Midweek Variety

Some Leftovers from the Weekend

The fbbs try to eat up their leftovers, although at least 50% of lhe  gruesome twosome can usually do the right thing and have "seconds". It's for avoiding waste, of course, although the waist can be an ongoing problem!

Today's blogging leftovers are less likely to contribute to corpulance.

Problems with Power in Poznan, Poland

Poznan has a growing fleet of hydrogen fuel cell buses as you can tell from the H2 emblazoned on the side. But a few days ago something very odd happened.

Every single vehicle in the H2 fleet wouldn't start. These sleek environmentally superb people carriers just refused to save the planet!

Apparently, the engineers THINK that the problem was sub-standard hydrogen; and we all know that fuel cells are very fussy. They HAVE to be fed with the most pure and perfect hydrogen that mankind can make. Only it looks like mankind cannot make stuff that is good enough.

Meanwhile ...

Flemings say Forget the Failing Fuel

Bus and tram company De Lijn (The Line, neat name eh?) has officially decided to give up on Hydrogen fuel cells.

Vlaamse Vervoersmaatschappij De Lijn, (English: "Flemish transport company 'The Line'"), known as De Lijn ...

... is a state-owned enterprise run by the Flemish government in Belgium to provide public transportation with about 2240 buses and 399 trams. De Lijn was founded in 1991 after the public transportation companies of Antwerp and Ghent fused with the Flemish part of the NMVB (Nationale Maatschappij van Buurtspoorwegen, or the "National Company of Neighborhood Railways").

Another snippet about De Lijn also appeared with an astoundingly bad illustration.

At least the creator of this item was gracious enough to admit that the picture was crested using ChatGPT. Enthusiasts claim that the "GPT" in the name of the supposed AI technology uys Generative Pre-trained Transformer but fbb prefers the acronym Ghastly Pointless Technology.

fbb used to own a coach like that! But his was kept cleaner and in better repair.

No Filip to Fill Up

The future for Hydrogen filling stations is beginning to look bleak.

The stated "State" is California. 

Meanwhile in Germany ...

The phrase "no longer meet economic and technical requirements" looks like a euphemism for "we can't make any money".

Plane Project Plunges

Another company collapse!

Maybe an alternative power is the answer?

Surprising Steam Suggestion

It does appear that someone is proposing to fit a BR class 60 diesel loco with a steam engine. We await details of the technology, the cost and what exactly creates the steam. Will it be hydrogen (to burn this time), biomass, coal, oil, gas, or used chip fat.

And it is three weeks until April 1st!

Who Pays The Ferryman?

It was a BBC TV series in 1977, set somewhere in the Greek Islands.

The title of the series alludes to the ancient religious belief and mythology surrounding Charon, the ferryman to Hades. In antiquity, it was customary to place coins in or on the mouth of the deceased before cremation, symbolizing payment for the ferryman's service to transport them to Hades.

But it's not Hades; instead it is Hythe, Hants!

Long term readers may remember articles by fbb on the delightful ferry that runs from Souhampton across the water to Hythe.

Over the years the future of this link has been regularly in doubt with financial failure every few years, followed by subsidy or takeover. The most recent takeover has been by much bigger boats company Red Funnel.

Click on the graphic above for an enlargement.

As you may read above, the latest problem is the pier upon which runs the ancient and almost ludicrous tramway.

It is falling down. And, like Hades it is a Hell of a Problem.

Bluestar runs four buses every hour (Mon to Sat) between Southampton and Hythe ...

... and maybe one day the village will get its trains back. Nasty Government has rejected the idea, but what about a private "open access" operator?

Another one of these?

 Next Stagecoach Sussex blog : Wed 12 Mar 

Taking The Pulse (1)

 Not Hampshire But West Sussex!  : change of plan!

Looks Worrying : Littlehampton, Worthing!

You might call it "South Coast City" stretching almost continuously from Bognor Regis via Littlehampton, Worthing, Shoreham and Brighton. If you add Portsmouth and Chichester in the west ...

... you get the route of one of the area's long standing bus routes. 

Also in the area was a route from Guildford via Midhurst and Chichester to Bognor.

Later, this became route 70 from Guildford to Midhurst and route 60 from Midhurst to Bognor.

More recently, the Chichester to Bognor section has been chopped off and is now route 600.

Service 60 had benefitted from some rather stunning branding ...

... but the image is spoiled when the buses stray onto the 700 ...

... or even the 600.

Such a pity that a good strong brand is spoiled by wrong allocation!

There are now three routes from Chichester numbered as "hundreds". There is the new-ish 600, the long standing 700 (more coming up) and a very new 500.

This bus improvement grant development (currently due to expire this year as it was funded for two years from July 2023) runs via Tangmere and on to Littlehampton.

It is seen here, with limited 500 branding, being seen off by the Great and the Good!

It came with an excellent map ...

... which makes a refreshing change these days.

But we now turn to the 700.

The has been around for ages and ages, but began by being numbered 31, back in the days when numbers as high as 700 were reserved to mega operators like Midland Red. 

The route was Southdown 31 ..

... as exemplified by this fine vehicle seen at the Amberley museum.

