Early Risers.

[roundhouse]

Had a text from brother in Devon to say it was snowing hard and drifting on his way into work. My other half text me the same time saying that there is a red warning now for that part of Devon for today and tomorrow. Brother hadnt seen that so hope he gets home to where he lives odwn country lanes.

 

Paddington to Reading services also now being suspended.

 

Now snowing here in London and at home. Its warmer in Denver than it is here.

Edited March 1, 2018 by roundhouse

[AndrewC]

Had a text from brother in Devon to say it was snowing hard and drifting on his way into work. My other half text me the same time saying that there is a red warning now for that part of Devon for today and tomorrow. Brother hadnt seen that so hope he gets home to where he lives odwn country lanes.

 

Paddington to Reading services also now being suspended.

 

Now snowing here in London and at home. Its warmer in Denver than it is here.

Including the windchill its warmer in Winnipeg than it is here. 

 

Red warning now for Cardiff.

 

Lots of swirly snow and wind here but not that much on the ground yet. 

[Tony_S]

From Twitter.

[trisonic]

Don’t give me a hard time! Just been very busy...............

I heard on local radio that a “Red Alert” has just been issued for the South West, Wales and seemingly anywhere west of London. Dunno how accurate this is after it has filtered through US media. Nearly half a yard of snow expected????

It’s getting near North American quantities.

On the other hand we’re in a snow deficit and it’s been one of the better Winters in the North East with barely three feet of snow for the whole season, so far. We’re getting a classic “Nor’easter” tonight and tomorrow but we seem to be on the warm side of it with only rain and very high winds.

Anyway hope that England can find some snow plows to use as they can’t borrow Scotland’s...

I’ll try and keep more in touch, promise.

 

Best, Pete.

[AndrewC]

Don’t give me a hard time! Just been very busy...............

I heard on local radio that a “Red Alert” has just been issued for the South West, Wales and seemingly anywhere west of London. Dunno how accurate this is after it has filtered through US media. Nearly half a yard of snow expected????

It’s getting near North American quantities.

On the other hand we’re in a snow deficit and it’s been one of the better Winters in the North East with barely three feet of snow for the whole season, so far. We’re getting a classic “Nor’easter” tonight and tomorrow but we seem to be on the warm side of it with only rain and very high winds.

Anyway hope that England can find some snow plows to use as they can’t borrow Scotland’s...

I’ll try and keep more in touch, promise.

 

Best, Pete.

Hard time? Never. We've just missed you. Glad to see you back and ok. 

[trisonic]

Hard time? Never. We've just missed you. Glad to see you back and ok. 

 

Woke early, feeling guilty about everything...........

 

5:30am and it’s 42f outside. All things must pass.

 

Best, Pete.

[Andrew P]

Woke early, feeling guilty about everything...........

 

5:30am and it’s 42f outside. All things must pass.

 

Best, Pete.

Good to see you back Pete.

[Tony_S]

Don’t give me a hard time! Just been very busy...............

I heard on local radio that a “Red Alert” has just been issued for the South West, Wales and seemingly anywhere west of London. Dunno how accurate this is after it has filtered through US media. Nearly half a yard of snow expected????

It’s getting near North American quantities.

On the other hand we’re in a snow deficit and it’s been one of the better Winters in the North East with barely three feet of snow for the whole season, so far. We’re getting a classic “Nor’easter” tonight and tomorrow but we seem to be on the warm side of it with only rain and very high winds.

Anyway hope that England can find some snow plows to use as they can’t borrow Scotland’s...

I’ll try and keep more in touch, promise.

 

Best, Pete.

Weather is the main news at the moment here. Yes it does appear that a red alert has been declared for the West. Something to do with storm Emma colliding with Beast from the East.

We aren't going out, not because we can't, just no need. Though Aditi said if the temperature gets above 0C she might go for a swim, though at the pool not one of the local beaches!

Tony

Edited March 1, 2018 by Tony_S

[New Haven Neil]

, < snip

 

 All things must pass.

 

Best, Pete.

Theres a song in that...

[southern42]

' Morning all from red dragon land.

Still lightly snowing.

 

After yesterday's whiteout, we had power out!  Only for a couple of hours so not too bad.  No electric, no P.C., no RMweb!  It did spur me into doing turkey stew for today and tomorrow at the same time as I was making fish pie for last nights dinner.  One on the hob, one in the oven - and no buns, DM! :no:   To my surprise, it worked out really well.

 

I see Jones the Steam has posted again JST's Great British Railway Journeys #90.

He is not out in these conditions, I hope!  Stuck in a snowdrift somewhere in a freezing compartment while PC Gregory goes round investigating an onboard murder...

 

 

 

Time to catch up on here.  Back later.

Wishing everyone well.

Take care. Keep warm.

