What a disaster the buses in and around Bristol. 1 of the metro buses on the M32 went off route to avoid congestion. Some MPs down in Bristol today to see what is happening. All services more or less to time (what a surprise) There is 1000s of complaints about the whole service in general. What I can see is the flyer out to the airport is about the only service that runs more or less how it should do every day.With the problems on bus services you could not make it up.
 
I have to comment on the respect and dignity that was shown through out the country.One of the amazing things that was done on many beaches around the country was the image of a face.I was proud to be British and like wise many others. Wow what dignity shown.
 
The beach art was pretty moving! I think it humanized soldiers who fought so long ago. I don't know if its been released yet but Peter Jackson has created a film about world war 1 from old footage that has been coloured that looks really good!
 
On BBC breakfast news this morning, they said the rail line from Bristol Temple meads to Bristol Parkway has reopened,as they have made it back to a double track.The picture to go with the news item showed the old Portishead rail line. The correct rail line picture would be good. You cant make it up and poor media report.
 
I see the Bath double deckers are going to divert round Keynsham due to Christmas lights in Keynsham. I don't know if this is till the lights are taken down or weather they are being put up.
 
I see the Bath double deckers are goiung to divert round Keynsham due to Christmas lights in Keynsham. I don't know if this is till the lights are taken down or weather they are being put up.
I've been reading in the local rag that the A4 experienced vandalism problems (smashed windows) in the Airport Road area a week or two ago, leading to the service being diverted along Whitchurch Lane for a few days although the A4 website suggests it is now back to normal.

There was also a local press report stating that because of staff sickness a few of the journeys had to be cancelled. Management deputised in some cases but that didn't fill all the gaps.
 
Welcome back Jim. Always nice to see you and read yr comments on here which its missed.Trust you had a good time,and it sure goes very quick when its there.
 
Welcome back Jim. Always nice to see you and read yr comments on here which its missed.Trust you had a good time,and it sure goes very quick when its there.
Many thanks. Yes, the time goes seem to pass very quickly when on holiday. Excellent visit, thank you.
 
What a disaster the buses in and around Bristol. 1 of the metro buses on the M32 went off route to avoid congestion. Some MPs down in Bristol today to see what is happening. All services more or less to time (what a surprise) There is 1000s of complaints about the whole service in general. What I can see is the flyer out to the airport is about the only service that runs more or less how it should do every day.With the problems on bus services you could not make it up.
It seems that a couple of First Leeds Volvo double deckers that were sent down to help out with the rail replacement services between TM and Parkway when the line was closed for three weeks for extra tracks to be put in have been retained. I saw them on city route 2 (Stockwood-Cribbs Causeway) on Friday still in full First Leeds livery. However, the ownership plates had been altered to First West of England, Bristol.

I presume the local First regime is so short of buses that they can't spare these from service to be repainted.
 
GKN press release:

https://www.gknaerospace.com/en/new...-new-32m-global-technology-centre-in-bristol/

GKN already has a significant presence in the Bristol area aerospace community. This initiative seems to show confidence in spite of the looming Brexit.



GKN AEROSPACE ANNOUNCES NEW £32M GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY CENTRE IN BRISTOL
  • Centre will act as a hub for world-class innovative technology for the next generation of fuel-efficient aircraft
  • Public-private investment enables world-class centre for 300 highly skilled engineers
  • GTC will collaborate with UK research community and supply chain to strengthen aerospace technology and support UK Industrial strategy
global-tech-center.jpg

The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Greg Clark, and the Chief Executive of GKN Aerospace, Hans Büthker today revealed plans for GKN Aerospace’s new Global Technology Centre in the UK.

The new centre - funded by a £17m commitment from GKN Aerospace and a £15m commitment from the UK Government, through the Aerospace Technology Institute - is expected to open in 2020. Once open the 10,000 square metre facillity will host 300 highly skilled engineers, and will include collaborative space for research and development with universities, the UK’s CATAPULT network and GKN Aerospace’s UK supply chain.

The centre will focus on additive manufacturing (AM), advanced composites, assembly and industry 4.0 processes to enable the high rate production of aircraft structures. The GTC will maintain GKN Aerospace’s position at the forefront of technology development for the next generation of energy efficient aircraft. The facility will serve as a base for GKN Aerospace’s technology partnership in the Airbus’ ”Wing of Tomorrow” technology programme as well as new additive manufacturing programmes.

The Bristol centre joins a growing list of GKN Aerospace Centres of Technical Excellence around the world. Each centre has a unique technology focus - covering AM, thermoplastics and smart aero-engine systems - and is supported and linked by a clear digital strategy.
Commenting Chief Executive of GKN Aerospace, Hans Büthker said:

“GKN Aerospace can trace its engineering heritage back to the 18th century and we are proud of our role as a leading player in the UK’s world leading aerospace sector.

