Sunday Variety

Stagecoach Stockport Switch Suspended

The cunning plan was to add all 170 electric buses to the Stagecoach fleet operated for Manchester's Bee Network. But it simply isn't going to happen for a good few years. The headline (above) quotes a "depot difficulty".

Here is the Stagecoach depot at Stockport, sheltering under the shadow of the famous railway viaduct.

A peep though the door reveals plenty of space.

Indeed, it appears that there is more than enough room for the depot to be used as a staff car park.

There are cars all around!

And there is still plenty of room. The depot has been rebuilt and is very good condition ...

... you couldn't even use the word "tired"!

GROAN!

So what is wrong with the depot?

Answer, nothing!

Those vehicles are being part-funded by the first round of the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas scheme via a successful bid led by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

Most recently it had been envisaged that the depot work in Stockport would be complete by Q3 2025. However, a report to go before the GMCA Joint Clean Air Scrutiny Committee on 26 September notes that “challenges to site availability” have pushed that back by at least a further three years.

In an indication of the scope of difficulty in finding a suitable location for large-scale battery-electric bus operation in Stockport, the report says that TfGM continues to work with Stockport Council to source one and that the new depot is expected to be operational no sooner than late 2028.

No sooner, so could be later, much later

The Volvo BZL fleet intended for Stockport will instead be deployed from depots including Middleton – which Stagecoach operates under the second tranche of bus franchising in the city region – and Hyde Road and Ashton-under-Lyne. The latter two are currently outside the Bee Network but will move from Stagecoach to Metroline in early 2025 under the third tranche.

But there is still no explanation of the "problem" at Stockport depot.

One of fbb's correspondents has hinted (expertly) at the depot difficulty.

There is not enough electricity. The pipes delivering the electric to that part of Stockport are far too small to fill up 170 batteries overnight. The only way it could be done is to switch off the whole of the rest of Stockport overnight.

This would not be the most popular decision.

It will take at least until 2028 to upgrade the supply and, it seems, the National Grid is uneasy about spending the money.

Blog readers may remember a relatively recent BBC documentary which revealed that the UK has a shortage of generating capability and, even it extra power stations could be built in time, the National Grid would need massive investment to deliver said juice to where the chargers would need to be charging.

And that means more and bigger pylons ...

... and we know how popular they will be - and very expensive!

It's all going terribly well - as confidently predicted in this blog.

First Has Another Trainset ...

... with second-hand rolling stock!

The story so far:-

ORR will allow Grand Union Trains to run four return services a day between Stirling and London Euston, starting in 2025.

The trains would call at Larbert, Greenfaulds (for Cumbernauld), Whifflet (for Coatbridge and Airdrie), Motherwell and Lockerbie, and in England at Carlisle, Preston, Crewe, Nuneaton and Milton Keynes Central. 

Larbert, Greenfaulds and Whifflet would all gain their first direct services to London.

The company said it will use former Virgin Class 220/221 trains that are stored off-lease. 

Some publicity shows 225s from the East Coast main line ...

... but, pre take-over, Grand Union has said that it would use diesels because of, guess what, "power supply problems on the West Coast main line"!

First has not, so far, revealed what trains it will operate.

In the longer term, Grand Union aims to use electric or bi-mode trains, but added that “with current power supply being an issue on the WCML” it would use diesel power throughout the electrified route.

Grand Union was also planning to run from Carmarthen to London but this project appears to be stalled and is not included in the First Rail take-over.

More New Old Trains

Strange things continue to happen in the OO gauge model railway world. 

In the good old days, you either started with a Triang set ...

... or, if your parents were indulgent, you had Hornby Dublo ...

... and you grew the model from there.

Now it is much more toys for very old boys! 

Recently there has been an outbreak of real nostalgia models, dating from before the current crop of wealthy old biys were alive.

First Hattons announced their "Genesis" range of generic four and six wheel coaches in a plethora of ancient liveries.

These coaches were not models of any specific type, but acceptable examples which would pass muster for all but the most pedantic and specialist of modellers.

Then Hornby did the same.

fbb had intended to get samples of both, but Hattons sold out so quickly that he missed out! But Hattons ordered a second batch from the factories way out East. Then Hattons closed down but the "second batch" was taken over by Rails of Sheffield from whom fbb has ordered a sample due for delivery very soon. Well, the old miser has paid for it!

Both companies offered a huge range of liveries all available with optional internal lighting.

But fbb suspects that no more will be produced from either stable,

So expect a very belated contrast and compare in a future blog.

Then Rapido, well known for its eclectic range of very accurate (and very expensive) old-style models, announced something out of character.

They would be offering a truly huge range of "generic" bogie non corridor (suburban) coaches in oodles of different liveries. And they would come with lighting as standard.

Their video explains.

In a rush of financial resource from the pocket and blood to the head, fbb has ordered one. He will have to wait until later in 2025 for it to materialise, by which time he will probably have forgotten that he ordered it.

He doesn't pay for it until the model is in stock.

For comparison, here is the very first clerestory coach (pronounced "clear story" being the extra "storey" on the roof with clear glass to allow more light into the carriage) offered by Triang in the very early 1960s.

