Early Risers.

[Ohmisterporter]

If you have to clear snow from the windscreen don't forget to clear the lights as well. I see so many vehicles being driven with no obvious headlights or indicators. Having said that the same thing happens in mid summer, perhaps they just don't care.

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. The rain this morning turned to sleet just as I ventured out to Tesco's. Normally on a Monday the Tesco car park is half empty but this morning it was packed but not that many more people than usual in the store. Actually its not pure rock salt that is spread on the roads as various substances are added, the most unusual of which must be mollasses. This is added to prevent the salt from washing away too quickly but the problem with it is that the local wildlife, especially foxes develope a taste for it.

Edited December 11, 2017 by PhilJ W

[roundhouse]

 

  Southern suffered a seriously ill passenger on the Up Main at around 07.45 bringinh their morning peak to a grinding halt and with delays to 45 minutes. This one could not be moved on as we did last week and we were obliged to await the ambulance.  South Western then suffered a signal failure which grew in magnitude rather to our surprise.  Just as we thought that was under some sort of control a lineside fire caused the isolation of traction current on all but the Windsor Lines and brought the network to a standstill.  With main-line access only possible to a couple of platforms at Waterloo and with train crew already late for PNBs due to the signal issue trains back down were almost non-existent for several hours.

 

 

Our normal train home was cancelled tonight from LBG - the list of problems today had caused many delays and cancellations.

 

Ongoing issues:

• An empty broken down train blocking one of the lines between London Bridge and New Cross Gate, which means we have had to reduce the number of trains running in and out of London Bridge. This train is stranded on a section of track which is unable to receive power and will remain there until this evening when engineers will be able restore the power supply and recover the train
• Wet and snowy weather - this means for safety reasons, drivers need to travel at reduced speeds
• A shortage of available train crew
• Various train faults
• A points failure at Lewes

 

Earlier issues:

• incident at Haywards Heath blocking one of the London Bound lines.
• incident at Wivlesfield
• passenger taken ill on a train earlier at Clapham Junction blocking one of the London Bound lines
• signal fault at Swanwick on the South West coast which caused trains to run at reduced speed towards Southampton Central
• points failure at Tulse Hill, affecting Platform 3 towards Herne Hill

 

A work collegue who commutes to and from Haslemere was heading to Morden where his wife was going to drive to pick him up

Edited December 11, 2017 by roundhouse

[Gwiwer]

 

A work collegue who commutes to and from Haslemere was heading to Morden where his wife was going to drive to pick him up

 

I cannot blame him or her given the extreme circumstances which combines today to bring large areas of the south-of-London rail network to a standstill at various and for extended times.  We managed to run a very few trains to Haslemere during the fire / signalling failure and at least one to Portsmouth.  We redirected passengers via Southern services to Havant where reasonable but Haslemere via Havant is not really reasonable.  Guildford via Ascot would have been an option had the Waterloo - Reading service not been affected; again we managed some trains but not the full service and not to timetable.  Basingstoke, Exeter line and Weymouth line customers were offered the option of "Via Victoria, Paddington and Reading" which some accepted.  Most suburban destinations can be reached by bus using the same Oyster card and at the same daily cap as for their trains.  Wimbledon via Croydon and the trams or via Balham and Northern Line (Collier's Wood and South Wimbledon are nearby options as is Morden for some areas) were also offered as options.

[BoD]

Evening all.

 

Today has been an enjoyable shopping day.

 

Now normally that statement would be, at best a plea for sympathy, or at worst an after the fact statement that I am mentally unhinged. However, once a year, around this time, we have a father/daughter day which we spend doing 'my' Christmas shopping, having lunch out, looking at Fenwick's windows (you explain Baz), enjoying the Christmas market, gazing at the Christmas lights through rose tinted specs and generally being as far from 'Bah, humbug' as we can.

 

Never mind, tomorrow, normal commercialism will be resumed.

[Ozexpatriate]

^ Sounds lovely.

 

... gazing at the Christmas lights through rose tinted specs and generally being as far from 'Bah, humbug' as we can.

