It's All Very Simple - Or It Was!

Pay Attention At The Back

We now know that:-

Fastrack A runs from Dartford via Joyce Green to Bluewater (ORANGE)

Fastrack B runs from Joyce Green via Dartford and Bluewater to Gravesend (GREEN)

To these we must add Fastrack AW which runs from Dartford  via Joyce Green to Gravesend. This is not on the above diagram but it has one of its own, confusingly also shown in orange. (click on the map for an enlargement.)

When Roger French visited a couple of years ago he was very enthusiastic, as was the boss of GoCoach whom he met on the day and whom shared soe details of how things were going.

GoCoach's AW is shown as running 24 hours a day and seven days a week and Rog commented that timetables were on display at every stop of its limited stop route. 

Frequency is every half hour, augmented to every 15 minutes at shift change times. Buses only stop at the time points shown above.

When Rog visited he observed several buses in a dedicated Amazon livery ...

... ably assisted by GoCoach yellow painted beauties until all the new intake had been "done". 

These newcomers were second hand from London Transport and white on blue blinds were "de rigueur". 

There was a flat fare of £2.50 and the local mafia averred that Amazon employees travelled free.

So it was a massive investment by Amazon and a massive commitment from GoCoach at a time when drivers were beginning to be in short supply. It was also a poke in the eye for Arriva and Fastrack for surely it would snaffle, not only Amazonians, but also classic passengers seeking a faster (and cheaper?) ride.

So why couldn't fbb find the GoCoach timetable?

An on-line article, written less than a year after Roger's enthusiastic visit, explains all.

Kent bus company Go-Coach are to cease operating the AZ bus with Arriva set to pick up some of the slack from next month. The service has run 24/7 since commencing in August 2021 paid for by Amazon.

Single fares began at £2.50 upon launch but were raised to £3.30 a couple of months after services began. It also appears the service – which are also usable by the general public – has struggled to gain passengers. Slow speeds, traffic congestion and high fares havn’t helped. Buses frequently become stuck around the Dartford crossing.

Arriva – which operates Fastrack services – are to divert their Fastrack A route to serve the site, which will lessen the “Fast” element of that service somewhat.

Arriva also states that they will operate a dedicated AZ service beside the Fastrack diversion but give no details. In fact, Arriva’s general lack of publicity is a sorry state of affairs. Their website gives little knowledge to the public of just how and where they will mitigate Go Coach dropping operations.

Bit we do now have the Arriva AZ times, still running seven days a week with roughly the same schedule every day.

A bit of a come-down, is it not?

So, very little AZ and a reduced frequency on the A and B is not a ringing endorsement of Kent's "award winning" and "prestigious" Fasttrack.

We may return to the AV in due course, but it ceases to be a major consideration.

Starting from Dartford, however, we have Fastrack B providing a local town service to Temple Hill and Joyce Green, now DARK BLUE on this map.

Route B travels round the easterly part of the estate and finishes at a lavish turning circle roughly where various former routes called at Joyce Green Hospital.

Later, green LT "Country" buses begat Kentish Bus ...

... which ultimately became Arriva. Here is a Fastrack B at the terminus ...

... from where a footbridge leads across the new A206 ...

... to where the hospital isn't.

Meanwhile route A runs round the western edge of the estate and briefly touches lips with route B before joining the bus only busway ...

... which also crosses the new big road.

Apart from a jiggle for the Amazon bus station, buses have their busway (called thr Kent Fastway) ...

... all the way to the Dartford Tunnel/Bridge (over the tunnel approach and under the bridge). 

Here we see the busway from the west (Amazon) side (note the barriers to prevent unauthorised use)  ...

... and then looking back from the east where the busway joins the A206.

Fastrack is then running on the conventional A206. This road turns sharp right to join the "old" Lonn Road.

Straight on is Greenhithe station where A from Dartford to Bluewater meets up with B from Bluewater to Gravesend.

At the top of Greenhithe station approach there is a bus/rail interchange between Fastrack and local trains run by South Eastern.

But we can now join route B on its somewhat wiggly route to Gravesend. More fairly Slowtrack from now on.

But there is a bit more bus only infrastructure to enjoy plus the ingress to Ingress to investigate before moving on.

Meanwhile : Poacher's Cottage Plus!

Well, fbb did say he was considering an extension, part of his desire to make models just a tad different from their "bought in" format.

When he was still attending the now-defunct model railway club meeting at Buffers model shop, your ardent blogger built a row of four low relief premises from two Airfix/Dapol thatched cottages.

They looked quite sweet on the club layout and fbb added some detail, including a re-thatching in progress on the left hand single deck cottage, just poking into shot below.

The left-over kit's bits fits the bill and formed the basis of the bodged extension.

But there is a BIG problem wth the Poacher's Cottage model. Can you  remember fbb's irritation with most models of thatch? There is a design catch, a plan to hatch - and reality to match!

