More on Mastin Moor

See also "Blissful Childhood Nostalgia" (read again).

The Complicated Comprehension Conundrum.

This 1940s map extract shows the hamlet of Mastin clustered round a crossroads. The "red" road is the A619 that links Chesterfield with Worksop, and the orange road is now the B6419 that links Bolsover with Renishaw

The hamlet of Norbriggs has been lost in the later expansion of Mastin Moor, effectively a 1950s estate of semi detached council houses now in private hands. Norbriggs is not lost totally, however, as a local school still carries that historic name.

The fbb map explains what the buses do now - or, at least it tries to.

 77  Monday to Saturday daytimes simply follows the A619 calling at stops just past the crossroads. Simple so far!

 70  Monday to Saturday daytimes ought to be simple, as it runs via the housing estate, turns left at the Miners Welfare and continues to Renishaw, Eckington and Killamarsh. What made it confusing for the Famous Five was the route taken by buses terminating at Mastin Moor. These trips run via the Worksop Road to the crossroads, turn left at the lights, then left again at the Miners Welfare ...

... where they join the "normal" inwards route to Chesterfield. fbb suspects (but does not know for certain) that, once upon a time, buses terminating at Mastin moor used this odd little loop in the estate itself ...

... which adds a further and probably unnecessary complication. The "one way" roads are only "one way" for the bus services and are the same size as all the other "two way" roads used.

The outward timetable makes the present-day larger loop, via the "old" village crossroads, fairly clear but the inward panel shows no times at the post office (Renishaw Road) although these journey pass and stop there.

fbb thinks the inward timetable should be shown thus:-

But why is there a big gap with lots of dotted lines in the top (original) timetable?

 71  Evenings and Sundays. That's because the evening service 71 is shown as part of the 70 timetable. It would be better to show it separately. The 71 doesn't serve the Mastin Moor Estate but it does call at the Post Office crossroads.

So, if you are still with us; Monday to Saturday daytime 77 goes straight along the main road, Monday to Saturday 70 serves the Estate, evening 71 doesn't serve either. 

If you only look at the 70 and 71 combined timetable pages you would conclude that there are no evening buses to the Estate. But, of course, you would be quite wrong. 

 77  Evenings and Sundays runs via Mastin Moor Estate! In the Stagecoach mini-booklet there is no cross reference at all. There is no easy way to find it. There is no map! Nowhere near the 70/71 timetable is there any comment that there is an evening service.

Obviously, locals will get to know; but incoming visitors will struggle. Stagecoach are not renowned for their publicity's ifnormative detail, rather being satisfied with keeping their "regulars" informed of routine timetable changes. So, for the benefit of the yesterday's Famous Five visit and in the interests of telling people where the buses actually go, how about a map and some explanation, Uncle Brian?

It would be a good idea, as well, to show a "time point" in Chesterfield at "Brewery Street for Station" for the obviously near-incredible concept of a passenger wanting to change from a Stagecoach bus to a Stagecoach (East Midlands) train.

Perish the thought!

Integrated transport rules OK?

 Next Blog : Wednesday 6th June 

Blissful Childhood Nostalia?

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Several have commented on yesterday's blog (read again). Although the leaflet for the route 5 to Durlston Country Park is excellent in every way, the service does NOT appear on Wilts and Dorset's site OR the Damory site. Various tourist and local authority sites refer to the service but from the operating company(ies), not a squeak.

No service 5 to Durlston Country Park

Why not?

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Back to today's blog ...

We all remember this story, don't we?

Julian, Dick, George, Anne and Timmy the dog had set off very early and caught a train to Chesterfield. They were spending a week of the "hols" with Aunt Esmirelda who runs the little shop at the village of Mastin Moor. "Catch a No 70 bus," Auntie had said, "it stops right outside my little shop on Lansbury Avenue."