“The GTC will ensure we continue to develop new technologies that deliver for our customers, making aircraft more sustainable and economical. It will also support our 4,000 strong workforce in the UK, ensuring they remain at the cutting edge of the global aerospace industry.

“The GTC is a great example of the UK’s industrial strategy at its best: with industry and the Government coming together to invest in the technology of the future. The GTC will continue to foster such collaboration across the entire UK Aerospace ecosystem and we look forward to working with the British Government in the years to come.’’

Commenting The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Greg Clark said:
“GKN Aerospace’s new Global Technology Centre further strengthens our aerospace heritage and engineering expertise, and will keep the UK at the forefront of the latest technologies and manufacturing processes for the next-generation of aircraft.
“As the sector moves towards a cleaner, greener and more efficient future, we are partnering with industry through our modern Industrial Strategy and new Aerospace Sector Deal to ensure we have the skills, innovation and supply-chain to continue our world leadership in aviation.”

GTC ecosystem

In addition to GKN Aerospace and Aerospace Technology Institute, collaboration partners at the new GTC include: the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), Additive Industries B.V., ANSYS UK Limited, ATS Applied Tech Systems Limited, Centre for Modelling & Simulation, Digital Catapult, KUKA Industries UK Limited, Manufacturing Technology Centre, Materialise UK Limited, National Composites Centre, PXL Realm, Thales UK Limited, University of Bath, University of Bristol and University of Sheffield.
 
I see the firm that built the super car to do 1000 mph and doing testing down at Newquay airport has trown the towel in today. They could not get extra funding to finish testing and attempt the record in South Africa.The Avonmouth warehouse where the car build was done was all locked up and empty. Its a shame that this has happened.
 
I see the firm that built the super car to do 1000 mph and doing testing down at Newquay airport has trown the towel in today. They could not get extra funding to finish testing and attempt the record in South Africa.The Avonmouth warehouse where the car build was done was all locked up and empty. Its a shame that this has happened.
It is a great shame, although there is already a legacy with young people being inspired to take up engineering and science.

Apparently the car is almost ready to make the attempt on the world land speed record but they needed another £25 million to take the car to South Africa where the speed run was to be made.

What I haven't been able to find out is what would have happened if the record had been gained. Would they have carried on developing the car in order to make further record attempts or would setting the record be the final goal? If the latter they have presumably already made technological breakthroughs so the run itself would have really been the icing on the cake. A world land speed record would have further publicised the UK's leading position in this field with all the benefits that ought to flow from that.
 
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/extra-20-queue-buster-buses-2315594

First West of England have managed to scrounge an extra 20 buses and drivers to supplement the four worst hit city routes when it comes to delays. They are all cross-city routes that are timetabled at around 90 minutes duration but often take far longer: the 1, 2, 75 and 76.

They will be known as 'queue busters' and will be sent out when demand is high or when there are severe delays.

I have personal experience of the 2. Its double deckers are supposed to run at 12-minute intervals but the length of the journey is so long that buses often catch each other up and it's not unusual to see two or three together towards the end of the route with the next one 30 or 40 minutes away.

I think it's about time that First thought seriously of splitting all their cross-city routes and have them terminate in the city centre. They did it once with a service (I forget the route number) that ran from Avonmouth to Bitton via the central areas, 27 route miles with a timetabled duration of around two hours. It was the longest city route at the time and nothing has since exceeded its length. The route is now split into two at the city centre.
 
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/residents-invited-see-100m-plans-2314359

This might actually go head. The land is already owned and the money is there - private money so the cash-strapped council won't have to find it.

Then again we thought that about the Ashton Vale Stadium with the land owned, private money in place and planning permission granted. Then along came a handful of dog walkers and applied to turn the site into a town green. After two years of controversy the council 'c**ked' up the town green enquiry process and were ordered by a judge to start all over again.

The proponents (Steve Lansdown and his Bristol Sport organisation) understandably gave up and redeveloped Ashton Gate instead, something they always said would be a poor alternative to a new stadium. Ashton Gate is certainly now a fine stadium but the lingering thought remains that Ashton Vale might have been better.

Incidentally the picture at the bottom of the article has an artist's impression of the plans superimposed onto a picture of the area as it is now. There are several high-rise blocks of flats behind the football stadium. The one on the extreme right is Whitemead House that doubled as Nelson Mandela House in the Fools And Horses series much of which was filmed in Bristol doubling for Peckham, south London.
 
Over the years have they added or taken away or more or less the same amount. Im thinking sibnse Bristol omnibus days or early days of city line or badgerline in Weston.
 