Back then we thought it was wonderful!

Two New UK Platforms ...

... but not yet open. A Puzzle Picture.

But where are they. A clue?

The bus is on route 395 to Stony Stratford.

 4 Days to Go 

 Next Ashley Down blog : Mon 30th Sept 

Saturday Variety

  F  Is For Ferry!

Pictures of Sydney Harbour will often include the well known ferries painted green and cream. They offer an extensive network of 10 routes ...

... all under the auspices of the New Soith Wales Transport Authority and thus appropriately branded.

They all operate out of Circular Quay ...

... meaning that interchange between ferry routes is very straightforward.

Services extend westbound along the Pramatta river ...

... although F3 only gets to the very end once an hour!

As we have come to expect there are full PDF timetables for every route as here for that to Manley running every 15 min seven days a week!

There are train ...

... and Light Rail connections at Circular Quay ...

The Metro is not too far away on Martin Place ...

... and there are buses nearby.

fbb thinks it is called "integrated transport"!

Maybe we should try out the idea in the UK?

Coming on Monday ...

Mr Hand Is Banned

Way back, fbb got some stick for expressing concern about the operations of City Fox in Bristol.

Then came Fox Star in Newport South Wales ...

... with buses branded as "The One".

These operations failed in various catastrophic ways. Their young entrepreneur ...

... has most recently been MD of the Transpora Group with various operations in various locations.

Things have not gone well.

The result has been a disqualification of holding an operators licence.

The background to this ban is well recorded in the public domain and fbb will leave his readers to come to their own conclusions.

One thing is certain; these failed activities do not bring any credit to the bus industry.

Gorgeous Glider Goodies from Gilmoss?
Steve Rotheram, franchise King and Mega Mayor of Merseyside ...

... has revealed the future of bus travel in the area.

He has borrowed, hired, bought (unlikely the latter!) a shiny blue Glider from Belfast and painted it yellow. Without much involvement of bus professionals he has announced that this "may" be the shape of future bus travel in Merseyside.

The above report goes on ...

Originally lined up for new routes to the Wirral Waters development in Birkenhead, young Steve is commiting the authority to run them to Liverpool's two football stadia and to the John Lennon Airport. (Who was he?)

Not everyone is over the moon with the trendy looking vehicles in Belfast.

I would like to share my experience of using the Translink G1 Glider from Glengoland West Belfast to Wellington Place City Centre.

I arrived at the bus stop to get the glider at 8.20am (March 21). The glider that arrived a few minutes later was full, with the doors opening and people literally falling out the door. There was no room for me to enter. I decided to wait for the next Glider as I had already bought my ticket. I waited 30 minutes, but at 8.50 the next Glider was cancelled.

At this stage there was a large build-up of people waiting with me. Another 20 minutes later, at 9.10am, a Glider arrived and again the doors opened with the bus at full capacity. When the doors opened there was physically no room to step on to the bus.

With no choice as we all had to get to work, we physically pushed our way on to the bus as people shouted 'There’s no room!' When we got to the next stop it was the same

Whether the fault is of the buses, the timetable or management is unclear, but there has been a stream of problems with this much vaunted bus system. Does Steve know?

Gilmoss, by the way, is a Liverpool bus depot and is here used for alliterative and literary reasons. It is not yet decided which bus company will operate these buses IF they ever materialise.

Snippets

Old Street, New Phone, High Price

So that's why TfL renamed Old Street underground station and confused tens of thousands of passengers. They did very well out of the mobile phone company that was presenting its over priced and over-spec product.

If the advertiser can afford to spend nearly half a million quid on oromoting their expensive new phone, they are charging too much for it!

Fares Freeze Failed?

Apparently this offer, which we all though was to increase passenger numbers after Covid, was actually aimed at modal shift. It was supposed to get Scots commuters out of their cars and on to the trains.

Just a little thought for the Scottish Transport Minister. To achieve modal shift is often a slow slow process and needs much more that a small fares reduction. It needs cheap comfortable park and ride sites, free parking at stations and a good network of buses for onward travel from station to workplace.

£40 million is just a drop in a very big bucket and the "experiment" had hardly had any time to have a meaningful effect.

The cancellation couldn't be because the Scottish Government finances are in a big mess and there is is desperate to save money? Or could it?

Surely travellers have not been misled by politicians?; That would never happen!

Remember This?

A while back, fbb bought an old Hornby Travelling Post Office coach. It was an awful model, largely because it was arrayed in all red plastic.

The only relief from its unrealistic rubicund regalia was the transfers and the black plastic "net" of the working mailbag flinger and catcher.

fbb painted the roof grey, the ends black ....

... and reduced the blackness of the net by a replication the red panelling underneath.

Door furniture was picked out in black and a suggestion was added of the lights which would have been turned on to show that mail was to be dropped or uplifted. 

Total cost including the paint, £22.

fbb could buy a much better model from Bachmann.

In a slightly different older livery this has just been re-released at a whopping £73

Some retailers are discounting this price as above.

Is the difference worth it?

More bits and pieces tomorrow including "Brotherliness gone for a Burton".

 Next Variety blog : Sunday 25th Aug