Early Risers.

[DonBradley]

My reading of ERs this morning was interrupted by my Service Provider ceasing to provide, so I have only read up to Jock's post at midday. Mike (long time friend and fellow table companion) went for our monthly Breakfast Special to the Local Spur's this morning and thoroughly enjoyed their FEB.

The Sun was/is shining in an only slightly cloud flecked blue sky with a temp of 20C. I omitted one of my usual three jerseys for the day but may well don it as the Sun sets this evening.

  I hope your Monday was happy and successful.

[bluebottle]

. . . . . . . . . . . . . I'M HOT ! ! ! ! ! ! !

 

I'm sure you're quite irresistible, sweetie.

[station cat]

Pic spam part the first from my trip to Austria (and Liechtenstein, and Germany, and rather briefly Switzerland). I won't post too many train pics here, definitely not suitable for early risers. Which means there won't be many pictures of Germany. Ho hum.

 

Anyhow I bought a flight plus hotels package from BA (these tend to be excellent value, often cheaper than the flights on their own) but because BA only fly to Innsbruck in winter my flights were to Munich instead. I don't know if I could have booked transfers through BA, I didn't bother looking - just went straight to the DB website. Innsbruck is about two hours from Munich by train. I was actually staying in Zirl which is about 20 minutes by train from Innsbruck (in the opposite direction to Munich). I caught the bus from Innsbruck to Zirl because the bus stop was across the road from my hotel whereas the station was miles away - in fact it was so far that, having walked to it, I decided to return to the hotel via Innsbruck rather than walking back! Which worked out rather nicely because the Orient Express was at Innsbruck.

 

The hotel very generously gave me a free room upgrade because I was staying for four nights. So I got a double room with a balcony from which the view was rather nice

 

 

 

The hotel itself was also quite picturesque (and the food was great)

 

 

Zirl is a rather pretty town surrounded by mountains.

 

 

 

 

On my first day I caught the bus into Innsbruck and went to see the sights

 

 

 

I stumbled across the Nordketten Bahn which is actually three trains in one: The first is a cable railway up to Hungerberg about 300m above Inssbruck. Two cable cars then carry you up another 1500m. I only went as far as Hungerberg.

 

Where do you put the entrance to a mountain railway? Underground obviously.

 

 

One of the trains

 

 

HermannBuhl Platz at the Hungerberg terminus, aptly named after one of Austria's most famous mountaineers (Buhl is the only man to have made the first summit of an 8000m peak solo)

 

 

The view

 

 

The cable cars for the next leg of the trip

 

 

Route map

 

 

Avalanche warning beacons

 

 

Later in the day I made the quick journey to Hall im Tirol. Pretty town with a wonderful marshalling yard!

 

 

I think that's enough for one post.

Edited July 28, 2014 by station cat

[Two_sugars]

I'm sure you're quite irresistible, sweetie.

 

Floozy ! !

 

 

[DonBradley]

AndyB I called up your FlightRadar link and it took me immediately to a Cape Town to Jo'burg flight half way on it's flight heading NE laterally between Kimberley and Bloemfontein. Fantatstic,

 

 I have just been back to put it in my Bookmarks and there was the original pane, now further on it's rour with another small plane approaching Kimberley.

           Unbelievable 

Edited July 28, 2014 by DonBradley

[AndyB]

AndyB I called up your FlightRadar link and it took me immediately to a Cape Town to Jo'burg flight half way on it's flight heading NE laterally between Kimberley and Bloemfontein. Fantatstic,

 

 I have just been back to put it in my Bookmarks and there was the original pane, now further on it's rour with another small plane approaching Kimberley.

           Unbelievable 

Good show, Don. Glad it's providing some fun.

It doesn't seem too busy down in your neck of the woods, but if you zoom out and move up to Europe or north America it's like an ant heap of activity!

[Happy Hippo]

Nice view! Wot no wilderbeest?

Only when she'd had a drink!

[Pete 75C]

station cat - first time I've ever seen a train with a roll cage... and on the outside... truly bizarre! Great shots.

