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A Developing Community

December 7, 2023 28Comments 0Likes

 … And What Has Changed?

A closer look at services from Falkirk, now operated by McGills Midland Bluebird. For this blog we go to Grangemouth, a town known for its massive oil refinery.

The refinery dominates the town …

… provides significant amounts of employment and gives massive subsequent strength to the local economy.
 G rim or
 G ood in
 G rangemouth
But recent news is, indeed, grim!
The consequences woould be devastating for the community …

… and not the best news fo the wider Scottish economy.

Doubtless, its closure will have an effect on the towns bus services.

Above we see First’s route 2 continuing to Bo’ness and routes 3 and 4, a both ways round lollipop. Things look much the same under McGills ownership.

Way back in 1987, Alexander Midland ran an 86 with 286 occasional oddments.

The terminus was a few yards along Burnbank Road …

… the end of which is still served by lollipops 3 and 4.


The McGills map shows “Old Town”, which is perhaps a little misleading. Here is the old Old Town, adjacent to the harbour and he canal basin.

Here is the Old Town in the 1950s.

And below is the old town today c/o Google Earth!

The small rectangle is the “Old Dock” as shown on the above old map!


The old town was obliterated!

Both the 2 and the 3/4 have had a depressing career at the depressing hand of First Bus.

The 2 was, for most of its life, every 30 minutes at Grangemouth …

… but latterly reduced to every hour.

McGills now run every 30 minutes.

Not that longs ago, the 3 and 4 ran every 20 minutes each way round.

Under First’s positive management this was reduced to every 30.

McGills have maintained the 30 minute headway on both e.g. 3 (below).

Of  course, once upon a time Grangemouth had a railway service. Only the track to the oil refinery remains.

But the station was located roughly as above, but in its early life with a level crossing before oil arrived on the scene and new over bridges were builf.

The newer old town centre (often known as the New Town) is nearby. Here you will find bus stops for 2, 3 and 4 …

… with the more modern town centre appurtenances off to the south.

Here, in a rather tired looking precinct …

… you will find Iceland, Dominos, Greggs, “Sub” and, of course, Costa Lot!! Enjoy!

Tomorrow we look at tourism and its transport in Falkirk – but beginning with “H”.
=============================
Jacob’s family did very well in Egypt under the care of bro Joseph, then No 2 in the Heirarchy. 
But, inevitably, the political philosophy changed. Immigration became an issue. These “Habiru” became too numerous and, doubtless, their dependants soon moved in as well. 
The new Pharaoh sort of forgot what a clever guy Joe was and decided to use the immigrants as cheap Labour for his self aggrandisement building projects.

Despite the hardship, the place was full of these foreigners who “bred like rabbits” according to the Egyptian authorities.

So, slaughter a batch of young males!!

 G rim or
 G lorious
 G odly
 G uidance
And even the most heathen of fbb’s readers will remember the story of the baby in the bullrushes.

We tend to make this story “pretty” but it was one of desperation on the part of Amram and Jochebed (mum and dad) and he chances of survival were barely nil!

Moses was, however, rescued and brought up in the Pharoah’s court; messed up big time; ran away and settled down to be a humble desert shepherd. 
There he met the burning bush …
… as you do!
.

It was the flowers of a tamarisk tree, opine the Bible “knockers”; bushes don’t burn without being burnt. Of course they don’t if they are earthy bushes consumed with earthy fire -= conclusion, black and crinkly. 


But God is not limited by earth conflagration constraints.

So He can do what he wants!

And he was gong to get the people out of slavery and into their own settled and stable land. He promised it!

BUT THEY HAD TO DO IT GOD’S WAY!

It was ever thus!
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 Next H for Holiday ABC blog : Friday 8th December 

Categories: CamCab

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