Monday Bits

Buxton Bewilderment Banished

Needless to say, the ether has been buzzin' with information about the current operations, or lack of it, of Stagecoach 65 between Sheffield and Buxton.

Well, two people have been in touch. Roy, from Sheffield, complained that fbb had opened a "reet can 'o' worms" (actually, in Sheffieldese, a "rate" can 'o' worms") but offers the result of his extensive enquiries.

So the Travel South Yorkshire note was correct for 30th March - but rapidly became incorrect and remains so to this day.

What very few people seem to have grasped is the withdrawal completely after service on Friday 8th April. The fact the Stageacoach itself just treats the service as non-existent does not really help.

It should say "suspended from 8th April.

But this latter date is confirmed by correspondent Gary.

Well done O S Midland Branch and much gratitude to Gary for what now appears to be a definitive answer!

Also, by email at 1600 yesterday came this from correspondent John who posed the question originally.

The "officially" comes from the fact that john young is a manager at Stagecoach! so there is a faint chance that he might get bit right.

GoTimrtable Sheffield now tells the truth ...

... after foolishly believing Travel South Yorkshire!

From The Twitterati

A message to Transdev's Burnley Bus ...

... and a reply from boss Alex.

To which fbb would add, "and journalists who only see what is happening in London"!

And a positive view (much better) from GoAhead North West.

The End Of An Era
Farewell Class 90, saying goodbye to Norwich Crown Point depot.

As part of the National Express East Anglia franchise bid, National Express provided a fleet plan to replace the ageing Class 86 locomotives on the Great Eastern Main Line with the more powerful and newer Class 90 locomotives. The Class 90s became available due to Virgin Trains' introduction of Class 390 Pendolino units.

The National Express franchise came to an end in February 2012, with the replacement franchisee Abellio Greater Anglia taking over and continuing to operate the locos.

The Greater Anglia fleet was replaced by a set of Class 745s.

Thirteen 90a move to Freightliner, while the other two will go to Locomotive Services Limited. Following the introduction of these units, the loco-hauled sets have all been withdrawn from service, with the last set running its last services on 24 March 2020.

A Big Surprise - NOT

Yet another "ride sharing" (so-called "Uber" style) bus service bits the dust or hits the gutter. They come, they go; they don't work and can never work, at least not commercially.

fbb thinks that only Stagecoach TeesFlex ...

... and ArrivaClick in Leicester ...

... are currently operating with Arriva in Liverpool "suspended" and the new Arriva Watford scheme "delayed".

Anyone want a few high quality minibuses?

Sad News Grips Peterville Railway
Following on from the headline news of the demise of hugely popular TV personaluity, Nigel (earlier last week) ...

... comes the equal tragedy of the near total collapse of fbb's modelling pride and joy, the carriage shed.

It come apart in me hands ducks!

As fbb was awaiting delivery of more stuff and, impatiently, waiting for Peco to re-open so he could buy lots of little bits and bobs, he decided that it was time for a good wash and brush up for the magnificent edifice ...

... that, just two years ago, seemed in good nick.

Five whole years ago, it was made of five Dapol (former.y Airfuix) platform canopy kits and some bits of really old plywood provided by a chum from church.

"It is not good quality," he opined as he handed over the goodies/ And it wasn't; yet it has sat outside through rain and shine, sheltering some of fbb's passenger vehciles from the occasional shower during operating sessions.

Two very wet winters have done their worst and the walls just disnitigrated!

But, there is nothing gained by crying over spilt carriage shed walls and orders have zoomed through the airwaves to Slaters Plastikard for a pantechnicon lorry full of plastic sheet, stone plating etc. to build new walls under the roof - a technique not often replicated in real life!

It is a big job and will involve a technique little used in fbb's model railway career, namely measuring. fbb has, happily, found the necessary equipment!

After a few YouTube videos, the old man will have cracked this "measuring".

The aim is to re-create the old shed as it appeared in its better days,

Hmmm ...

Tomorrow we take a trip to the land of Beatles, Ken Dodd, scouse and the Liver Birds!

 Next Lime Street bog : Tuesday 19th May 

Weekend Assemblage (2)

On Second Thoughts ...

The dismemberment of the comprehensive network developed and improved by First Bus / First Kernow / Cornwall by Kernow is so grim (and so stupid - well done Cornwall Council) that it needs more than a passing comment in one of fbb's Assemblage blogs. Suffice it to say that 27 route numbers have disappeared an two are new for the "Summer" timetable which starts at the end of the month.

Mr Fearnley must be crying into his pension pot at the consequences.

So, much more tomorrow.

Jim Stones Just Survives

Mr Stones, you will remember, was intending to sell his company if possible or simply close down in April. A report in the trade press suggests that no one wanted to buy - huge surprise (NOT) considering the desire of Mayor Burnham to franchise the lot.

BUT ...

Good news for Leigh and possibly some of Stones' drivers.

Numerical Troubles with New Trains

They don't have enough that are working!

They say that they've got 45 sets and, currently, they need 37 for a weekday service.

That's 8 spare. So why, please, have L N E R got 14 trains in the dock? They have only just been delivered.

Don't say it, please. Ask the question instead. Why do new trains, extensively tested in the UK and on test tracks in Europe/Japan/etc., suddenly stop working once they need to carry passengers?

