Admittedly this is absolutely nothing to do with Chesterfield, but it is interesting to see what one of the website's main contributors gets up to between Christmas and the New Year!

David says (30 December 2009): We managed to get over Stainmoor summit today on the Kirkby Stephen to Barnard Castle service - the weather was interesting to say the least and since we crossed the A66 the road has been closed due to numerous accidents.

We still made time to wash the bus on our return!

Pictures from the day, note the two "touring coaches" parked in Barnard Castle and double headed steam special that came through Kirkby Stephen station at 3-25 this afternoon. We dropped our last passengers at the station at 3-20 so perfect timing to be able to see the train. Sorry about the focus, but you only get one chance at the picture! Two Black fives by the way.

Oliver adds: Is it my imagination or is there a headless man standing on the platform in the second picture? Spooky!!

Phil Groocock writes: Your feature on the Transpire website about Trent operating journeys on service 17 (HERE) has been nagging away at me, as I was fairly certain that this was not the first time that Trent buses had operated into Chesterfield on this service.

Fortunately, the Christmas holiday has given me chance to rummage through my timetable collection and I have unearthed the enclosed timetables that show (in the small print at the bottom of the page) that Trent operated certain journeys on the Summer Sunday timetable on service 17 during 1982 and 1983.

This was at the time when East Midland was linking services together to form long cross-Chesterfield routes, as a result of which weekday journeys on service 17 were running from Matlock all the way to Clowne via Killamarsh, or to Staveley, Bolsover and Heath (the latter showing the number 17A) ! However on a Sunday, someone came up with the bright idea of running service 17 beyond Matlock all the way to Crich, but as this was deep into Trent territory and before bus services were fully deregulated, Trent had to presumably be given a share of the action.

The net result was that for 2 years, Trent ran two round trips on the 17 during the Summer using buses from Belper depot, which in 1983 operated as follows:

Not surprisingly, these complicated timetables did not find favour with the passengers and so by summer 2004, service 17 had reverted to running just between Chesterfield and Matlock on weekdays, although the Summer Sunday extension to Crich continued to be operated by East Midland right up to deregulation in 1986, when the contract for operating service 17 on the Sabbath was won by Chesterfield Transport.

In a surprise move a third contender has been announced at the 11th hour as a potential builder of the new London bus. As already indicated Alexander Dennis and Wrightbus were amongst the original band of six preferred bidders for the project and remain in the race. However, TfL have indicated who has recently expressed their intention to go ahead and build just such a vehicle to a simpler design and thus at a much reduced cost.

Furthermore in an even more daring move, the plans have been made available for inspection, which is why I am able to share them with you.

When we Mansfield residents actually get some POSITIVE publicity for a change, we want to make the most of it. Last summer, Rebecca Adlington, born and bred in Mansfield, won two gold medals for swimming in the Olympics so Stagecoach provided an open topper and crowds cheered Rebecca with the Mayor on the top deck as it cruised around the town centre.

I hear you cry out; "What's it to do with Chesterfield?" Well, actually, nothing, but I genuinely thought the open topper had been lent from Chesterfield . . . until I looked more closely at the picture below (which I came across by chance on my computer).

I remember that my lad rang me to say there was an open topper in the bus station going to Woodhouse. (Look closely at the card in the window in front of the driver.) I told him to photograph it at once on his mobile phone.

According to THIS the open top tour took place on 26 August, yet the photo below is tagged 1103 27 August 2009. So it is possible Stagecoach in Mansfield used the bus for a full duty on 1 Mansfield Miller (Woodhouse - Mansfield - Sutton - Huthwaite with an hourly extension to Alfreton). Yes, it may have run through to Tibshelf and Alfreton, complete with Union Jacks - a shock for the regulars used to Mansfield Miller branded low floor Darts, each with a different chapter of the story of the Miller and the King inside! Can anybody shed any light on this?

I can now see this is not the open topper stored in Chesterfield. Where was it borrowed from? I wonder how long Mansfield kept it?

From David Gambles (29 November 2009): On the Derby Bus Depot website I have found the following reference to Olympian 14667 (dated 3 August 2008): Daimler Fleetline 15513 (MBE 613R) has now had major work undertaken on it's engine. The vehicle has now passed it's test so should be back out again very soon. This is the last Fleetline with Stagecoach and was converted to open-top whilst at Grimsby-Cleethorpes - whose fleet the vehicle was originally new to in 1976. It saw regular revenue-earning service up until a few years ago on the Cleethorpes sea front until it was replaced by open top Northern Counties Olympian 14667 (H667 BNL). SOURCE (scroll down the page).

A picture of this 'Rebecca Adlington' bus which has now been reregistered PIW 4457 can be seen HERE.

In July I travelled from Norwich to Nottingham on a comfortable and punctual train for one pound (plus 50p booking fee). My journey to Norwich a few days previously was a very reasonable six pounds (actually 12 pounds for two of us). I booked on the internet less than two weeks in advance.

Are such fares available from Chesterfield? Yes! See for yourself on www.megabus.com.

Click the Union Jack on the right to ensure you are not on the USA site. Scroll down the LEAVING FROM box and select Chesterfield (strange as Megabus no longer serves the town, but nevertheless true). In the TRAVELLING TO box you only have three choices: Norwich, Peterborough and London. Choose one of these, put in some dates and see what comes up.

This evening (5 October) I experimented with an outward journey on Thursday 15 October (just ten days away), returning Tuesday 20 October. Chesterfield to Norwich was 5 pounds on the 1053 & 1953 departures and 1 pound to return from Norwich at 1152. The cheapest Chesterfield to London was 7 pounds on a somewhat late 2053 departure, but just 11 pounds on the 1239 and 1339. Coming back from London was 9 pounds at 0955 & 1055 and 7 pounds at 2225.

I then tried giving about six weeks notice. (Leaving Chesterfield 17 November; coming back 19 November). To Norwich, there were four choices of trains each way for 1 pound (ie 2 pounds return)! You could go from Chesterfield to London for 1 pound at 1239 (with three other departures costing 5 pounds), and come back for 5 pounds at 0955 and 1005. Not bad, eh?

Your booking confirmation is emailed to you. You print this off and show it on the train. If you prefer, I think you can get it sent to you as a text message.

Incidentally, for those who know about these things, although the service to Norwich is run by East Midlands Trains, the two car unit on my return journey from Norwich was strangely in the livery of South West Trains. In fact, nobody ever checked my paperwork, so perhaps I could have travelled for nothing . . . .

Remember to take refreshments with you as none are served on the train. Apart from that, I found it an excellent service.

On August Bank Holiday Monday, I found myself at Black Rock, just off the road up the hill from Cromford, with Josh, a lively four year old. A sign said TRAIN RIDES and pointed along The High Peak trail. So off we went across a bridge and in no time we found it.

There were light refreshments and an interesting shop . . . and two train rides at a very reasonable fare.

We were at the Steeple Grange Light Railway. I remember a TRANSPIRE visit here a few years back. There was little to see then and definitely no working railway. How the enthusiasts have toiled! One bit of track had only been put down a fortnight before our Bank Holiday visit, and there is more to come, once the enormous rocks have somehow been moved.

The railway is open on Saturdays and Sundays in September and Sundays in October, as well as Saturday 17th October for Wirksworth Model Railway Exhibition. There are also Santa Specials on 12/13 December. That's a must for Josh and me!

Full details on www.steeplegrange.co.uk

Buses passing Steeple Grange (timetables in PDF format):
411 (Monday to Saturday) CLICK; 17 (Sunday) CLICK; 6.1 (every day) CLICK