[grandadbob]

Good morning all and great to see you back Pete.

Had a little bit more snow this morning and some more is promised.

Managed to borrow a couple of extra heaters from my mate Russ next door first thing and got the house a bit warmer. Friendly boiler man phoned to say he was stuck somewhere in Kent but suggested boiler problem was probably exterior condensate pipe frozen up and to try pouring warm water over it. Mentioned the problem to Russ and while I was in the shower he only went and did it for me! What a top bloke! A suitable bottle of something nice will be presented to him later. Boiler now purring and we are warm again.

Meanwhile Russ, who is a delivery driver for Sainsbury's and on a couple of days holiday, has had a phone call begging him to go in to work, so off he's gone and quite cheerfully. It's a pity there aren't more people like him.

Our bin men have braved the conditions (all of about 2" of snow hereabouts   ) so that's OK. Grandkids school is open this morning but will close early at 12.30.

The Boss and I were going to go shopping but have decided to stay in the warm. That leaves me free to continue the new car hunt.

Have a good day and let's be careful out there.

Bob.

 

 

Edit: Speeelink.

Edited March 1, 2018 by grandadbob

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all,

 

Good to see Pete back in the fold.  The snow here has stopped having first turned into very tiny little dots which hardly merited the word snowflake and the wind had dropped some time earlier but at least it blew a fair amount of the snow off the front path so less to clear and the temperature remains at c.-4C so hopefully there won't be much melting only to freeze.  In the meanwhile the snow thread has reported that Paddington station is closed allegedly due to snow on the platforms - I really am yet again left with the impression that NR is run by a bunch of surrender monkey ninnies who are far more effective at stopping trains running than the RMT will ever be.  And various branchlines in Cornwall will be closed today - two of  of them haven't even got any points to freeze up which would stop passenger trains running and the other one has only got one point (one point = one man to keep it clear of ice, assuming it actually freezes at Coombe Jcn.  What a bunch of wimps, the blinkin'  Zone Director or whatever he's called and all his senior 'managers' should be out with shovels and stiff brooms keeping the job running if they don't have anybody else to do it, idle gits, instead of just dishing out compo money to train operators (incidentally they don't refund the cost of the path, they pay compensation which probably well exceeds the daily cost of a path).

 

Hmm, anyway have a good day one and al, time for muggatea No.4

[PhilJ W]

Morning yet again from Estuary-Land. After this mornings missive I went back to bed for a while, upstairs is as warm as toast but downstairs the heating is struggling to get above 21 degrees C. despite all the radiators being hot. I know the reason, the local council in there wisdom decided to severely prune the vegetation to the side of the house and in doing do left a 'channel' for the wind to blast through between the end wall of the house and whats left of the shrubbery. The snow has just stopped falling here so if if it doesn't start again I might get out again. Nice to hear from Pete again, he obviously hasn't seen any of Ian A's snow reports.

[Tony_S]

Very pleased to read thst Bob's boiler is back. This is the first winter for our modern boiler so I must remember to add "check condensate pipe" to my why isn't the boiler working list; gas, electricity and water. I had to run through that a few times with the old one that wasn't a condensing model.

Tony

[TheQ]

We do have hills in Norfolk...

https://twitter.com/WillieSteil/status/968776956652216321

[Gwiwer]

Good Lunchtime All

 

Great to hear from Debs in something akin to her normal style and to have Pete (Trisonic) back too.

 

We are as I speak in negotiation with the funeral director regards tomorrow as no-one other than my sister and her household seem likely to get through the weather for Mum's funeral.  We are due to leave first thing but the forecast and warnings suggest we may be unable to do so.  At best it would be considered unwise to drive in falling snow with icy surfaces and winds now forecast to reach 50mph.  We are on the edge of the Amber Warning area but are concerned that road icing (as seen last night) will produce dangerous conditions and the forecast wind speed is being raised which will cause snow to drift.

 

A Polar morning at the House of Fun as the strong wind and damp air cut through every layer of clothing any of us was wearing.  SWR advertised as of last night the fact that the Chessington and Hampton Court branches would be closed until Saturday morning (at least) and their Dorking services would not run though every station on that route is covered by alternative trains.  The thinned service ran well enough and matched the much-reduced number of those travelling.  It seems many heeded advice to stay home.  Long-distance services were in disarray though most eventually ran.  

 

More later as things develop.  I'm off to make some much-needed and well-earned bacon 'n' eggs for lunch.

Edited March 1, 2018 by Gwiwer

[The Lurker]

Greetings all from a grey LBG. No real snow fallen here since first thing but the wind is bitterly cold and exacerbated by the shard. The snow was gathering in the bottom concourse at LBG again. I was tempted to go and post this news on the London Bridge Redevelopment thread but awakening the person who thinks that commuters are a miserable inconvenience to his employer's grand schemes is probably not worth it....