And Thus Over Optimistic?

Huddersfield has become very excited.

First announced in 2014, this service will start with the May timetable change. Just one train a day, to London in the morning and back in the early evening.

The boss of L N E R and a top dog from Huddersfield are shown enthusing.

The cunning plan is to run a five car Azuma to Leeds and tie it to another five car Azuma and run ten to London; likewise the return journey splits at Leeds.

Lets hope they have enough working five car units available by May!

Short-formed azumas sounds a bit like an embarrassing disease of the bowels. Nasty.

Remember The Floods

A couple of weeks ago correspondent Alan (NOT Northampton Alan) sent in some pictures of buses in the Lake District, namely the stunning purpose-built Stagecoach vehicles on the 599 service.

It rained most of the time he was there, typically Lake District, and everywhere was very sodden and, in some places, underwater.

The picture below might be entitled "a triumph of hope over adversity" ...

... but really there wasn't much hope!

Surprisingly, Alan did not spot a single passenger on the exposed part of the top deck.

A Triumph of Insanity Over Business Sense?

Having observed the collapse of most "uber" style bus services, if not straight away, certainly soon after developer or local authority subsidy ceases, it never ceases to surprise fbb when yet another new such service is announced.

Go Coach has done a splendid job in rejuvenating services in the Sevenoaks area with smart vehicles ...

... and smart publicity.

Now comes the news that the company is to start a App-booked demand responsive service.

Bags of pennies will be supplied by the groups listed above and Go2 must hope (even pray!) that the subsidy is enough because, for certain, the service will NEVER be commercially viable.

No doubt Roger French will be trying it out when it all kicks off in May.

Coming Soon To An Airport Near You?

Yet more money from Heathrow for a new bus service. Starting soon will be the X50 from High Wycombe to Terminal 5 and the central bus station.

Operated by GoAhead's Oxford Bus, it runs approximately every hour and is VERY limited stop.

Three stops in High Wycombe including the Coachway (and Park & Ride) near the M40 ...

... and four in Maidenhead.

Lets hope our American chums don't think the time point "Windsor Castle" is Windsor Castle ...

... as they would be surprised to think Her Maj lived in a pub!

The three stops at Heathrow are as expected.

Will the business grow? Or will it be yet another Heathrow funded albino pachyderm?

It starts on 29th March.

 Draconian Kernow Cutback blog : Monday 16th March 

Weekend Mixture (1)

And A Tease From Martijn Gilbert

Martijn is the boss of GoAhead North East (formerly ditto at Reading) ...

... and looking frighteningly young (like policemen!).

He twits this picture ...

... and explains it.

Acronym dictionary:-
PSVAR - Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations
GNE      - GoAhead North East
EY         - East Yorkshire, owned by GoAhead

Another Twitterer reveals all.

Very Smart!

OK Motor Services was a bus company operating in County Durham from 1912 until the 1990s when purchased by the Go-Ahead Group. Following rationalisation and rebranding, the OK livery disappeared from the roads as services were integrated with Go North East.

And A Through Fare From Phil

When you buy the airline flyer ticket, your local bus journey is FREE! This means that one ticket covers your entire journey from your nearest convenient Oxford Bus Company or Thames Travel bus stop, all the way through to the airline bus stop and on to Heathrow or Gatwick Airports. 

The airline flyer ticket applies to single, day/next day return or period return tickets.

As with almost all airport services fares are far from cheap ...

... so the "Flyer" bonus will be of some interest to Oxford residents.

Neat idea.

Troubled Trent Termination?

It is not long ago that this blog reported that Trent had withdrawn from its share of the Nottingham - Mansfield - Chesterfield "Pronto" service, its journeys being taken over by fellow opertaor Stagecoach.

Now comes advance warning of another withdrawal.

Rapid one was added over the top of one of the original "Rainbow" routes from Nottingham to Ripley or Alfreton.

The report says that RapidOne was introduced in 2011, which begs a question.

Has it really taken nine years for management to realise that the express journeys are not financially viable?

Unlikely!

Water Water Everywhere

The Keighley and Worth Valley Railway has a delightful station at Haworth ...

... whence there is a mega steep road up to the village. On the far side of the tracks and amongst the greenery ...

... is Bridgehouses Beck. Just south of the platforms, and in the old goods yard, is the Railway's big shiny loco shed.

It is very swish.

Thus it was that a combination of Storm Ciara and the bursting beck flooded the depot. The pretty site was not a pretty sight.

And so the clear-up begins.

Snow, Snow, Thick Thick Snow

But not too thick just yet. Another lovely picture of the Wesy Highland Line taken by a railwayman.

fbb hopes that is the "nose" of a class 37 diesel (or similar) and not the roof of a class 158 multiple unit!

A Praterstern Puzzle.

Where is it?

No 3 son now has a permanent job in Eastbourne rather than being self employed and jetting off to Europe every fortnight. His first duties were as part of a trade exhibition which involved jetting off to Europe, but this time only for four days.

Needless to say, he sent fbb a bus picture with the usual challenge to identify the location.

More tomorrow.

Yesterday was No 1 son's 45th Birthday. fbb is feeling even older.

 Next Weekend Mixtrue blog : Sunday 16th February