The gang had found their way from the station to the Chesterfield bus terminus which was very clever; but Julian, the oldest and always sensible, had brought a street map. Sadly Julian wasn't quite clever enough, through no fault of his own. The gang could have caught their bus barely three minutes from the station, here ...

... at Brewery Street. The station is straight on then left, past that red brick block of something just peeking in on the right. But nobody bothers to tell you that!

So they trudged for a good ten minutes to New Beetwell Street. "There it is," shouted George excitedly, "the number 70 to Mastin Moor." It was just ten minutes to nine.

They were all so excited as they got on the bus and paid their fare. Anne looked out of the window as they trundled along, hoping to spot Lansbury Avenue; then, "Look," she squealed in delight, "there it is!"

As they whizzed straight past the end of the road! Anne thought she was going to cry. Where was the bus taking them? Had Auntie given them wrong instructions? Would they ever find her little shop? Even Timmy whimpered in sympathy.

Julian sensed his sister's fears and explained, "Don't get upset Anne. This is what is called a 'terminating journey'. We will go along to the crossroads ...

... turn left by the post office, then left again by the Miners Welfare and stop opposite Auntie's shop on the way back towards Chesterfield." How Julian knew all this was a complete mystery; nobody knew that he was a secret bus timetable enthusiast!

But they did just what he had expected! Anne was so pleased; Julian was always very brave and very clever. He always knew best. George** just laughed and, perhaps unkindly, told Anne that she was just a silly girl.

Aunt Esmirelda had a lovely tea ready for them; sandwiches, cakes, trifle and lashings of ginger beer. It was going to be lovely week's holiday. Interestingly, though, as they walked over to Auntie's shop they were somewhat surprised to see a swarthy pirate with a wooden leg furtively loading a trunk full of stolen jewels into the boot of his car. Perhaps they were going to have an adventure ...

======= to be continued? =======

Of course, IF they had obtained an fbb map ...

... all would have been crystal clear.

But the crystal is cloudy everywhere else. As per usual, the bus industry seems to be able to turn even a simple route into a complicated comprehension conundrum. And, of course, fbb knows that the Famous Five could have caught a 77 (Worksop) departure and alighted at the end of Lansbury Avenue; as, indeed, they could have done on their "terminating" service 70. But why let boring detail spoil our little investigation?

Tomorrow, we shall look in a little more detail at this problem, and fbb will offer a few suggestions which would not only have helped the fictional five, but might even encourage others to risk a journey by bus!

** "George" is, as most will remember, actually "Georgina" the tomboy of the team!

 Next Blog : Tuesday 5th June 

Delightful Description of Durlston

Where?

Durlston Country Park lies south of Swanage and was once a private estate with its "castle" as the centrepiece. Over the past few years the rather "tired" facility has been improved and upgraded into a splendid visitor attraction. As well as magnificent views ...

... back towards Poole and Bournemouth, you can wonder at the huge globe ...

... pictured here in the 1890s, and gaze over the the enigmatically named Tilly Whim caves, former stone quarries.

Back in 1995 the Great Britain Bus Timetable showed a spartan bus service from Swanage.

But from May 27th 2012 things have improved, just a bit. In partnership with Dorset County Council and the Park itself a daily half hour frequency (with a couple of driver's rest breaks) is operated by Damory; Wilts and Dorset [W & D] in a cunning disguise.

The leaflet, which popped through fbb's letterbox a couple of days ago, is a first class example of how to "sell" a bus service. It has an attractive cover ...

.. and a helpful map.

The leaflet has some general information about the Park's facilities and, obviously, the timetable for the route, of which only an extract is given here.

But the most stunning feature is the panel advertising the fares; and yes, W & D leaflets often give fares.

But look closely and you will see that returns offer good value by today's standards and "children" ...

... pay a reduced fare from age 7 to 18 inclusive. Five adults travelling together would pay just £1 return each. That's not just as cheap as chips, its much cheaper than chips! Are these the best value fares in the whole of the UK? Can they be bettered?

