Saturday Variety

 How About A Land Rover?

The first vehicle fbb ever drove was a Series 1 Land Rover. He did not drive it very far. He was staying on a farm at Creaton with school chum Jake. The two lads (aged c. 14/15) were "helping" Jake's dad. The work progressed through a gate and into the next field. Your blogger-to-be was sat in the vehicle waiting to be told what to do next. "Bring her through," said Jake as a joke.

So fbb did. A distance of roughly 30 yards. He missed the gateposts, Jake and Jake's dad!

Oxford Diecast produce diecast models in profusion and a recent blog from "Taff" lists all the different Land Rover (and associated brands) model that the company has made. The total is approximately 230 DIFFERENT Land Rovers for OO scale. Sometimes the difference is just a paint job, but here are six Series 1 models ...

... all with different appendages.

Here is one of the latest models in the range.

It is worth remembering that these little vehicles are around 1.5 inches long in the old money.

By comparison here is a Dublo Dinky from the later 1950s

fbb also remembers the first "proper" Dinky Land Rover (about O gauge size). You can buy one today with poor paintwork and no box for about £18.

One in very good nick with a near perfect box is a bit more pricey!

OUCH!

Later Dinky models were much improved and come a bit cheaper ...

... and Corgi always beat Dinky for details and extra accoutrements.

But for the real Landy enthusiast, how about this one.

It is also from Oxford Diecast and will set you back a modest £99.

But it is to 1:18 scale! (OO is 1:76).

Remember This Tease?

The brand is for McGills service 26, but why "Switch" was the tease. fbb, in super thicko mode, did not twig. 

The 26 is equipped with electric buses.

On Thursday last there was a big launch in Paisley, with buses clustered (incongruously) round the town's war memorial.

This was unveiled in 1926.

There weren't quite as many folk there for the electric bus launch. But there was much rejoicing at the big "switch" on ...

... with the Provost of Renfrewshire ...

... and a gurt big switch!

Let there be lights!

And another tease.

Puzzle Picture 1

Where might you find these characters?

Puzzle Picture 2

What is going on here?

Answers tomorrow!

A Rare Item in Northampton

Alan was shocked the other day and wrote this e-mail.

Alan continues.

No of course it's not Stagecoach.

The leaflet was for UNO operating in Northampton. It included a simple map of the UNO network ...

... and UNO fares. 

Of course, these fares are for students and staff at the Uni.

No details are given of the higher fares charged to ordinary mortals!

It also advertises fares between Northampton Uni and the Rushden Lakes shopping complex.

Note the announced return of Poppy route 17 on 11th October, competing with Stagecoach 1 12, 16 and 88.

On the south side of town, UNO's re-introduced (and re-extended) Poppy 17 ...

... will compete with Stagecoach 12 and 88 to Tesco ...

... and on the eastern side of town will be creaming a few pennies off the 1 (GREEN) and the 16 (BLUE).

Weston Favell Centre is the home of another, and bigger, Tesco hyper store!

fbb would rather like UNO to do well, mainly because Stagecoach have decided not to produce any printed material in a calculated policy to lose passengers. UNO can pick them up instead! And UNO has a nicer livery!

The timetable for the 17 is not yet published.

Amusing Thoughts

The picture is captioned "The Bishop is anxious because the Queen can move in any direction whilst he is restricted to the diagonals"

And this one seems so very possible!

And even this might have happened? Boris asks, "Ma'am, I understand you used to drive lorries in the War?"

 Next Variey blog : Sumday 3rd October 

NOT Gannin Along The Scotswood Road

But "Gannin" To Blaydon - Eventually!

Historically, the A69 strode purposefully along the communities on the north bank of the Tyne until it got to Corbridge, where it crossed the river and met the A695. The A695 was the Scotswood Road, also on the north bank but much nearer the river (ideal for Gannin Along to get to Blaydon). It crossed the Chain Bridge ...

... and continued via Blaydon ...