Over the years have they added or taken away or more or less the same amount. Im thinking sibnse Bristol omnibus days or early days of city line or badgerline in Weston.
I really don't know. I suspect there are more buses on the streets now than, say, 30-40 years ago, but perhaps not as many as in the 1940s-1960s when far fewer people had cars.

First say that bus use in Bristol has increased by 25% over the past few years. Given the often poor service (not all First's fault by any means) it's perhaps surprising that more people are using the buses, but it doesn't seem to have reduced car use. There are fears that the removal of the Severn crossings' tolls will further exacerbate the situation, with the likelihood of more commuters buying cheaper houses in South East Wales but still working in Bristol.

Then again there seem to be tens of thousands of houses either being built or in the pipeline around the entire city region so congestion is going to get even worse without the toll-free Severn crossings, unless drastic action is taken which will then bring its own problems.

Portishead is a microcosm of the entire city region with thousands trying to get out of one of the biggest cul-de-sacs in the country and reversing the procedure in the late afternoon through basically one road. The railway option seems no nearer despite only two or three miles being needed along the existing track bed to join up with the Royal Portbury Dock to Bristol freight line.

I last used it in 1985 when the Bristol-Portishead branch was temporarily re-opened for passenger traffic to mark the 150th anniversary of the Great Western Railway (the proper one, not First's pathetic attempt to cash in on an iconic name and brand). Apart from being a vital link between the city and Portishead it's also an extremely spectacular journey as it makes its way along the side of the Avon Gorge in and out of a succession of tunnels. In 1985 they used an old DMU painted in the GWR's chocolate and cream livery, one of those where you could sit in in the saloon behind the driver with a view along the line ahead. It was a marvellous experience.

The Bristol-Severn Beach line that runs along the opposite bank of the Avon is also a picturesque journey for part of its route. I still use that one from time to time.
 
Bristol to Portbury dock was upgraded a few years back for freight out and in dock.They replaced ballast and rails and signals.Now lots of people say this part of the line needs upgrading to passenger use.What is done different for freight to passenger line,i never been able to make that one out.The same thing will have to be done from the dock into Portishead. They will have to cross roads will that be gates or bridges I wonder.There was talk a few years back that all level crossings in the UK would be replaced with bridges.The old railway station in Portishead has a Waitrose super market sat on top of it,so a new station buit else where with where ever that is there will be need to cross roads some where.Every one agrees Portishead needs the railroad line but it seems no one wants to come up with the money to rebuild this project. Perhaps some one ought to look at putting in another motorway junction in between Portishead and Clevedon.
 
Bristol to Portbury dock was upgraded a few years back for freight out and in dock.They replaced ballast and rails and signals.Now lots of people say this part of the line needs upgrading to passenger use.What is done different for freight to passenger line,i never been able to make that one out.The same thing will have to be done from the dock into Portishead. They will have to cross roads will that be gates or bridges I wonder.There was talk a few years back that all level crossings in the UK would be replaced with bridges.The old railway station in Portishead has a Waitrose super market sat on top of it,so a new station buit else where with where ever that is there will be need to cross roads some where.Every one agrees Portishead needs the railroad line but it seems no one wants to come up with the money to rebuild this project. Perhaps some one ought to look at putting in another motorway junction in between Portishead and Clevedon.
I don't think the logistics of linking all the way to Portishead are a problem. The problem is finding the money. As always the cost has gone up and up over the years whilst the politicians have pondered putting in the money.

The latest proposals seems to be, assuming it does finally get the go-ahead (by no means certain), for a light rail with a speed limit (I forget what) which would slow the journeys down a bit, and the frequency would not be as great as was once envisaged. There is still a thought that once up and running the service would still need some sort of subsidy as, although it would doubtless be heavily used by commuters, the other parts of the day might not be.

In the summer it could be advertised as a tourist line, perhaps with either through working or easy transfers at Temple Meads onto the Severn Beach line which is another with (to my mind) its leisure potential not promoted, although with this line the trains are often well patronised through the day and crowded at commuter times.
 
2 new exit gates from platforms open today,this makes it 14 exit gates.This will make it faster to get out of station. What about the over crowded trains.
O n a different note. They have set aside 40 million£ to replace glass in the roof.That tells me that not a complete refirb of the station.The joy of a listed building for a train station I suppose.The building does look good rather than a modern one,but they must keep on top of repairs to building.
 

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9 trips in 9 days done 70 miles walked and over 23-00 photos taken with a large number taken at 20mph or above. Heavy rain on 1 day only
5 trips done and 45 miles walked,. Also the RAF has had 4 F35B Lightning follow me yesterday and today....
My plans got altered slightly as one of the minibus companies had to cancel 3 trips and refunded me but will be getting nice discount when I rebook them.
wondering why on my "holidays" I choose to get up 2 hours earlier than when going to work. 6 trips in 6 days soon coming up with 3 more days to sort out

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