[New Haven Neil]

Dear Ms Dr Cat, Debs is unwell today, so please post the train photos!

[Purley Oaks]

Afternoon all

 

A bit late because it was an early start this morning for Gabe and one son to go to Hampden for the morning's CG athletics session. Train across to Queen Street - all six coaches - was rammed by Haymarket (the first stop about a mile west of Waverley for those who don't know Edinburgh) and by Falkirk was what the Daily Mail would probably call dangerously overcrowded.

 

Whatever, the day was great. I like the way that Commonwealth and para-Commonwealth sports play alongside each other. So we had women's 1500m heats alongside men's para-Discus (the bronze medal winner was a Nigerian with one leg who threw hanging onto a support with the other hand). There was men's High Jump alongside heats for the women's para 100m, which included blind runners with a guide (one of them managed 11 seconds), and others with various disabilities, such as cerebral palsy. It brought tears to one's eyes when the last runner in one of the heats finished in 24 seconds - a highlight because it was a personal best. I wonder if the Olympics should do the same.

 

The day was hot after the haar burned off.

 

Everyone left at the same time for the free buses, of course, so there was a 600m queue for those but it moved quite quickly - the downside was that Glasgow hadn't laid on special games bus lanes back into the city and a 10 minute ride took half an hour. Other than that the games organisation has been exemplary.

 

Hope your day has been as good

 

Mal

[The Lurker]

 

 

I'm with your lad the moving map is fantastic. Have you showed him http://www.flightradar24.com/ ? That'd keep him absorbed for hours!

Andy

Nveer mind him, I've not seen that site before (apart from screen shots on the BBC after MH17 was shot down). How am I supposed to get work done now?!

[Smiffy2]

Morning all - bright & sunny so far today, which is just as well as we have builders coming (hopefully) to replace a rusty lintel above the front door.  I trust that their building is better than their spelling, as in the quote, lintel was spelled as 'lentil' which rather amused me.

We had a builder in France who quoted us for some half-timbering. He referred to Column Barge...

[Smiffy2]

I know it's not models but it is trains, so apologies.

 

When we came through Clapham Junction this afternoon there was a BR Blue EMU with small yellow panels parked up in what used to be the carriage sidings.

 

Anyone got any ideas/knowledge?

[Pete 75C]

I know it's not models but it is trains, so apologies.

 

When we came through Clapham Junction this afternoon there was a BR Blue EMU with small yellow panels parked up in what used to be the carriage sidings.

 

Anyone got any ideas/knowledge?

 

That sounds like me. I mean my avatar. 4VEP 3417? Probably not actually... It was in Clapham yard almost exactly a year ago but was then meant to have been towed down to Swanage...

Edited July 28, 2014 by Pete 75C

[trisonic]

station cat - first time I've ever seen a train with a roll cage... and on the outside... truly bizarre! Great shots.

I think that the passenger “pods” tilt within the frame depending on the inclination (but you probably already know that).

 

Glad to see that the Tyrol area has not changed a lot (apart from the roads) since I was there in 1964 (or was it 1963).

 

Best, Pete.

[Oldddudders]

I'm sure Pete must be right. I think it lives there these days. ISTR there was some ownership tie-up with the Bluebell, it got named after Gordon Pettit, SR's last real GM (John Ellis followed him but times had changed and the role was less effective), but where can you berth an EMU in safety from the vandals?

 

Tax Man was easy, and I filled in the forms. After a bit of shopping I came home to find Sheena taking Deb's bike away as we had agreed, so that's another eyesore gone!

 

Thunderstorm for about the last hour, but easing off now, I have finally got round to making real use of the UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply) that came with Deb's stairlift, so if we get an outage I can carry on playing RMweb in the gloom. And yes, I have remembered to plug the modem into it, as well!

[Coombe Barton]

Dog was treated with anti- sick injection and antibiotics for gastroenteritis. To moor we start on the pills to continue the treatment. And the syringe of gut bacteria. She's OK with pills but the syringe is a no-no! That's my job.

 

And I've just learned how expensive caravan loo replacements are. Collect it on Wednesday.