The net result is that it makes you want to go there. 

Combine Durlston with an open top ride from Poole on the service 50, seen here leaving the Sandbanks chain ferry and you have the makings of a superb day out. If you want to spend a few more pennies then the Swanage Railway beckons ...

... just magnificent.

The bus service deserves to succeed, so, fbb suggests tactfully, GO THERE AND RIDE UPON IT! fbb is already planning a summer circular from the Island.

a 50 in "Breezer" livery
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  Next Blog : Monday 4th June 

Has Anyone Here Seen Kelly?**

Chum Alan (or Northampton correspondent) has been on his hols to the Isle of Man.

Ramsey, Isle of Man

His emails offer a tantalising taster for that haven of all that is fascinating in public transport.

Nice uneventful journey to and from the Isle of Man with London Midland to Birmingham New Street, Virgin to Lancaster then the one passenger train a day that navigates the branch to Heysham harbour for the boat to and from Douglas.

Journey completed by a trundle along the prom towing wheeled suitcase to the hotel.
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This was our Island tour bus.

The company also has several Wright Street Lights (correction, "Streetlites" : fbb) ...

 

... for quiter routes which is OK until a large group of persons of our vintage for whom bus travel is a novelty all decide to go on the same bus to the Folk Village. (aka Service 8/8A Port Erin - Craegneash - Calf Sound. see timetable extract below : fbb)

Believe it or not, last week I had two fifteen minute sessions of driving the vehicle illustrated. The design dates from 1894 but the the tram from 1994 as the original one caught fire. 

Apparently folks whose of idea of tram driving is trundling along about a mile of nice level track at Crich get a suprise when they do the Isle of Man. You are let loose on the real system between Laxey and Ramsey with gradients, dodgy track joints and bends, crossing roads and trying not to run over the local sheep and goats who have decided to take a walk along the track. Great fun.

Skaledale or someone should make a 1:76 model of Ramsey Bus Station pictured. It combines garage, waiting room and bus station (well a sort of tarmaced area outside). Next week you will need to use the nearby footbridge ...

... to cross the road to the town centre because chaps will be going by on motorbikes at approx 200 mph.

And Bus Vannin have started buying single decks painted John Major Grey (or is it silver) rather than the lovely rich red and cream. Shame!

But, the ever resourceful fat bus bloke can, in part, answer Alan's suggestion that someone should make a model of Ramsey bus depot/waiting room/garage. Somebody has!

"Kingsway" (complete with cat?) produces a whole range of card kits for bus garages, mainly for London but also for provincial locations, including Ramsey!

The kits are fairly basic and would benefit enormously from real glazing in place of printed windows, but they would offer a good start for a keen moddler and they do convey the essence of the real thing. Have a look at their web site (here).

** Has Anyone Here Seen Kelly?

"Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly?", music and lyrics by C.W. Murphy and Will Letters (1908), is a British music hall song, originally titled "Kelly From the Isle of Man". The song concerns an Irishwoman looking for her boyfriend.

Kelly and his sweetheart wore a very pleasant smile,
And sent upon a holiday they went from Mona's Isle,
They landed safe in London but alas it's sad to say,
For Kelly lost his little girl up Piccadilly way.
She searched for him in vain and then of course began to fret,
And this is the appeal she made to everyone she met:

Has anybody here seen Kelly?
K-E-double-L-Y.
Has anybody here seen Kelly?
Find him if you can!
He's as bad as old Antonio,
Left me on my own-ee-o,
Has anybody here seen Kelly?
Kelly from the Isle of Man!

When it started raining she exclaimed, "What shall I do?"
For Kelly had her ticket and her spending money too,
She wandered over London like a hound upon the scent,
At last she found herself outside the Houses of Parliament.
She got among the suffragettes who chained her to the grille,
 And soon they heard her shouting in a voice both loud and shrill:
.
altogether now with the chorus .....

