Happy Birthday ...

... To A True Pioneer

It was on 1st May 1972 (Ah, Yes, we remember it well!) that a rather seedy and negative British Rail (soon to be "Great" again?) did something truly innovative. They opened a brand new station in the middle of nowhere in particular. It was on the site of Stoke Gifford freight sidings ...

... on the northern fringes of Bristol but actually in South Gloucestershire. It was an area where huge housing and office developments were planned and the location was helped by the closure of the former Midland Railway route into Bristol.

Trains travelling south from the Midlands could turn sharp right at Rodford eschewing the route via Westerleigh. Then it was a sharp left after Stoke Gifford ...

... and down Great Western metals to Temple Meads.

A very youthful John Craven was dispatched by the BBC to report on this momentous ferroequinilogical happening. Here are a few telling screen shots.

The station was, by the standards of the day, basic. As John pointed out, pointedly ...

The facilities were pretty  much non existent.

A BR promotional picture shows just how minimalist the brave-new-world station was.

The single storey station building led to an open footbridge which served the two simple platforms.

Note the crude bus shelter waiting huts! A view across the car park towards St Michael's Church Stoke Gifford ...

... shows a somewhat rudimentary car park. Note Concorde on its approach to Filton Airfield! The church still stands proud on the village green ...

... but a little lost surrounded by modern development. One "facility" at the 1972 Parkway station which did not last into modern times was a taxi-bus service from the immediate surroundings.

John tells us the fare was 40p - well it was 1972!

It is revealing to compare then with today. 

The freight train approaching Stoke Gifford (picture above) was probably about here - compare the overbridge in the distance.

But the station is barely recognisable!

You can just about spot the church, upper left.

Wikipedia charts how the station has developed. In simple terms it gained two extra platforms, a massive new building ...

... with caff and, recently, an additional Costa-Lot hut.

There is a bus station ...

... with a new Stand D confusingly separate from the rest!

It looks nicely over engineered in readiness for the arrival of a Metro bus service, but so far only two local routes exit the station "via the back door" where Metro Bus M1 passes by, tantalizingly close.

The Y6 runs from Southmead Hospital to Chipping Sodbury ...

... with an out of date map.

The 19 runs from Cribbs Causeway shopping centre to Bath ...

... with a correct map.

Of the Bristol city frequent services, only First's 73 serves Parkway. 

But the map above is from First's web site so admits no other. There is a comprehensive Bristol area map from Travel West ...

... which shows everything calling or termination at the station. 10 and 11 run to Southmead Hospital and Avonmouth ...

... whilst the 12  runs to Severn Beach.

But there are plenty of local areas NOT linked to the station - hence the need for, amongst others, the Metro Bus.

But most folk go by car and there are massive multi storey car parks to cater for them!

There is one oddity to the east and north of the station's platforms. It appears to be an extra platform shrouded in gloom and darkness.

Here it is again looking back towards the main station.

It was a Royal Mail terminal, replacing activity at Temple Meads, and opened about 18 months before most mail was withdrawn from rail!

Bristol spawned many Parkway stations. Some were rebuilds or re-openings at existing locations - others were brand new. 

One, Alfreton and Mansfield Parkway was somewhat unsuccessful. Situated on the Erewash Valley line between Chesterfield and Nottingham, it did not have many "proper" InterCity trains, merely having calls by fairly "local" services.

It has now reverted to being simply "Alfreton"!

Another contributory factor to the removal of the Mansfield Parkway tag might, possibly, have been the re-opening of the original Mansfield station in the centre if the town and part of the extended Robin Hood Line.

It is possible that readers may not have heard of Swanley Parkway Station.

fbb will reveal all tomorrow.

  Next Blog of Mystery : Wednesday 4th May 

Monday Variety

Public Transport Can Look Good

Hainault Underground Station

Three overbidges and an uninspiring entrance don't do much for the joys of picturesque photography.

But choose the right moment and the right lighting conditions and platform level becomes almost beautiful.

Stockwell Deep Level Shelter Superb

In all sorts of strange London places there are weird looking bits of concrete like this. They are entrances to deep level Underground tunnels; used today for secure storage but originally developed as air raid shelters during WW2.

The one at Stockwell has been decorated by local school children as a memorial to World War 1.

Excellent!

Gloucester Road Glorified

The above picture reveals platforms on both sides of the train; on the left hand side the canopy does not cover the whole platform. You can get rained on whilst waiting for your shiny S stock train.

The reason is simple when you know how.

Platform 4 was taken out of use whilst platform 3 was widened. This leaves a long line of retaining wall arches. So, rather than allow these to degenerate, recent policy has been to commission "works of art" to adorn the brickwork.

A while back the theme was eggs!

Other designs have appeared.

Joyous!

Sometimes You Can't Look Out

Malta's new electric buses have been paraded before the press. Their green credentials are undeniable - BUT ...