More recently, Southdown livery was applied to this celebrattory VR, now showing route 700. 

National bus came and went ...

.... and, under privatisation, the route was joint with Brighton and Hove.

Stagecoach reigned supreme in the privatised era with some stunning route branding ...

... later utterly spoiled by motorway maintenance livery.

A very uninspiring version of Stagecoach standard livery also appeared - equally disappointing.

And now we are threatened with yet another coprorate livery with no place for local identity.

But the once great 700 had already been diluted into three separate 700s

... with colours orange, blue and green.

Sadly, the colours are in a different order on some of the publicity.

Whatever the colours, it appears that he concept of service 700 all the way from Portsmouth to Brighton (albeit split into three) is to be further diluted by a new toute 701.

It's certainly not the same as the above 1993 version! Nor is it the return of the very short term attempt to compete with Stagecoach between Brighton and Eastbourne.

The new 701 is part of a reorganisation of routes in Littlehampton and Worthing.

Is the whole change a service cut in disguise like the recently blogged First Glasgow service 1 group via Dumbarton? If so, who suffers?

fbb will, like Stagecoach, be taking the Pulse from the network.

The old bloke will reveal all, starting with  Wednesday's  posting.

 Extra Variety mini blog : Tues 11 March 

Sunday Variety (mini blog)

 fbb Sheds A Tear For A Shed

Northampton Corporation Transport bus depot at St James' has been the home of the town's public transport for almost ever.

Firstly it was home to the Borough teams ...

... back in the days when Munciipal staff had immense pride in their work and the service they offered to their public.

Trams yielded to buses which served the town well ...

... until bought by Grampian Transport, later morphing into First Bus.

The Barbie years were not good for the town ...

... or, apparently good for First Bus and eventually the Aberdeen monster capitulated to the Perth monster leaving Stagecoach in full command.

Sagecoach never occupied the St James' premises preferring,  firstly, part of the doomed Greyfriars bus station and later its own depot in the south of the town.

The Corporation depot remained empty and unloved with tram tracks being the only memory of its former r role.

The site was bought by neighbour Church's (of shoot and boo fame) but the depot remained unused and unloved. Church's footwear expansion never happened and, here comes the tear jerker, the depot is soon to be demolished.

fbb understands that the posh "front offices" are a listed building and will remain as a tenuous memory of how things were and where the bosses toiled to keep the town's passengers happily and cheaply transported.

Sigh!

One Dies, One Is Saved

Once it was fairly primitive ...

... but later improved and given a grand entrance ...

... as befitted its importance to the city.

Actually that was pretty much the only "grand" bit there was!

Buses began to move undercover as stuff was built over the top.

The current edifice (at the top of this piece) is more fully submerged and not as pleasant as, say, the much more open Buchanan in Glasgow.

Recently there was a local rumour that the block was to be sold for some major redevelopment and the bus station would be no more.

But a deal has been agreed and a lease renewed so the Capital's long distance bus and coach passengers can wait in the dry!

The queues will probably never be as long as this:-

Sigh!

Bikes By Bus IoW Style
Our senior Island correspondent read the piece about Dartford Tunnel and Silvertown Tunnel bike buses and reminded fbb of and Island version.

Buses were adapted to carry four bikes on the route that used the celebrated (but falling to bits) Military Road between Ventnor and Freshwater.

Above, a bike bus climbs up from Freshwater Bay travelling east.

More often than not, the buses ran bikeless ...

... but Alan did capture a rare occasion when one velocipede was stowed in one of the often unused bike racks.

Bikes By Bus L A Style

Meanwhile in Los Angeles, every bus run by the city authorities is equipped with a fold down rack for two bikes.

There is no charge and no booking. If the bike rack is full, you are counselled to wait for the next bus.

Or you could ride your bike!

That is the way to do it!

Beiciau ar y Trenau

Say it, see it, sorted! You can read the Welsh!

Transport for Wales (TfW) has begun to deploy its "Bike Trains" where passengers pedal really hard to drive the train.

Oh, sorry; not that sort of bike train.

TfW is enthusiastically converting class 153 single car trains to carry 10 bikes.

Articles enthusiastically picture the single car units and their interior then get excited about extra seats!

12 bikes and extra seats in a 153? It will be a bit cramped!

Fortunately, at least one article explains it properly.

Now; we remember that years ago, these one car 153s were created by disconnecting a two car set and adding extra cabs.

So it is back to the future again. TfW is re-creating two car sets!

The line is not as mountainous as Snowdonia, but there are plenty of beautiful hills.

On balance, it might be better to stay on the train than work with pedal power - it takes a lot less effort and you will probably see more.

The Perils Of The Modeller

One of the delights of on-line entertainment is the series of YouTube videos about the exploits of Simon's cat. Simon is author Simon Tofield and the adventures of his cat and a younger kitten regularly appear on YouTube.

fbb thought this little snippet might be an appropriate introduction to these videos which are strongly recommended.

The video illustrates the dangers.of model building in the presence of a determined and hungry feline.

Mr Tubbles really couldn't be bothered!

 Next Hampshire blog : Monday 10 Mar