Sunday Variety on Tuesday

University Upgrade Uplift

There must be a huge number of bus managers and transport bloggers who are perennially excited by something. Sam Turner (of Sam's Trains fame) is one such. But now he is joined by Robert Williams of Reading buses.

His latest new bus route is upping his heart rate noiceably.

fbb thinks (so possibly unreliably!) that,  previously, service 21 (CLARET), which runs via the University, had gained extra short-workings to the hallowed halls of academe during term time. 

Now Mr Williams has made them a separate branded route.

"White Knight" is the name of the Uni Campus but fbb does not know why.

Unfortunately the on-line presentation is currently, poor. There is no proper map, just one of these ...

... which is about as much use as a chocolate teapot. The only timetable looks like this ....

... where you have to specify date and day to get the table. A chocolate coffee pot?

There is no PDF of the complete service.

Disappointing!

Puzzle Picture Answer No 1

Wigan Corporation c/o GoAhead. Here is a real one for comparison purposes.

Puzzle Picture No 2

Of course the star of the image is Ivor The Engine.

This was the product of Oliver Postgate (Noggin the Nog and Captain Pugwash) and Peter Firmin.

The other visible characters in the above picture are Edwin Jones (a k a Jones The Steam - Ivor's driver), Dai Station and Evans the Song (choirmaster). Not appearing, but probably residing in the boiler, would be Idris the Dragon.

But what is of notable interest is that an OO gauge model of Ivor and some rolling stock is being produced for Rapido Trains.

To enhance the nostalgia, cut-out figures like the originals are also included with the sets. fbb would have preferred proper 3D versions.

Talking of 3D, Rapido has been showing 3D printed mock-ups which look delightful!

fbb has fallen in love with Ivor ...

... but the loco and two goods wagons ...

... are priced at £200.

That does deserve a loud and resounding "OUCH"!!

Here is a bit about the background to the series.

And there is more!

Perhaps fbb could save up his weekly pocket money and get one for Christmas? Or for his upcoming 80th Birthday in early 2025.

A Big Technological Surprise

So no surprise there, then.

Liverpool Launches Lovely Livery

Again!

Mega Metro Merseyside Mayor Steve Rotheram is pictured with current Transport Minister the Lovely Louise in front of the "launch".

There has already been a launch of the proposed "Glider" bus network.

... also "wrapped" in Metro yellow.

Manchester Heritage Livery

from Stagecoach

To fbb the orange is a bit too red, despite the fact that it was always a deeper orange than the original SELNEC ...

... and maybe even deeper that SELNEC'S succesor brand, GMPTE.

And In Manchester Today?

So no surprise there, then.

Watching Paint Dry

fbb was intrigued by this item ...

... and decided to investigate further.

Now watch again and count the number of locomotives!

 9 Days to Go 

 Next Austria blog : Weds 25th September 

Sunday Variety

 Race For The Smallest

Now fbb in his elderly naivety, always thought that a "shunting tractor" was a tractor used for shunting, as above or in model form below.

It is true that such vehicles were often used at industrial premises where the occasional movement of wagons did not justify a "proper" rail mounted locomotive.

But in full sized railway parlance, a "shunting tractor" can be a small rail mounted diesel,  performing the same function as the road-wheeled item already illustrated.

But, until recently, fbb had never come across one like this.

It is, fbb assures his readers, a powered locomotive and, on some Eurpoean railway systems in this case Germany, it was used to shunt single wagons. Or perhaps a few empty wagons.

And the equally weirdo enthusiast news is that it is available from Italian firm Rivarossi (a Hornby company) as a working HO model. 

As you would expect, it is very small.

fbb really means VERY small indeed.

It is ludicrously small ...

... and it comes with directional headlights - which are also small.

Were fbb thinking of buying one to lose in the piles of junk under his layout or perhaps to be crushed under foot ...

... Frome Model Centre has on in stock. How much?

How much?

It wuld take a finiancial Miracle for fbb to have enough dosh to justify even thinking about buying one!

And, Talking Of Miracles

The fbbs'monthly fellowship meetings come round again, surely moreoften than once a month - it does seem like itat times.

In Setember we are looking at the Miracles in Mark's Gospel chapters 4 and 5.

A lot of rubbish is talked about the Miracles as recorded in the Bible. IF there is a God, an entity outside of human space and time and not restricted by human science and technology (that's what it says on the God-tin) then of course Miracles are both possible and real.

Trying to explain them is a pointless, almost a fatuous task!

The first part of the fbbs' leaflet is far less contentious; a series of examples (?) of what would have been "Miracles" only a few decades ago.

Livery Delivery Prizes

Route One magazine has just completed its annual (?) awards for best liverry.

The big bus winner is Brighton and Hove ...

... for its Coaster livery applied to buses running etween Brighton and Eastbourne.

Edwards Coaches gets a prize for its terrifying Welsh Dragon.

You had better cover the eyes of young children, capable of tears of fear in response to this monster.

Best small bus is this ...

... from Star coaches.

Livery is such a personal matter with a whole range of opinions. fbb. for example, is not in love with any of these winners.

Any blog readers want to offer fbb their "best livery"? Email pictures to

fbb@xephos.com

All pictures will be acknowledged.

