Peculiar Paris Pod (4)

La Gare Est Compliquee

La gare possède de nombreux accès qui donnent directement sur la gare routière, le centre commercial, et les parkings de ce centre.

Les quais sont entièrement souterrains. 

À l'exception de leur extension, ils sont aménagés avec une décoration dans le style Andreu-Motte du métro parisien de couleur rouge, avec banquette recouverte de carrelage plat de cette couleur, ainsi que de sièges Motte blancs (rompant l'uniformité colorimétrique du style), et des bandeaux d'éclairage rouges. En revanche, l'extension des quais réalisée en 2013 à l'occasion de l'aménagement de la nouvelle gare routière, sont dépourvus de banquette et bandeau rouge : l'éclairage est assuré par des lampadaires et les sièges Motte, toujours blancs, sont simplement posés sur une structure métallique noire.

So, in amongst the exciting details of the station's fixtures and fittings, we can possibly glean the following. The very new looking bit of Noisy-le-Grand station ...

... was developed in 2013 to provide access to the new bus station (gare routiere). It involved extending the platforms, presumably under said bus station as here viewed from the eastern footbridge.

It is, of course, how public transport should always be, with modes fully integrated.

But there is no integration from this newer part of the station with the now abandoned Mini Metro, the Peculiar Parisian Pod.

For this we have to go to one of the gloomy brutalist 1960s exits from the lower floors of the "Arcades" shopping centre.

This is the as-built way to and from the RER platforms. To the left, as we gaze upon this welcoming entrance ...

... in the gloom of a now-removed canopy, we see the anonymous roller shutter that gave access to the closed Mini Metro. Later pictures show this access replaced by a mural and a locked door.

Clearly the authorities have long since given up any notion of rejuvenating the funny little trains, although it would have made an intriguing visitor attraction. 

But there have been official tours and, sadly, unofficial "visits" by graffiti "artists" and destructive vandals.

Any visit nowadays is bound to be both fascinating but depressing.

Escalators have been stripped, lifts are no longer operational and stairways are in poor condition.

Likewise, anything potentially saleable has been ripped from the control room.

But it is the vandalised pods that look so sad.

One lies half on its side having been tipped over "for fun" ...

... but the manufacturers logo is still visible here and there.

The RATP (Paris City Transport) logo can still be seen on some cars ...

... because for nearly a decade after M Pelletin's fall from commercial grace, RATP was required to keep everything in working order. 

But when plans for the Horizon site were officially changed, the remnants at the RER station were simply abandoned whilst the Horizon terminus was filled in.

Tin Traveller (You Tuber par excellence) ...

... was one who took advantage of official visits and he ended his vlog with this screen.

After struggling with a translation from French into english of the word "underground", fbb concludes that plans are in hand for a chic hybrid underground space - whatever that may be. There is an artist's impression on-line ...

... which rather suggests that it is not the sort of place that would over excite fbb's elderly heart - thankfully. It certainly offers no memory of what the Mini Metro was supposed to be.

Sadly. 

A revitalised Mini Metro would have been fun, but probably little used and certainly far too expensive to operate.

Quel dommage!

Another French failure is found around Paris.

Two SK 6000 lines were built at Charles de Gaulle Airport. The first was supposed to open on 1 May 1996 ...

... but the length of the line (3,500 m) created many technical problems making it impossible to open for public service. Line 2 should have opened in 1997, but it was never opened either. The project had a cost of 148 million euros before being abandoned. 

It was replaced by CDGVAL.

Other similar pod systems do exist elsewhere.

If ever you are in Shanghai, the under-the-river tourist line shows what Noisy-le-Grand could have become!

The Shanghai set-up is very familiar and it is good to see that it works and is used!

These are SK6000 cars, one step up from those at Noisy-le-Grand.

Terminus Turning Technology

This is a bit of an fbb guess, but note how he Noisy-le+Grand Mini Metro track slopes up as it approaches the terminus.

The long cable tuns at a constant speed, too fast for those awkward customers called "people" to leap on and off safely. So, as the pod approached the end, a ramp beside the car ...

... disconnects it from the cable. It then rolls, using its own inertia, on to the "carousel" (it may be grabbed by another lever???). After alighting and boarding at a funereal but safe speed the pod is re-linked to the cable.

One very fuzzy and very dark bit of video (a screenshot here, which fbb has brightened!) shows the large pulleys on which the main cable is turned. 

Look no Pods! They are disconnected.

 Next Superloop blog : Friday 8th March 

Post-Festive Pot Pourri (8)

The Mystery Of Macau Money

Chinese currency is (usually) the Yuan, but can be spoken of in terms of the Remnimbi. fbb will be happy for his readers to research the complex topic. For simplicity fbb will think of things in terms of the Yuan which is about 11p in good old Blighty dough.

But if you cross the border from Chinese China into Chinese Macau you currency will, in theory, have to change. Macai uses the Pataca ...

... worth a little less than 10p. So it may well be fun at the border.

Unusually in today's public transport climate, the Macau LRT has graded fares according to distance. You must pay in Patacas! But you do not pay in specie. You nuy a token ...

... which operates the gates. Here are the fares for token holders - the equivalent of cash.

Or you can pay with a smart card ...

... in which case the fares are reduced.

.. to half!

So the full length of the green line (currently the only line) will cost £1.20 with token or 60p with card.

Much, much cheaper than chips.

CHRISTmas Gift Review

Forget the heap of brightly wrapped mysterious parcels. After some years of trying to buy each other something meaningful, fbb and his lovely wife gave each other a goat - that's two goats.