... as far as Hexham where it fizzled out, leaving the road to Carlisle via Brampton as the A69 all the way.

The A69 as far as Hexham is much improved ...

... and the arrival of the Metrocentre in Gateshead has changed traffic flows on the south bank. So here  we see ...

... Paradise (in the song) on the Scotswood Road, the other Newcastle Paradise (viz the Metrocentre) and its main red-coloured roads and we just catch the A1 lower left. The A1 (GREEN) links with the A1(M) (BLUE) near Birtley and provides a super smashing western by-pass for the city.

There's Blaydon (centre left) and Stella where the later race course was built; the A69 (GREEN) zooms off upper left whilst the A695 (RED) serves Blaydon.

Some 40 years ago, when the Great Britain Bus Timetable last appeared (Shame!) it showed a joint service 685 by Northumbria (a k a Arriva) and Stagecoach along the full length of the A69 between Newcastle and Carlisle.

The service still runs, is still hourly and is still joint between Arriva and Stagecoach. But finding out is a struggle. Stagecoach in Newcastle seemed to disown it ...

... but it did appear later.

Arriva is continuing its national policy to make finding bus timetables a real challenge; but after some sweaty moments comes up with a really daft timetable.

They are all through journeys but Arriva doesn't want you to make long journeys. Probably Arriva doesn't want you to make ANY journeys. 

Joint service? What joint service?

Arrive certainly does NOT want you to even consider catching a Stagecoach bus, so misses them out.

Thankfully, Stagecoach shows the whole timetable.

The through journey now takes 9 minutes longer compared with 20 years ago!

But the buses are smarter!

Well, at least the Stagecoach vehicles are!

They both used to be in the same livery ...

A relatively recent development has been the arrival of Go Ahead on the A69 between Newcastle and Hexham.

Whilst Go Ahead may be good at route branding, their web site is poor on maps. There is no network map and most routes are accompanied by unhelpful Google based "live" maps that are often beyond comprehension.

Go Ahead's "fast" buses to Hexham are graced with a "proper" route map, but very much simplified.

The X85 has a non-stop section between West Denton and Horsley whilst the X84 serves Wylam, Ovingham and Ovington. (Confused.com?)

The earlier Arriva route to Ovington was, effectively, extended to Hexham.

To balance running time somewhat, the X84 does its bit of fast running between Corbridge and Hexham. The "live" map is baffling.

The simple map stops at Hexham, so what is that extra "diversion" not shown on the "normal" map.

It doesn't matter how much you zoom in, the map is devoid of anything useful. But fbb, knowing no fear and, as ever, dispensing with a safety net, has worked it out.

But take a look at a timetable extract.

Note the 1608 runs to St Andrews Cemetery (which is on the "live" map). It's pretty much in the middle of nowhere on the link road from Hexham to join the extended A69.

The 0820 from Newcastle has its time shaded and served St Andrews Cemetery BEFORE Hexham and this is explained in a shaded note.

But Priestpopple? Confused again? How foolish of you. EVERYBODY knows that Priestpopple is one of the main streets in Hexham. And it is where the bus station WAS until it closed.

But it is not where the bus station IS. It is now on Dene Avenue which is a little further east and thus a little further from the town centre facilities ...

... but it is rather fine!

Presumably young Gavin (they are always called Gavin!) who was given the job of writing the timetable, felt that the "old" stop should be included. But without a map it will be meaningless to all but regular travellers.

At least the timetable says "Bus Station".

But none of these routes go via Blaydon. So in the next episode (sometime next week - see below) we will look at buses to Blaydon - and that will be fun again.

This weekend (Sunday and Monday afternoons) is the fbb's "Afternoon Tea" Christian meeting and we are linking Harvest with the Old Testament Story of Cain and Abel. 

It is all about Opportunity.

And there's egg and cress, cheese and pickle and Ardennes pate sandwiches at make. Mrs fbb does the cakes and hubby does the sarnies. Busy busy!

 Next Variety blog : Saturday 2nd October