Would it be helpful of us to remind you of today, should there be a 'bah humbug' utterance in your near future?

[BoD]

Bah, humbug.

[Barry O]

Fenwicks windows....that takes me back...big department store, we also had Binns and Blacketts. Around Christmas they used to try and better the others with fantastic (or so they seemed to a young boy) displays...

 

Inside there would be all sorts of toys to look at and once, in Sunderland they had a big Triang train set.

 

Fond memories of a long lost childhood.

 

 

Sleep well all!

 

Baz

Edited December 11, 2017 by Barry O

[Ozexpatriate]

I'm so excited, it's here, it's here, the 2018 calendar from everyone's pal Vlad.

 

I'm just glad "The days of Christmas* illuminate our lives with a special joy, and awaken the kindest thoughts."

 

* January 7 this year.

[jamie92208]

Fenwicks windows....that takes me back...big department store, we also had Binns and Blacketts. Around Christmas they used to try and better the others with fantastic (or so they seemed to a young boy) displays...

 

Inside there would be all sorts of toys to look at and once, in Sunderland they had a big Triang train set.

 

Fond memories of a long lost childhood.

 

 

Sleep well all!

 

Baz

 

My wife's late aunt started her working life at Fenwicks and told us many many times about the window dressing in her later years.

 

Jamie

[Horsetan]

I had a Hornby Hymek (Ringfield bogies) from Fenwicks Brent Cross one Christmas. Family friend was on the staff and bought it at a discount (the RRP being about £15 in 1984!). Still have it - the Hornby chassis is double-motored and has P4 Ultrascales, but the body now sits on a proper scale Heljan chassis.

Edited December 11, 2017 by Horsetan

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[The Stationmaster]

G'night all

[emt_911]

Night all

[BSW01]

Evening everyone

 

This morning’s frost and hearing the neighbours scraping their cars only made me realise how much I’m glad I don’t have to go to work!

 

My first task today should have been to go and collect a couple of click and collect items, but as it was so frosty, I left it until this afternoon instead, when the ice had all melted!

 

So instead, this morning spent more time in middle earth working on Max’s buildings, the signal box is now complete, having scratch built the internal bits and all the parts for the second station have been glued to card ready for cutting out tomorrow.

 

Goodnight all

[laurenceb]

Hospital appointment - 16:10, in and out and waiting for a bus at 15:30

Night awl

[BR60103]

Car in for service today; expensive as they did something to the fuel system.

Our municipality does the roads with beet juice (or is it beetlejuice) before a storm.

On dirt: I watched Toronto subway cars arrive in pure aluminium and saw the rooves slowly turn to matt black. I think the sides went through the car washer.  There was little else to dirty them, so I assume it was all brake dust.

 

When my father retired from teaching, he gave a little speech which included:

People have been asking me what I will be doing after retirement. None of the English department, though. They all looked up "retirement" in their dictionaries...

[AndyID]

Bought by BEA.. BAOC wrecked the VC10 design then bought more Boeing's..

 

Well, yes, but BEA also bought the Lockheed L-1011 which might have been a winner if RR hadn't lost the plot.

[DDolfelin]

Going nowhere.

This abandoned car is awaiting collection.

[Robert]

Morning All,

 

We have a temperature of around 4°C this morning, but there is no sign of any snow.

 

Most of today is going to be spent in a training seminar.

 

Have a good day everyone...

[chrisf]

Good morning one and all

 

There was a lot less snow on the ground when I returned from London yesterday but I have not yet looked out of the window this morning.  Today I am to visit Poorly Pal in Stevenage and we will enjoy [i hope] an evening of vintage rail themed films.  Stewart, rest assured that I too will be sporting my Bah Humbug sweater.

 

I managed to find the new book that I sought yesterday.  It is the first of three on London trolleybus depots.  In parts two and three will appear some facsimiles of destination blinds prepared by an old school chum.  Note the slight eagerness for laying my hands on said tomes.  Lunch with the photographers at the Ace Cafe was good but sparsely attended.