 

 

Good to see trisonic Pete posting here, I saw some pictures of the LTS on DaveF's thread and thought of him.

 

And good to hear of Deb's upwards trajectory. (hopefully not literally...)

 

Elder Lurker was most disgruntled this morning; not so much that his school decided to re-open today, but that Younger Lurker's school, which he goes past on his way, remained closed!

 

As AndrewC noted, Southeastern's service was poor. However they will be making delay-repay because their attempt to run trains every half hour (on the basis that they could run a reliable service) has been a failure. I caught the 7.24 from Sidcup today and it was rammed; the 6.24 had failed at Crayford; the 6.54 had been cancelled, and ours was delayed behind a failed train at Lewisham. Yesterday's service was much better (or maybe I was just lucky)

 

And there isn't even that much snow in SE metroland today....!

[laurenceb]

Wellcome back Pete

[roundhouse]

Greetings all from a grey LBG. No real snow fallen here since first thing but the wind is bitterly cold and exacerbated by the shard. The snow was gathering in the bottom concourse at LBG again. I was tempted to go and post this news on the London Bridge Redevelopment thread but awakening the person who thinks that commuters are a miserable inconvenience to his employer's grand schemes is probably not worth it....

 

 

Yep agree

 

As AndrewC noted, Southeastern's service was poor. However they will be making delay-repay because their attempt to run trains every half hour (on the basis that they could run a reliable service) has been a failure. I caught the 7.24 from Sidcup today and it was rammed; the 6.24 had failed at Crayford; the 6.54 had been cancelled, and ours was delayed behind a failed train at Lewisham. Yesterday's service was much better (or maybe I was just lucky)

 

And there isn't even that much snow in SE metroland today....!

 

Dare I risk saying it but Southern / GTR have been generally Ok during this poor weather - hope that I dont regret saying that going home tonight

Edited March 1, 2018 by roundhouse

[AndrewC]

Greetings all from a grey LBG. No real snow fallen here since first thing but the wind is bitterly cold and exacerbated by the shard. The snow was gathering in the bottom concourse at LBG again. I was tempted to go and post this news on the London Bridge Redevelopment thread but awakening the person who thinks that commuters are a miserable inconvenience to his employer's grand schemes is probably not worth it....

 

 

Good to see trisonic Pete posting here, I saw some pictures of the LTS on DaveF's thread and thought of him.

 

And good to hear of Deb's upwards trajectory. (hopefully not literally...)

 

Elder Lurker was most disgruntled this morning; not so much that his school decided to re-open today, but that Younger Lurker's school, which he goes past on his way, remained closed!

 

As AndrewC noted, Southeastern's service was poor. However they will be making delay-repay because their attempt to run trains every half hour (on the basis that they could run a reliable service) has been a failure. I caught the 7.24 from Sidcup today and it was rammed; the 6.24 had failed at Crayford; the 6.54 had been cancelled, and ours was delayed behind a failed train at Lewisham. Yesterday's service was much better (or maybe I was just lucky)

 

And there isn't even that much snow in SE metroland today....!

Sadly on the Bexleyheath line, none of the peak trains ran 30 late, no delay repay for SWMBO. I gather through the Twitterverse that people took up to 90 mins to get on a train as they were crush loaded from Bexleyheath and no longer than usual. No excuse for not running 12 cars as they aren't running the loop service via Woolwich Dockyard. 

[TheQ]

Here's a thought,

 

 just how will driverless cars cope in the snow?

[Tony_S]

Here's a thought,

 

 just how will driverless cars cope in the snow?

"I'm sorry, I can't let you do that"

[Gwiwer]

Mother's funeral tomorrow has been postponed until Friday 23rd March.

 

We have managed to rearrange everything to be the same from the funeral director to the celebrant,the organist, the crematorium, the flowers (already made up but will be re-made at no cost to us), the wake, the hired cars and hotel bookings through to changing leave from various employments.
 

It is an unusual move but not unheard of and the funeral director has received other similar requests.  They were also uncomfortable about having their vehicles on the road in the forecast dire conditions.

 

With atrocious driving conditions set to become dangerous overnight this is the only common-sense option.  Both SWMBO and myself are still taking tomorrow as leave.  No longer bereavement leave but occasioned by severe weather and offered ex gratia (so it isn't taken off our holiday entitlement either) in the circumstances.  The postponement also allows everyone else who wanted to come but who have been beaten by the weather to do so at the later date.

 

And ...... breathe!!!

[shortliner]

We do have hills in Norfolk...

https://twitter.com/WillieSteil/status/968776956652216321

Hills? that's barely a pimple!

[Gwiwer]

A warning to all those who choose to swim beneath the icy waves.  Apparently "diving conditions may become difficult"