Who Pays?
It now appears that the NATS shambles was "a software fault". We are not being told what particular part of the ginormous wodge of computer code threw a wobbly BUT it has to be worrying that a collections of electronic 1s and 0s should be so destructively disruptive.
The total cost to the airlines and the travelling public must have been eye-watering.
The airlines want some money to cover their losses.
But who will pay?
At the moment, it looks as if NATS is not liable ...
... which is daft!
The shiny new bus station ...
... is certainly shiny and new!
But where are the bus timetables?
Each stand has a departure list ...
... plus a next bus departure screen ...
Also there are a few of these dotted around ...
... for each stand.
... as usual in time order. What is really needed; what would really help the passenger, is a list of bus routes in numerical order with each departure alongside each route.
So, no timetables, no maps and no enquiry office; a first class example of how NOT to encourage bus travel.
BUT, on the positive side ...
... the toilets are lavishly lavish. As well as two Ts (unisex cubicles) we have THREE extra facilities.
Which begs the question, "What or whom changes in the Changing Places room?"
Does a weary shopper change into "something more comfortable" for the Arriva ride home?
The mind boggles!
Actually it is a superior "accessible" luxury super-loo ...
... with loads and loads to vandalise.
The superloo room looks just about the right size for an enquiry office, leaving the "accessible" toilet to be accessible.
For the record, fbb's conclusions are based on videos posted on YouTube soon after opening. Maybe the missing essentials have now been found?
Durham County produces no meaningful public transport information, having ceded that onerous (?) task to ...
... whose web site claims to provide "timetables".
It doesn't!
Yet again we simply have departure lists.
If you can find them, Arriva has on-line timetables, but the finding is less than easy. It would appear that Arriva no longer supplies printable on-line timetables.
Good, innit?
Arriva used to have a high quality Bishop Aukland map!
Used to have.
And Now, Chiltern
Andy's Snack "Thing" Taste Test
When will we notice any real difference?
Andy's Snack "Thing" Taste Test
Accompanied by a mixed salad with fbb's patent dressing, a sauce being a melding of salad cream, vinegar, whole grain mustard, sugar and a good dash of Henderson's relish.
The salad was delicious; but the Prime Ministerial favourite was, to put it mildly, disappointing. All four corners were empty. The minimalist chunks of 'sausage' were tasteless; which leaves the beans and cheese.
Imagine a dessert spoonful of mashed baked beans with a sprinkling of mild cheese all crushed into a soggy pulp. fbb's 'parcel' did nor include a recognisable bean, not a bean!
fbb does not think much if your taste, Andy!
Who Remembers?
Who Remembers?
fbb can convince himself that he can remember, but, honest injun, he is probably conning himself!
Electrified services from Liverpool Street to Clacton started before the blue/grey era. So here is a class AM9 in British Railways maroon livery as applied to all main line coaching stock on the Eastern, North Eastern, London Midland and Scottish regiions.
So, logically those were the paint pots taken from store to decorate the Clacton Express 100mph units; and yes, it was an EMU doing a ton in the early 1960s!
Not only did the units become TOPS code 309 and blue/grey but those delightfully sexy curved windscreens fell foul of safety requirements.
Their replacements were ugly and cost a lot to create, involving some drastic bodywork work.
Somehow that front end looked even more ugly in Network Southeast colours.
Tomorrow we grapple, somewhat belatedly, with another yellow livery.
The same re-jig applied to the Glasgow electric class 303 "Blue Trains".
Their photogenic curved windscreens ...
... were also replaced with flat glass but lacking the extreme ugliness if the 309s.
Tomorrow we grapple, somewhat belatedly, with another yellow livery.
Next St Helens franchise blog : Mon 21 Sept
.
I do suggest that FBB applies some "Samaritan thinking" to this blog. He may then be less sarcastic about the Changing Places facilities. Dignity for some of the most vulnerable and disabled in society. We have moved on from locking the severely disabled away in an institutional setting.
ReplyDeleteFBB is too cynical about nationalisation and Chiltern- this is from Modern Railways; '25 extra trains are promised every weekday from the December timetable change, including a half-hourly service between London and Birmingham. Six more Mk 5A sets will enter traffic from December, completing the fleet of 13 trains.' The windscreen changes on 303s and 309s was not simply a 'health and safety' issue; on the 309s it was a cost issue(replacements proved costly) while there were some nasty incidents of stone throwing yobs smashing 303 windscreens; flat screens apparently reduced this risk.
ReplyDeleteWhen the 309s were introduced in 1959 they could only shuttle between Colchester and Clacton/Walton as that was the only section electrified on 25kV AC. The wires had reached Chelmsford in 1956 but that was on 1500v DC. Conversion took place in 1960 but the Chelmsford-Colchester "gap" was not filled until (I think) 1963. Interestingly the class 124 Transpennine units also had the curved windscreens and these were not replaced by flat glass - I wonder why not?
ReplyDeleteFrom FBBs description it sounds like the shop bought version doesn't match a genuine Greggs product sold in their own bakeries which have full sausages and actual recognisable beans. Does seem to confirm that these branded supermarket versions aren't as genuine as the branding would suggest.
ReplyDelete