Fancy A Rolls Royce

Oxford Diecast (based in Swansea) offers a wide range of 1:43 models suitable for the growing range of "O" gauge model railways. A Recent offer is for six of their rollers.

And the price? Less than £10 a car. That might seem a lot in the mind of an old codger like fbb, but it is really good value.

The models are simpy superb!

And The Ice Cream?

What started as a mini information blog has grown somewhat and will be published in full omorrow. In the meantime a bit of fbb nostalgia. In his youth, a teenage fbb would wait excitedly for the tinkling loudspeaker sound from Gallone's weekly visit to the vilage of \little Billing.

The ice cream was very different from Walls or Lyons as it tasted fresh and wholesome, not sweet and plastic. A "99" (cone with flake) was a real treat.

But families like Gallone, Colpi, Nardini, Jaconelli, Capaldi (etc.) have their heriage locations throughout the Uk but especially in Scotland.

Tomorrow the name is ...

... Rossi!

P..S. Inferior Interior?

Not only has fbb unglued his misplaced sliding doors and repainted the light oak panelling, but he has bought some packs of very thin plastic strip. Expect further enhancements to the new corridor "wall"!

A more "normal" bus blog will follow tomorrow; with an ice cream topping??

 Next Ice Cream Bus blog : Monday 19th Aug. 

Arriva X1 Brighton 1X Comparison (2)

In 1987 the 1 and 1A didn't run to Mile Oak, but the estate had developed on land bought by Brighton Corporation for a waterworks. There was minor development in the 1930s ...

... which continued apace after WW2.

This is part of Mile Oak today.

At the other end of the Brighton conurbation was Whitehawk which was very much a child of the 1930s being replacement for low quality housing nearer the centre of town.

In more recent years, there has been significant upgrading and rebuilding of the estate but its "shape" remains as before.

This video gives us a 1A ride from Mile Oak to Whitehawk, speeded up (thankfully!) but blog readers will appreciate the steady progress through typical urban sprawl all the way.

The eagle eyed may spot a bit of industrial sea front at Portslade followed by the town's minimalist shopping centre. Then the 1A grinds inexorably along until Palmeira Square at Hove comes into view. This always has been the posh end of the city! Then Brighton shops and the iconic Old Steine, at one-time the town's bus station, sort of. Next we pass the hospital on our left before climbing the hill to Whitehawk terminus.

Enjoy the ride!

Under the most recent timetable change the 1A that we have just experienced ceases to exist as such. 

Here is part of an old Brighton comprehensive network map, as yet not updated to reflect the most recent change.

The 1 and 1A terminus is top centre ...

... and on their way south to Portslade, the services splits with the 1 using Chalky Road and the 1A trundles along Mile Oak Road. From then on, all the way to Whitehawk there is no major difference! But just to pick up from the video, note the route through Portslade as shown on the old network map.

The 1 and 1A do not quite make it to Portslade station. 

But when we come to the timetable, things are not so straightforward.

It would be nice to think that 1As ran every 30 minutes at xx52 and xx22 from Mile Oak but, already by thise "American Express" (?) time point, the gap has become bigger (xx35 and x55).

For the benefit of passengers using the exclusive bits of the 1A you might have expected a separate timetable. But you didn't get one. OK, the 1As were roughly every 30 minutes but only very roughly.

So, in the Mile Oak area, the new 1X takes up the route of the 1A.

Is the combined 1A and 1X timetable any better?

At least in the middle part of the day it looks very much like a clock face every 15 minutes on the new 1X. 

That's double the 1A frequency.

But the real bonus is that both on-line versions of the timetable show every journey. On his exploration of the 1X, Roger French was clutching a leaflet (with Pink!) ...

... but fbb is not sure whether a full timetable printed version is available.

  SEE P.S. BELOW 

The old 1/1A offered a bus every 6/7 minutes which may mean nine buses an hour (clock face at every 7,6 and 7 cycling every 20 - you can do the math!), so what does the new timeable give.

Over the common section of route the frequency increases to eleven buses an hour (approximately) but only seven each hour run to Whitehawk.

The 1X runs via Portslade station ...

... and instead of going up the hill to Whitehawk, the 1X diverts to Brighton Marina, a hotbed of shopping and catering delight.

What a joy it is!

But, but; tut tut ...

... even the newest network map is not up to date.

Poor.

But Uncle Roger reports that, because of excellent publicity, passengers seemed to know where their 1X was going and where its limited stops were, which is far better than the sorry state of publicity and comprehension of Mr Khan's not very super Superloop buses!

And the buses on the new 1X do have a few flashes of pink; side ...

, front ...

... and rear.

Maybe the clothes pegs should have all been pink?

fbb wonders how this compares with another 1X launching this coming weekend.

 P.S. 

A recommendation from fbb to self! Do your research fully or you will look like an idiot! 

In his blog on the 1X Roger French includes some excellent pictures of roadside publicity ...

... and printed material.

There is, indeed, a pink printed leaflet for the service 1 and a separate leaflet for just the 1X.

How foolish of fbb to think that Brighton and Hove would NOT do the right thing!

Chocolate peanuts to all concerned!

 Next 1X blog : Wednesday 17th July