbb was always an avid consumer of Tangy Cheese NikNaks.

Doubtless the Mrs would have a similar opinion on these crunchy delights.

The arrival of yet another tank wagon packed in 'Wadnibs' (late No 2 son's neologusm, as yet unrecognised by the OED) ... 

... prompted an fbb thought.

Apart from the colour, is there any visual difference between the two?

 

WOTSITS

WADNIBS

Fortunately for fbb's digestion, the colour is obvious, as he understands that taste and texture of the expanded polystyrene 'cocktail sausages' is less than appetising.

  Next Comfort-able blog : Fri 28th Nov