 

You can't see it but the Crabtree filter has kicked in again.  I think that's all the typos corrected.  Whether it is or not, warm thoughts and best wishes to all in distress and recovery.

 

Chris 

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl, Inner Temple Here,

Another poor nights sleep totalling 4.75 hours not good.

 Of course some of that was right at the end an I awoke a bit late so this moring has been a rush, though at least I didn't have to make sandwiches as it's works section Christmas Dinner day...

 

So l left home in the drizze the lights illumination Huge puddles right adross the roads, after about a mile and a half just as I would venture from a C class road onto a B class road there was a hugh flash of lightening and a clap of very close thunder...

and then it happened....

 

White stuff fell from the sky, by the time I had gone another mile and a had and reached the cremated Swan, the roads were white and it was coming down very heavy..

After another couple of miles I reached the A road and .... no snow.

 

The rest of the journey had intermttant lying snow of up to an inch or just wet roads. I spent most of it following a cockwomble in their hatchback with pretensions of being sporty... wide tyres are no good in snow.... he was going very slowly. on the landrover of course I have tall narrow tyres Marked M+S. So once clear of him I was able to speed up a bit, although cautious , on sharp bends and rounds abouts or where I might have to stop in a hurry...

Once in the works yard I found instead of being wet was crunchy, so the snowflake sign at the main gate was flashing rapidly..

 

Right, last thing yesterday another temperature meter came in for calibration, it's the lower standard one so it's only accurate to 0.8 parts in a million...

 

Time to... go do some work...

[AndyB]

Morning all and it's officially "Brrrrrr" outside. -5^oC. 

Went to turn off the various outside Christmas lights last night that are fed from a leccy supply in the greenhouse - the door was frozen shut. 

 

Based on last year's experience, swmbo and the eldest put the lights up and switch them on every day....and it's left to me to go out late at night to switch them off. For a month. 

I shall be switching them off when I get home. Bah-and-also-humbug. 

 

Planning on heading to the office later this morning as there doesn't seem much point joining the usual traffic queue with, no doubt additional congestion, due to icy roads. 

[jamie92208]

Morning awl from the a rather cool village.    Various tasks got completed yesterday including the ironing.  Then it was off to the club expecting to spend the evening wiring up point motors.   I'd obviously misread the programme as it turned out to be the annual C*******s Quiz.   I was very pleased to come home with 4 cans of Boddingtons.  They will no doubt be consumed in the coming days.   

 

Today there are two things.  The first is my initial post 65th birthday screening for Aortic Aneurysm. As several of my relatives had severe problems in that department I will attend and get screened. Then Beth and I are off, with some other friends from church, to visit another friend who has recently been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

 

Apart from that there will be time for some tidying in the modelling room and catch up on some reading.

 

Regards to all.

 

Jamie

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

Very frosty here and the temperature is probably minus something. A dry cold sunny day is forecast.

Rather nice waking up at 4.00 as usual and then turning over and sleeping for another couple of hours. The Boss though couldn't - something to do with someone snoring because they were drinking red wine last night. 

Lots of car scraping noises earlier, mainly from the bloke across the road with 4 cars in his family. He scrapes them all and starts them all up to warm them up for his wife and offspring. He even washes them all for them at the weekend. Idiotwomble. I'd at least make the kids sort their own cars out.

Today we may possibly be doing the bank visit postponed from yesterday. The Boss says she's becoming institutionalised as he hasn't been out the house (apart from visiting next door) since Thursday.

After school Gemma & Joe are here as usual. Joe was got a few exams this week so I hope they're going OK. They usually do and his results have always been consistently very good to excellent.

We also had a report about him at the party on Saturday. One of our neighbour's best friends is a lab technician at their school and she told us that Joe is the only boy there who regularly holds doors open for her and others. Proud of him for that but not sure what that says about the several hundred others there.

Time for some breakfast so...

have a good one.

Bob.

Edited December 12, 2017 by grandadbob