Confusion At Cummer-Nodd (2)

Up To Date Information?

 There was a Bluebird flying

When First Bus was trying

Just you wait and see ...

Despite fbb's enthusiasm for reporting on a forthcoming significant change to Cumbernauld's bus service, the old man cannot resist trying to unravel the pattern of the longer distance services from Stirling and Falkirk.

Thanks to the First Bus timetable archive, a snapshot of services over the last dozen years or so can be gleaned. Blog readers may not be familiar with First's  collection of old timetables, but the assemblage of information (not always complete) can be gleaned from a trawl through the company's vast collection of "current" timetables available on-line.

Most operators delete out-of-date information, but First leaves lots of it in place to entertain transport historians and, more importantly to confuse and obstruct potential passengers.

All the extracts referred to are labelled with First's new and weedy logo and are easy to find on-line. There is usually no indication that they are old stock.

2012 -X37

The WFTD archive (We Forgot To Delete) does not have an X36 or an equivalent from Stirling; but such a beast did operate, presumably every hour.

2018 - X37

Still every hour.

2018 - X39/X36

Intriguing? The X39 hourly service runs from the Wallace Monument in Stirling ...

... then via a different route in Cumbernauld to the X37. It runs hourly ...

... with additional short working between Stirling bus station and Denny.

2018 - X35/X37

But the X35 runs via Kiksyth, not darkening any Cumbernauld doors. Herewith a map ...

... and herewith the timetable extract.

Despite the arrival of an X35, fbb surmised that Cumbernauld now has an X36 and an X37, each hourly.

2019 - X35/X37

... with times similar to the previous year.

2019 - X36

And a timetable extract.

We now enter the realm of declining publicity (well, no printed material at all) but the archive does offer us:-

2022 - X36

2022 -X37

And a recent route map?

Don't  be silly.

So with all this information on-line, what services does First Bus operate today between Stirling/Falkirk via Cumbernauld to Glasgow?

Answer, NONE!

First sold its Stirling and Falkirk operations to McGills and they resurrected the Midland Bluebird name.

McGills now operate the X36 and X37 with excellent printed publicity which fbb will explore tomorrow.

And a few pictures. 

When First Bus had branding.

When First Bus bodged branding.

And, not relevant to Cumbernauld, but the interwebnet reveals a superb example of First's bodged branding.

"Pioneering Spi" or "Ng Spirit" clearly explains all.

Please Note:-

Your elderly blogger is preparing for Sunday's and Monday's fellowship meetings, so blog size and content may be slightly curtailed, especially if the combined mental effort wearies the vintage grey cells.

  Next Cumbernauld blog : Fri 30th Jan 

Confusion At Cummer-Nodd (1)

It Lies North West of Glasgow...

... and tends to be spelled inaccurately on maps! 

If you continue further, you come to places like Stirling (north) and Falkirk (east).

There was a Roman settlement between Croy and Castlecary ...

... in the form of a fort called Westerwood on the Antonine Wall; perhaps a lesser known effort to keep the Roman Empire safe from the marauding and violent Scots.

A village later developed initially being a base for the cottage industry of the wool trade.

Life revolved round the Kirk ...

.... and the school.

Motor cars were rare on the main street!

There was once a castle ...

... but there is not much of it left.

The village developed at or near the junction of what became the A80 and the A73 and was a candidate for an early by-pass!

Some if the original housing still stands ...

... but you have to know where to look.

Then in 1955 it was decided to build a Glasgow overspill town at Cumbernauld! Development continued until the 1990s and look at it now.

"Now" is around 1990 for the picture above.

When fbb was a-courting his future Mrs, he requested a trip from her Milgavie home to Cumbernauld. Mrs fbb-to-be was uncertain of her future hubby's sanity for actually wanting to go there!   

Back then, in the 1970s, there were still plenty of buses like this ...

... but the lovers by train, changing from blue electric to mucky green diesel at Springburn.

Such were the joys of Glasgow suburban travel before the mass extension of the electric!

Sadly, fbb's detailed knowledge of the history of buses to Cumbernauld is, again sadly, far from detailed.

Alexander Midland (as above) begat Midland Scottish ...

... which, in turn, begat Kelvin Central in Glasgow

First bought both Glasgow companies and Cumbernauld was provided with new coach-type vehicles to enhance routes to the north east from the city. 

The X5 ran to Kilsyth (usual caveat re fbb's memory!) with X3 ...

... and X4 doing the Cumbernauld run. You would call these 'X' services Glasgow outer suburban routes and we still have an X3 today.

But before we look at the "locals" we need to see what else links Cumbernauld with Glasgow, having got there from further afield.

You will not be surprised to know that it is all on line.

fbb should also note, in passing, that Stagecoach also runs buses from Glasgow to Cumbernauld ...

... remembering Stagecoach's deregulatory onslaught on the city with MagicBus!

Later, when Magicbus had become a national low cost low fare "spoiler", there was an X25. But did it run to Cumbernauld?

  Next Cummer-Nodd blog : Thurs 29 Jan 

Back To The 80s (Part 2)

First's Last Gasp To Newquay

Looking for the current timetable for First's 87 between Newquay and Truro offers something of a challenge for the unwary potential bus user. Above is an extract from the Corwall comprehensive timetable index.

It is not there.

But the good news is that there is a very tidy PDF timetable posted by First ...

... showing hourly departures from Newquay. Elsewhere First also provides their truly awful on-line garbage timetable which, encouragingly (?) offers the same timings.

They so show the same information but, sadly, they are both wrong.

Below is the correct current schedule for journeys from Newquay. First also have an on-line current version!

It shows an improvement in frequency from and easily remembered every hour (so good on yer, First) ...

... to a difficult to remember every 40 minutes. So not good on yer, First. The more recent timetable adds 9 minutes to the running time which seems a huge deterioration. Unless fbb is missing something.

There are plenty of pictures of buses with route 87 on the blinds but fbb cannot be 100% sure that we are looking at the same 87. There have been numerous route number rejigs over the years - but, whether right or nay, the illustrations may encourage the nostalgia juices to flow.

A typically feeble National Bus Company Brand for golfers ...

... Cornish Fairways.

Privatisation provoked Cornish Busways ....

... and it is certainly an 87 going to Newquay.

In 2018 Roger French wrote a positive blog entitled "Turnaround Cornwall" in which he extolled better vehicles and positive branding. He appended an 87 picture in what was a smart generic livery for services which did not get full route branding.

The "First" name had disappeared in favour of just "Kernow" - such a vast improvement on fade-out Barbie ...

... proper Barbie ...

... and son of Barbie or was it daughter of Barbie?.

So what nowbhappens to the very wiggly 87 ...

... from February 15th. 

Here is what GoAhead says about its new 87.

So a cut back from every 40 to hourly.

But the overall service between Truro and Newquay is further cut back.

Here is what GoAhead says about its own 86.

It used to run to Newquay via Holywell Bay, but now goes no further than Perranporth where connections are available with the 87.

There are now no links between Perranporth and Holywell Bay,

The new 86 timetable is shown with the 85 ...

... and there is no mention of connections with the 87!

All in all everyone on the 86 and 87 gets a worse service.

So well done Cornwall Council (which is penniless) and Hooray for the joys of less buses from GoAhead (who might well be struggling financially with their whole Cornwall network).

It's this sort of bonus that is promised with local authority franchising.

Be careful what you wish for, folks!

  Next blog (content pending) : Weds 28th Jan