The Mystery At Thurnby Lodge (2)

But do fbb’s ARMD aged eyes deceive him? Can that column heading be really true? Is First bus advertising Arriva journeys?

Here is a rare example of partnership in action – although such wonders do not, of course, apply to Arriva’s web site which had no mention of its “partner”.

It will take fbb a while to recover from the shock …

… but he should have returned to something like normality in time to try to understand the 37, 38, 38A timetable. 

So the 53 …

… has been renumbered 37 to present a service in true partnership format! Is that why Arriva’s timetable (see above) says route 37/53 although there are no journeys numbered 53?

If only we could understand the timetable?

A while back, fbb thought he had purchased a Mark 1 Scotrail coach for Peterville. Mark 1 was the standard coached built in thousands point nationalisation and is the standard vehicle on preserved lines. 

But when it arrived it was a Mark 3 Scotail coach.

Instead of sending it back, fbb decided to keep it (it was very cheap) because of its construction. Although not entirely clear from the above, the coach sides are a single moulding of clear plastic with the coloured bits printed on.

This is a cheap and cheerful way to keep the glazing flush with the body panels but not entirely realistic at close range.  Note the crude coach end detail.

So fbb kept his eres open for a Mark 1 Scotrail coach. But all that appeared on the pre-owned listings is a “full brake”.

Even a vintage Lima model comes at a high price; the model is not of the best quality and Peterville Quarry Railway wants a coach to transport its paying OO gauge customers, not a van for non-existent parcels.

But then fbb spotted a Bachmann Regional Railways coach for about the same price as the Lima one above.

And Bachmann coaches are quality with a capital K. The window “glass” is not recessed …

… the corridor end is well modelled …

… as is the underframe.

The Commonwealth bogies look fine …

… and you get seats and corridor partitions.

There is even a representation of the “No Smoking” triangle on one of the compartments.

Of course, a modern coach would have even more detail and you would be able to read the text on that red triangle (with the help of a magnifying glass mayhap). But a modern model would cost £80 whereas fbb spent £35.

He is still looking for a Mark 1 Scotrail coach in Regional Railways style and at a reasonable price. Does such a thing exist?