Less readers should fear for the fbb's luxury shag pile soiled by refractory caprine creatures, both these goats were donated to a Christian charity for goating overseas.

(click on the panel above to enlarge - their text is not text and thus won't download as such.)

For the fbb's, the goats cost £55 each and will go to needy folk in Kenya enabling them to build a sustainable farming business.

Surely a far more worthy use of cash than chocs or bath salts!

But No 3 son gave this to his aged papa.

It is a hammer and pliers with a suspicion of non-Swiss Army Knife accoutrements folded into the handle. In some ways fbb was disappointed in this joyous gift as it did not have that ever useful tool, namely a device for getting stones out of a horse's hoof.

Yes, that's the fellah, at the left hand end!

But 1 son managed a packey of the Australian equivalent of Bombay Mix (Brizzy Mix?) ...

... also an essential antidote to the spicy "Mix" were two one-pint glasses for slaking the inevitable thirst. 

But the highlight of No 1 son's gift was a hedge.

This was not another charitable gift, designed to improve the agronomy of some folk beset by climate change in Wigan, but a OO scale model hedge ...

... or, more accurately, the wherewithal to make one. A spot has been found on the layout already; Installation will commence when the usual circular platter is obtained as its companion.

Book Review

The collection of photos was published in 1993 by the city's much loved evening daily newspaper and contains a fair selection of pictures that fbb has not seen before in the myriad of similar books.

There are plenty of tram and bus related snaps including this one of the very first Pond Street bus station, later Central Bus Station and even later Sheffield Interchange.

fbb came too late to Sheffield to enjoy the somewhat primitive original.

Tomorrow's blog will include a selection of then and now pictures and ask a challenging question about pedestrianisation.

Coaches Crisis in the Cotswolds?

It is true that Bourton on the Water was not built for coaches ...

... but it wasn't buil for cars either!

An old news rweport appeared to have settled the matter, BUT ...

The owner of Station Road Car Park said he would have to stop coaches parking there following complaints

Coaches can carry on parking in the "Venice of the Cotswolds" after an agreement was reached about soundproofing.

The owner of the only coach car park in Bourton-on-the-Water had threatened to ban the vehicles, following complaints about noise and air pollution.

However, business owners said trade in the village would be "killed" if coaches could not drop-off tourists.

A soundproof wall will now be erected between the car park and houses.

... the crisis rumbles on.

Surely getting rid of coaches will bring even more cars, even more traffic chaos and even more noise and exhaust pollution?

And An Embarrassing "Whoops"

 Next Pot Pourri blog : Friday 5th January 

Post-Festive Pot Pourri (7)

 Sadness And Gladness

Sadness in the face of the loss of King Alfred Vehicles and others in the disastrous fire at Pentin Mewsey back in December. It is not yet known what, if anything, can bee salvaged.

Serious Fire at Penton Mewsey

Apart from the Leyland Olympic, four Hants & Dorset buses - three double deck and one single deck - were destroyed as well as a luxury coach, an Ulsterbus Bristol RE single deck and a Southdown Bristol VR double deck.

FoKAB sends its heartfelt sympathy to the owners who have lost their vehicles.

But the traditional January 1st running day went ahead whist offering huge sympathy to all those who lost vehcles.

Buses tun from The Broadway under the watchful eye of King Alfred himself who, in an appropriately regal fashion was unmoved by the tragedy!

There didn't seem to be too many takers for the open top trips, certainly not ON the open top!

Macau Extras

Two more LRT lines are currently under construction. There is the ORANGE line which does actually appear to be branded orange!

This is all underground and there is nothing much to see on the surface (except building sites). It is due to open in 2025.

Work has also started on the East Line which does not appear on th above projected network map.

It will run from the former border crossing to China in the north of Macau all the way to the ferry terminal on Taipa Island, the terminus of the existing LRT line.

The big white bloB on the above map certainly appears as a scorched earth blob on Google.

But major development is pending to be served by THREE stations on the new East Line. This video explains a bit more.

Again, if you missed it, The East Line will also all underground.

Here is the "newly imagined" East Line on a street map base ...

... and added to the "proposed network" map - diagram created by a Macau LRT enthusiast.

The item om Macau LRT fares will appear tomorrow. Yesterday fbb was hard at work preparing material and visuals for the January fellowship meetings on 7th and 8th Inst.

Welcome To GB's United Rail Network

Don't you dare! Of course they aren't - what a stupid idea!

We'll fine you if you do!

Enjoy your ride!

Two questions arise. What effect will this huge display (At Walthamstow (?), its twitterer did not say) on the welcome given to the poor harassed passenger.

Oh, you're going by coach next time? We will miss you.

Dominic Booth, boss of Transport UK, new owners of Stansted Express and the other ex Abellio companies weeps crocodile teats at the loss of passengers as as result of over-aggressive revenue protection policy.

The second question:-

Why not?

You can use Oyster on all of our trains for journeys that start and finish in the London Travelcard area. Oyster can also be used between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria on Gatwick Express services. It's quick and easy to buy an Oyster card, top up online and add your Travelcard or season ticket.

What management skill has Gatport Airwick got that it CAN offer Oyster?

Yet another example of the appalling craziness of Britain's rail non-system.

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IN CASE YOU WONDERED

More "normal" blogging style (mainly one topic blogs) will return next week after our two fellowship meetings.

 Next Pot Pourri blog : Thursday 4th January