Why bother with windows at all? Why not build these smart new vehicles with solid sides. It would be cheaper; and who wants to see out of bus windows anyway - it's all on line.

Contravision is an insult to passengers who have paid to get spots before their eyes!

But In Dundee You Can

McGills Xplore Dundee has been teasing us with graphics of their open top buses which duly launched at the weekend.

Pictures posted on line appear to show reasonable loads ...

... but it is a bit early in the route's short life to judge its success.

It is not at all clear when the bus takes you for a ride over the Tay Road Bridge. What weather might prevent it? The map shows a dotted line for "some journeys".

fbb would want a definite ride over the Silvery Tay ...

... although the bridge is not particularly high.

Outside the city centre, the other "destination" is "The Law" ...

... the highest point in the city (but not very high!).

From here you do get a fine view of the Silvery Tay.

Prices are expensive - you are effectively charged for a McGills day river but you can "hop on hop off" although most will simply do the round trip - expensively.

Adults : £10

Concessions : £8

Children (aged 5-15) : £5

Under-5s: go free

Families (up to two adults and three children): £24

The tour does pass the offices of D C Thomson ...

... but doesn't pass the mural of the building's more important long term residents.

Tomorrow we explore a 50th Birthday with a very youthful John Craven.

 Next Park and Ride Station blog : Tuesday 3rd May 

Sunday Variety

 Puzzle Picture

The long low loader was, together with a chum, delivering a new Glasgow Subway train ...

... and was pictured at Hamilton Services on the M74.

Mind The Gap

Confirmed! Thanks to Roger French who found it, fbb can confirm that National Express West Midlands is to run a replacement (numbered 144A) for the unserved bits of road brought about by First's withdrawal of their 144 between Catshill and Birmingham.

Every 70 minutes (i.e. one bus in steam) is far from ideal - but it is better than nothing. And NatEx seems to be promising something better in the future - probably provided by extending journeys on one of their frequent routes service the Longbridge area. For the time being, here is the timetable.

But the good news is that NatEx day "rover" ticket will be valid all the way to Bromsgrove and ...

... at £4 return it will be piles cheaper than First's fare and should attract a few more customers. It will also be about half the day return train fare. 

Livery Delivery on Lovely Locomotives

GB Railfreight, like most companies involved in transporting what used to be called "goods" in "goods trains", is a bit of closed book to fbb. But, those who enjoy recording the activities of the hefty locos at the front of the train, some interesting things are happening with this company.

It concerns the Class 69!

In June 2018, GB Railfreight purchased 16 Class 56 locomotives from UK Rail Leasing, many of which had been out of use for a number of years. Additionally, 56106 was acquired in an incomplete state as a source of spares and 56128 from metal recycler CF Booth.

In April 2019, GB Railfreight announced that the locomotives would be rebuilt as Class 69s by Progress Rail, with the existing Ruston-Paxman RK3 engine replaced by an EMD 710 12 cylinder powerplant, with updated electronic controls based on those used in the Class 66 also due to be installed.[4] The fuel capacity will be 5,200 litres (1,140 imp gal; 1,370 US gal) and the route availability remains at 7.

GBRF stated that a complete rebuild and re-engine of each locomotive would be cheaper than buying brand new locomotives and shipping them in from abroad. 69001 was trialled on the Severn Valley Railway in February 2021 prior to painting at Eastleigh in June 2021.

 What has surprised and interested enthusiasts is that locos have appeared in wildly different liveries. Here is one in fairly standard GBRf coloured but with an extra embellishment on the front.

Then we have BR blue with large logo.

Then there is the rail services livery with red.

But the latest is even more fascinating.

It is a pastiche of the ancient BR Vlass 33 livery, seen below on a preserved loco.

Publicity Matters c/o Roger French

Rog's Bus and Train User blog (last Thursday's posting) has taken a look at bus and train publicity. He approach is both amusing and pointed. He refers to several other information providers.

1 - Indian Restaurant

2 - TV and Radio Listings

Roger goes on to wonder why they bother because it is all on line!

He then continues by reviewing the more successful bus companies, for example Harrogate Buses.

As was proved by his management style ay Brighton and Hove, Rog is very much in favour of print; and the relative success of his company proved the wisdom of his policy. The steady decline of First, Stagecoach and Arriva is indicative that it is increasingly impossible to find out where their buses go and when.

Of course it is all on line, but you need to know what you want to know before your can dig out what you need to know.

Whereas with a timetable leaflet or booklet with proper maps, you can actually find your way round an operators bus routes with no great pain.

A Good Question

A twitterer asks why?

Why is it called the "Elizabeth LINE" on the stop diagrams? It's not "Circle LINE" It's not Bakerloo LINE", so why isn't it just "Elizabeth"? And shouldn't the plane icon appear against Stansted as well as Southend?

Puzzle Picture

What is it? And what is it for?

Answer tomorrow.

 Next Variety blog : Monday 2nd May