 

And now to start the barbecue.

[Barry O]

Busy day.. longish game as the temperature slowed the players down..

 

Hope Mike gets to Darlo OK.... it should be Ok there in the summer it used to be Freezing every time I travelled through it in the winter, 

 

I would have liked to journey North tomorrow myself but due to other commitments I can't... look forward to the frothing coming to a sensible end (but no doubt there will be more teddies out of the cot..)

 

Have a nice evening

 

Baz

[bluebottle]

 

Glad to see that the Tyrol area has not changed a lot (apart from the roads) since I was there in 1964 (or was it 1963).

 

Best, Pete.

 

If you stood anywhere in Innsbruck and looked around, you could see the Inntal pretty much as it was at the end of the last Ice Age -

 

If it wasn't for the 'ouses in between ...

[DDolfelin]

Some more Summer colour for you.

 

[45156]

Evening All

 

I'm caught up - it took about 30 minutes from my last post - this area sure is getting busy. 

 

Hope that all is continuing to improve for Sherry (and Ian, of course), and also that Debs manages to get over her migraine soon.

 

Not a lot to report here except that the top of the garden still seems to be smelling of Jeyes - I swear that I'll not be using that substance again.

 

Regards to All

Stewart

[bbishop]

Cat,

 

Not a bin in sight!  Where were you caterwauling?

 

Bill

[Simon G]

If you stood anywhere in Innsbruck and looked around, you could see the Inntal pretty much as it was at the end of the last Ice Age -

 

If it wasn't for the 'ouses in between ...

 

I remember a classic view in Innsbruck in 1981 - the view down from the top of the big ski jump.  I just could not imagine how anyone with any sanity would slide down it on a couple of wooden planks and leap into space.  I have found a picture that I took then from the bottom looking back up:

 

[NGT6 1315]

Evening all! Now in our London hideout after about 1,102 kilometres of mainline trains across Europe, and cream crackered. Anyone know some good places to eat in Westminster?

 

Perhaps this is a dumb question, but given the platform gates I saw at St Pancras, do you know whether the staff can be persuaded to let me take a few photos? I'd appreciate any suggestions for good photo locations, too!

[andyram]

Good evening all. Firstly I hope all is well with John's dog - apologies for a couple of "strange" ratings - the result of the old fat fingers on the touch screen problem coupled with the pear cider I am currently drinking.

 

 Today has seen rain for the first time since we arrived in Norfolk, and the first time we have had to go for jeans instead of shorts! The rain was not too bad, a steady drizzle at times, and the temperature did not stop us enjoying an ice cream whilst sat on the wall on Sheringham sea front! Lunch was a rather tasty portion of fish and chips in the "Sheringham trawler"whilst sat at a table overlooked by a monstrous picture of 70013 "Oliver Cromwell".

 

  The day saw us on the North Norfolk Railway. As a GCR volunteer I benefit with free travel, which is nice. The railway seemed very busy although we did manage to get seats on both of our trips. Our Sheringham ER member's predictions proved to be wrong however. The motive power was not the B12 and "George Stephenson" although he should have been 50% correct. The B12 was languishing in the shed at Weybourne whilst the Black 5 failed this morning, causing the 9.45am service to be cancelled and the class 37 D6732 to be drafted into service. The remaining "proper" engine was Standard 4 number 76084 which was a "cop" for me and gave two good runs on the 10.30 and 3.00 trains.

 I was a little disappointed to miss out on a trip behind the Black 5, but should not be surprised. On 5 occasions I have been on a line where it has been "in service" it has failed four times!

 

 An enjoyable day, although sadly not much to tempt me in the gift shop. At least the two return trips has bumped my summer mileage up to 37 miles of steam now. More could follow on Wednesday as that is the day we plan to take in the Bure Valley. It is Cromer tomorrow. Perhaps my next jaunt along the A149 could be co-ordinated to include a stop by the golf course for some more steam shots. Here are some for now:

Two shots of 76084 at Sheringham

Daddy and daughter enjoying the journey.

Amber checking for a clear road ahead (look in the engine's window!)