 Next Variety blog : Saturday 1st July 

Autono muss Omni buss : What a Fuss (3)

Remember Children's Favourites?

Ah, the contented days of listening to the Light Programme on Saturday mornings on the wireless, enjoying Children's Favourites with "Uncle Mac". It morphed into Junior Choice with Ed "Stewpot" Stewart and became more pop-music orientated. But occasionally the good old songs re-appeared. 

As a little urchin, fbb was captivated by Danny Kaye and the naivety of the king and the ludicrous response of the crowds to the self sustaining stupidity of his regal majesty! (Although your author didn't know these long words then!).

The start of the UK's first passenger just carrying driverless bus service with driver in Milton Park, Didcot, has been greeted with great enthusiasm, notably from the various organisation which have got it going.

Needless to say, Roger French has been and gone and done it. fbb has based some of his thoughts on Roger's experience (with many thanks).

But first we need to know where this driverless bus with driver actually runs.

It starts from Bee House, sadly lacking any bees ...

... which is actually an office block bringing together numerous small businesses.

There isn't much flying either!

Here the posh minibus festooned with huge amounts of expensive technology, battery powered and with so-called zero emissions, awaits its customers on the Bee House private car park, well off the public highway.

Terminus Technology Trouble

Which means that the driver of the driverless bus has to use steering wheel and pedals etc to drive it from the road to its terminus. 

Here there is a trendy bus stop sign.

The Driverless (not quite) Drive Begins

The leaflet has a map ...

... which shows three "key locations" with trendy computer style thingies (are they called "pins"?) in green. One is the Bee House itself, then further along the main road is the "Innovation Centre" ...

... which is another office block with a trendy name accommodating multiple small businesses,

After turning right into Western Avenue ...

... you come to "Milton Feast".

Yes ?

It's "street food", innit? 

On Tuesdays and Thursdays you can enjoy such things as ...,

... or, nowadays absolutely essential.

For the gastronomically less discerning, there are burgers, fish'n'chipd and lots of yummy fattening cakes!

Presumably on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays you starve; or grab a bite in one of the pop-down facilities dotted around - or at the supermarket down the road. The post office has migrated here from Milton Village.

fbb reckons it doesn't quite do the same job as it did in "the good old days".

But back to our driverless bus.

It continues along Innovation Drive where the passengers can watch all the innovation taking place to the left and to the right ...

... and, whilst marvelling at the innovation, they can also espy the acres of car parking space under the shade of the tree-lined avenue.

The green trees wave cheerfully at the green minibus painted blue as it trundles sedately back to Bee House for its next load of eager passengers off to buy their street food!

So the 001 route is, currently, almost useless!

Of course its use is as a test bed for the technology and the resilience of the whole caboodle. For this, Roger's experience was telling.

First, The Fuse!

Michael was he driver - very necessary it appeared.

Tim was the "second man", minder of the technology. Thank goodness for Halfords!

Bother At Bus Stops

The trouble with technology is that it is intrinsically intellectually inadequate. It has to be programed, i.e. told what to do. As any driver will know, roads in the UK are alway throwing unknowns at the man/woman behind the wheel. One problems then, is bus stops.

Roger suggested that a request push button on each stop might be an answer - that would be fun for the youff on the estates of Wigan would it not?

Temporary Traffic Light Trouble

Also, inadequate pre-programming means that sudden road works will simply cause the bus to stop - full stop,

Might make for a slow journey!

But let's be fair (if we must!) this is a trial run and the results will lead to improvements - possibly!

Peak Hour Progress Halted

Once this non-route has done its stuff as an evaluation exercise, the service will be extended to Didcot Parkway station.

Yikes! 

Milton Park is quite quiet once the innovators are in their bunkers busily innovating; but getting out of the bus stands at Didcot Parkway will be fun fun fun.

It looks innocuous in the above Streetview snap, but, be assured, autonomous enthusiasts, Station Road gets well clogged at commuter time.

How long will the technology have to wait to escape the clutches of the station stops?

Another job for the driver of the driverless bus!

The current service runs every 15 minutes with a two hour gap in the afternoon (for an interim recharge?) It is free to all and does run to a "proper" timetable.

In theory.

In his blog, Roger expresses the considered view that autonomous buses will never run on Britain's roads without a driver, which, if his thinking is right, would seem to make the whole thing utterly pointless and hugely expensive.

So ...

A view of the future or the king's new clothes?

(No reference is intended to any real king and his particular attire to be worn in a  just under two month's time.)

Look! They've got a bigger bus as well!

And a little video ...

And you all really believe that?

A view of the future or the king's new clothes?

As Danny Kaye did not quite sing:-

Th'electric bus is all together

But all together it's altogether the most ridiculous bus that I have ever seen.

These eyes of mine have once determined the speed is slower

It's not a goer; the paintwork's blue but the publicity claims it is "green".

