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 

Dramatic Dudley Developments (1)

Nostalgia Nuggets?

An 1835 nap (above) shows the early Dudley next to a blob of parkland on top of which (a strip of red) is Dudley Castle. The castle was once a Motte and Bailey establishment (remember from school day history) which was later rebuilt, burnt down, rebuilt and left to become a ruin. 

And here is the castle hill in 1938.

We now have a few railway lines running to the east of the hill..

The Castle mound became the site of the celebrated Dudley Zoo with its skilled advertising slogan of the 1960s.

fbb remembers a huge poster to that effect clearly visible from Dudley's bus station. The zoo had a chair lift to assist folk up to the craggy summit ...

... and once up there you would find a whole range of entertainment including a miniature railway.

Todays chair lift looks a lot more secure but may be the original ...

... and the miniature railway ...

... has taken a leap onto modernity. There is also a land train.

But next to the castle and zoo excrescence was once Dudley Town station, not to be confused with Dudley Port station or Sandwell and Dudley station.

Even worse, do not confuse it with the orange line at Dudley Station ...

... because, as you all know what fbb didn't, namely that the orange Dudley is in Boston USA.

So what of Dudley's Town station?  Well it isn't there any more, but, as they say in all Romantic Dramas, it's complicated.

The Great Western arrived ex northwards from Wolverhampton, calling at Tipton. From the north east came the South Staffordshire Railway, (later the LMS) running from  Walsall via Dudley Port Low Level.

Even Wikipedia struggles to tell us much about Dudley Port.

Etymology

Originally the canal port 

for the town of Dudley.

Proper noun

Dudley Port

A suburban area in the

Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell,

West Midlands

And here ... tada! ... is the Port today!

Ane here it is on an aerial Streetview view.

But back to the Town station. 

South of the station the line, once again, splits into two.

The slightly more notable route for passengers was a shuttle to Old Hill.

(click to enkarge the timetable) whilst the other route, manly freight only, continued to Kidderminster and was used to get goods trains to Bescot yard without cluttering up central Birmingham.

The central Dudley station had two Island platforms, the one on the left being for GWR trains and then one, accessed via the over bridge in this north facing picture, was for the LMS. The LMS chimneys are disinc.tive!

It follows that Dudley Town was, in general, served by very local trains carrying few passengers. 

Here is a GWR train ...

... and an ex LMS "rail motor".

It is not at all surprising that these lines have been closed completely for passenger trains.

There was a freight development which, for a time, brought Dudley into an uncharacteristic burst of railway modernity. More tomorrow!

So lets look at buses.

Across Castle Hill (the road) from the Zoo/Castle mound is a road called Birmingham Street. It is a very tired and tatty thoroughfare ...

... which forms a back entrance to the current bus station in Dudley. It also led to the previous bus station once visited by fbb.

The original bus station was constructed along Birmingham Street on a steep hill overlooking Dudley Castle in about 1950. It was complemented by an additional line of shelters along neighbouring Fisher Street. However, a series on incidents of buses rolling back injuring passengers led to widespread local criticism of its design. This resulted in the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive rebuilding the bus station on a completely level site along Fisher Street.

Although there is little sign of the original bus station today, you can gauge the slope up from Birmingham Street.

fbb can find no pictures of the bus station as a whole, but these two buses are on the slope ...

... and there is the castle, faint but real, top right.

Construction of the new bus station began during 1985 and it was opened in 1986.

Here it is, the new one.

It is not the most gloriously luxurious bus station but it is level, so there is less chance of being squished by an out-of-control bus.

But back in January 2024 this event was happening at Dudley bus station ...

... as was this.

Look, there in the background is our old friend Dudley Castle!

More tomorrow!

 Next Dudley Development blog : Friday 1st March 

Three Cheers For| Three Piers (3)

Oh No We Can't : Oh Yes We Can

The temporary walkway to allow pedestrian and cycle access to the "wet end" whilst the boardwalk pier as being rebuilt was only temporary ...

... being made of scaffolding poles with a plyood deck. It was well lit for night time use.

It was originally revealed that a permanent solution would not be tolerated by English Heritage. It would spoil the view of and from the Pier.

Thus there was much excitement when plans were announced to construct a permanent walkway and cycle track where the temporary work once sat. Initial artist's impressions were superb.

We were even told what colour the decking would be.

The "wider scheme" is to extend the cycleway long the coast to Appley Park.

It was all looking super and smashing with pedestrians sheltered from the icy blast and the teeming rain both often whisking from the west. 

Then doubts began to appear.

No shelter?

Then this announcement came.

No mention of cycle track.

This was finally confirms by this piece of depressing (for cyclists) news.

So now we have  half sized walkway and cycles are banned. This is confirmed by the latest plans with no green bit!

But what about the cover? Are those little shelters all that is available? Do you shelter from the monsoon and miss your ferry?

Photographs recently received from Alan (our senior IoW correspondent - he likes to br called senior although he is the only one!) show huge new beams of timber near the Pier Head ...

... and in the background, the replacement windbreak to protect rail passengers from the same icy blasts and teeming rain that, apparently, will not be provided, as previously advertised, for those on foot!

The previous wind- and rail- break seen from within the station ...

... was not really in tip top condition! Its replacement should be a bit better.

Before we leave the tramway pier, a couple of pictures of the trams snoozing peacefully at the "dry end", Ryde Esplanade station.

Note the Brickwoods Ale advert and the large sign advertising the buses of Southern Vectis.

It must have been a quiet day - no passengers! Note also the trailer/pushcart attached to the car on the left.

And, talking of Southern Vectis, they had a sales kiosk at the Pier Head as well.

Of course, back then it wasn't all on line. There was no line for it to be "on". Back then, you had to suffer the crushing indignity but high reliability of talking to a real person.

But, back then, the companies wanted to encourage passengers to travel with them. Now they don't seem as interested.

Confirmation was received late yesterday evening from Alan that there will be NO COVER for the walkway, despite all the previously published pretty pictures.

Pity. A good quality walkway would go well with the aspirations to turn the pier into a "destination" in its own right ....

... with bars, restaurants, entertainment and even somewhere to park your cabin cruiser.

Usual comment:-

 Next Missing Pier Road blog : Thursday 2nd February