Sunday Variety

It also has a substantial network of suburban full-sized train lines (S-bahn).

The government of Denmark has recently announced a big stock replacement plan …

… to include making the whole caboodle driver-less!

The new Ryde (Isle of Wight) bus station opens on Tuesday. It has just four stands for eight routes …

… two of which are summer only. One of the stands (D) is, effectively a roadside layby.

Here are a couple of shots from Alan; first looking towards to old sheltered area, cordoned off pending demolition.

Note the minimalist shelters, far too small, especially in the busy summer months. The other picture shows the new escape route direct to George Street and the town centre.

For years buses have had to take a necessitous run along the Esplanade for a U-turn and back. The new layout should dave a few dribbles of diesel and a few minutes of running time.

Not yet another reminscence of fbb’s long lost youth, but …

… a past life for Stagecoach X17, soon to be increased to half hourly between Chesterfield and Matlock, continuing hourly to Wirksworth.

Correspondent Julien kindly sent a timetable poster from 1950.

… which shows the route running from Matlock along the A6 to Matlock Bath – not a huge journey but on Saturdays it was half hourly all the way; such was the lure of Chesterfield Market!

The Fish Pond Hotel always was a popular stop …

… and it looks a bit posher now, but structurally it is much the same.

Opposite the pub was the Grand Pavilion and .,. tada …

… and the eponymous pond. The pavilion is now a less grand lead mining museum and an “events venue” but the pond is now a fish ditch!

On Sundays to Fridays the service was half hourly to Kelstedge and hourly on to Matlock and Matlock Bath.

fbb is not able to speculate on the frequency in National Bus days …

… but the extension to Matlock Bath had long goynr, obliterated by the widening of the A6 and the demolition of substantial amounts of riverside property. A single decker in red bus days shows a short working to Kelstedge, however.

fbb would not expect the forthcoming half hourly service to last once the BSIP grany noag of shiny shillings is empty!

But, of course, back in 1950, bus companies published timetables including those in poster form to fill the timetable frames at key stops.

A New Word For fbb’s Extensive Vocabulary?

A recent on-line article, introducing your blogging old bloke to the word, reported on Drax Power Station, fed by environmentally (in)friendly “biomass” (a k a crushed trees from America).

The concept is that proponents of the “Saving The Planet” philosophy cover their projects with a fake wash of “green” whilst the operation in question is hugely detrimental to the environment. As with Drax.

fbb wonders how “green” these trains in Australia might be.

 Next Variety blog : Monday 8th May