(Lovely shade of green)

Whatever does it all mean?

Th'electric bus is all together

But all together it's altogether the most ridiculous bus that I have ever seen.

These eyes of mine have once determined it stops when no one's waiting;

It simply ain't relating when lights are red for roadworks where it's once been.

(Does it really amuse?)

Have you got a spare fuse?

Tomorrow we pay a visit to Norwich.

 Considering Cringkeford blog : Thyesday 9th March 

Holiday Reading (2)

Book Review Part Two

Keith Shayshutt's excellent book tells us that Western National in Cornwall only had two depots. In St Austell the site was on Eliot Road in a mainly residential area ...

... whilst the main main depot was/is in Camborne, near the town centre, where the site doubles as a bus station.

When fbb last visited he found it a gloomy and depressing place ...

... with no refreshments (closed), no enquiry facilities (closed) and no toilets (closed) - a real welcome to the travelling public. Today it is brighter and busier vehicle-wise, thanks largely to Transport for Cornwall ...

... but still dismal overall.

There are plans for redevelopment, which, if the artist's impression is correct, will make the place far too small for the services using it.

The planners' blurb is, as ever, bounteous in its description of facilities at the "hub", the truly innovative descriptor for the project.

The flagship project for the Town Deal’s plans, the Buzz Station sees the Camborne bus station redeveloped into a vibrant and bustling hub at the heart of the town.

This is at the centre of our vision for Camborne, an architecturally designed iconic space that will provide a place for locals and visitors to work, live, play, learn and care. It will be a place to spent time, create and achieve with a real sense of energy and optimism.

Home to restaurants, bars and a theatre, The Buzz Station would also provide workspaces for creative businesses, tech start-ups and entrepreneurs. Both residential and workspaces will be housed at this exciting building, beating at the heart of the town.

A youth café gives the town’s young people a chance to have their own space. There will also be a Wellness Centre focused on offering opportunities to improve health within Camborne.

A covered piazza will host cultural performances, creative expression and entertainment, markets, cafes, bars and restaurants, street food and independent and artisan crafts and retailers.

There will be street theatre and exhibitions as well as just places to walk or sit and watch the world go by.

No mention of the buses - apparently they are unimportant!

But we digress. Back to Keith's entertaining oeuvre.

For 1996 he lists each bus (by type) and which of the two depots was its official home, as below with just a chunk of the VRs by way of example.

To avoid an unnecessary amount of "off service" running, the ideal is to cycle bus duties to bring each motor back to its home depot for fuelling and routine maintenance. Keith includes a full list of all the "duties" and shows how a bus shuffles from one to the other to find its way back home when necessary.

Making this work, both in planning and in operation, must have been a real challenge but a challenge ably taken on by the local management.

It is quite entertaining to do a bit of "following"!

There is a map showing all of the outstations ...

... some of which are intriguingly described in the text, e.g. "the driver's garden"!

One picture, of a single decker in its lavish outstation is of particular interest.

Trillacott is so "out" an outstation that it hasn't even had a visit from Google Streetview.

But fear not dear reader, the book includes all contract workings - which, of course, have to be fitted in to the cycle system.

There is the 74, complete with its duty "depot" at NP (North Petherwin, i.e. Trillacott) as illustrated above.

The main content of the book, as per its title, is a complete collection of all the Cornwall area working timetables. These are equally fascinating, but need more than a cursory glance (or a brief blog review!) to understand how this complex operation was made to work.

There are maps ...

... culled from the Western National timetable books. If fbb were to have a slight criticism, it is that some of the maps are a bit too small for the old man's slightly weary eyesight. But thanks to the exigencies of a mobile phone camera, they can be easily enlarged.

There are pictures of buses, some big and wonderful ...

The junction is unchanged and still served by buses ...

... one of them still numbered 36! 

For the record, the 36 and 42 (Transport for Cornwall) and the occasional L2 (First Kernow) are the buses you could catch from Sunny Corner.

Some pictures are small but delightful none-the-less.

The Cornish Arms at Sparnon Gate has succumbed to the sad fate of many a rural watering hole ...

... but a 48 still calls, now in the hands of Transport for Cornwall.

One joyous feature of the book is little yellow "post-it note" style tags spread throughout the bulk of the working timetables. 

It is still the 24 ...

... it is still operated by WN's successor, First Kernow, but is back to turning at the top of the hill outside the "Safe Harbour" (which is nowhere near any harbour!).

This is a book you can go back to time and time again and find things you missed in earlier readings.

As a bonus, you can send c/o Keith for a copy of the Saturday and Sunday working timetables; details of how to obtain these are in the book. Too much information?

If you are really interested in buses and how they are operated, you should buy this unusual volume! By today's standards it is good value at £23.50 and available all the way from the usual South American River.

Do we expect Volume 2 - that would be the Plymouth area?

 Next Further East Than Eastenders blog : Fri 18 June