Sunday Variety

fbb is grateful to correspondent Julian for sending a Daventry town services leaflet from the minibus-madness 1980/90s (leaflet dated 1994). The map shows routes serving the main estates much as today. …

… was widespread (as above in Bedford) and was continued, for a while, by Stagecoach after privatisation.

Below is the 2023 route map for comparison. (click on the map for an enlargement).

Instead of three routes, there are now only two, D5 and D6, with D5 being a merger of the Street Shuttle 97 and 98.

Remember the Explorer ticket; pretty much universally sold by “National Bus” companies?

Now those were the days!

Missing from yesterday’s blog for those viewing in the morning.

More Batteries For Landfill?

… and an 08 shunter (called a “gronk” by spotters etc.) …

… converted into a battery loco. They have called is class 08e – but fbb is not sure what the “e” stands for. “e” for very Expensive?

And it works!

Two thoughts. 

There can’t be much of the old 08 left as it was diesel mechanical. So they use wheels, running plate and cab?

Hmmm?

And it’s very quiet. Perhaps there are two or three beefy rail engineers in there, pedalling very hard!

James Bond Retires – Shock!

If you want passengers to travel, you need to tell then when and where the buses run. Here is McGills Bluebird publicity for the Stirling University stop display.

With a Uni route map …

… and a network map as well.

Here’s the whole lot at the stop on the Uni campus.

When First Bus ran the service, they did attempt to o spice it up a bit …

… But McGills branding is more distinguished as befits a quality educational establishment.

And there are lots of different versions of the “U” logo to “collect” and enjoy.

Tomorrow we will be watching a train go by.

 Next Freight by Rail blog : Monday 6th November