And, even better (?), a recording of Florrie Forde singing it (here).
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Later next week, we take a look at one of the best timetable books available in the whole of the British Isles; and, Man, it is good!

 Next Blog Sunday 3rd June 

Boris Writes a Letter ...

... to No 3 Son, who, in turn, contacts his dear papa.

 Hello Mr FatBusBloke, 

 Apparently I can walk to work, which is nice, and I should avoid Euston  between 0730 and 1030, I know this is a public sector service here, but,  come on what kinda of advice is this? Backside covering if you ask me. 
 Please investigate. 
 Regards, 
 ThinCommuterSon 

How has Boris upset fbb's little boy this time? He has sent him a letter, which looks a bit like this:-

Actually, it's not from Boris himself, but from one of his minions but No 3 (aka ThinCommuterSon) lives at Watford and has been working near Brick Lane in the "East End". So walking is not a practicable option.

It is fair to say that the Olympics have created a wall of fear amongst those who decide on Public Transport Policy. We know that this event has been declared as the "First Public Transport Olympics", but there seems to be a determined effort to frighten Londoners into emigrating to Wigan "for the duration".

The web site quoted above is just, well, terrifying ...

There is a leaflet for each of the London Boroughs explaining various road restrictions and parking changes.

You are told how to manage your deliveries; i.e. don't make any and don't expect any! And you can read "case studies" form well known businesses as to how they are planning to cope.

But it's the public transport "advice" that is the most scary. There is a map showing where the men in grey suits think the biggest delays will be ...

... and thus stations to avoid, particularly between 0730 and 1030. So best stay out of central London, then? Then there are the closed ...

... and "restricted" stations.

Although your ticket includes local public transport, you may wish to try getting there by car. Well ...

... you can park at Thurrock allowing 90 minutes for the coach to the Olympic Park and another hour to get to your actual event; or at Hertford allowing 1 hour 50 minutes plus the on-site hour as before. It will cost you £18 to park but that does include the coach or bus transfer. If you arrive late your car will be crushed and you will be thrown into a pit of ravenous alligators. [OK, fbb invented that bit!]

Or you could book a coach ....

... at a reasonable price (?) ...

... if you don't mind possibly starting at the crack of dawn ...

... and coming back rather late at night ...

... if you want to make a day of it.

Apparently coach ticket sales are not going too well!

You have to be impressed with the arrangement being made to cope with the crowds, but fbb can't help wondering if its all a bit over the top. One commentator wrote recently in the press that he expected it to be either a complete and utter disaster or one huge non-event as far as public transport is concerned.

Of course, you could just batten down the hatches, fill the freezer to the brim and stay at home. That would be nice; apart from the real possibility that every available TV channel will be broadcasting olympic stuff to eternity.

Are there any hotels on Rockall Island? It was all much simpler in 1948 ...

No new venues were built for the Games. A cinder track was laid inside Wembley Stadium and all other venues were adapted. For the first time at the Olympics swimming events were held undercover, at the 8000 capacity Empire Pool. As the pool was longer than the standard Olympic length of 50 metres a platform was constructed across the pool which both shortened it and housed officials. In 2010 the last remaining venue from the Games, the Herne Hill Velodrome where cycling events were staged, was saved when a new 15-year lease was agreed meaning that repairs could take place. 

Campaigners and users of the track had feared that it would be forced to close as it was in desperate need of refurbishment.

The whole event came to be known as the Austerity Games due to the economic climate and post-war rationing. Athletes were housed in existing accommodation (an RAF camp and college halls) instead of an Olympic Village.

The opening ceremony, and over 60 hours of other coverage during the Games, was broadcast live on BBC television. The BBC had paid a sum of £1000 for the broadcasting rights. A TV and radio licence was £2, equivalent to £60 today.

Velodrome 2012

Question: Have we lost the "Olympic Ideal"?

 Next Blog : Saturday 2nd June