Early Risers.

[beast66606]

Evening all,

 

Safely back at home  (last night) after a superb holiday - as my facebook friends will have seen.

 

After driving around Germany and down to Dunkirk from West Germany it took me a matter of a few minutes to realise how bad the general driving is in the UK and how much lorries overtaking each other contribute to delays, the Autobahns we used were mostly 2 lane and traffic flowed freer than the M2 we were using, drivers moved over, used indicators and other complicated things like that.

 

Back to work tomorrow - deep joy.

[southern42]

  Warning:  This post contains tr**ns.  If you are sensitive or have any objections to these being on here, please look away NOW.  

 

For a while I worked in an office from which you could see (at somewhat of an oblique angle, mind) North Wales rail traffic on the Holyhead side of Bangor's northern tunnel so I kept a tab open on my browser to realtime trains.  More often than not I only heard the sound of something going past, but at least I knew what it was.
 
Anyway, I noticed that some Voyagers from Euston only made it as far as Bangor.  Today, while waiting for offspring arriving from New York City via the midday train from Euston, I saw what happens.
 
WTT from: http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/advanced/BNG/2014/08/12/0600-2000?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt

WTT 1127 1128 London Euston 2 1D82 VT Terminates here
WTT Starts here 2 5D82 VT Bangor (Gwynedd)
WTT 1136 1135 Bangor (Gwynedd) 5D82 VT Terminates here
WTT 1138 1142 Cardiff Central 1W91 AW Holyhead
WTT Starts here 5A38 VT Bangor (Gwynedd)
 
As I got off the bus, the 1127 from Euston was pulling into the platform.  Thinking it was going on to Holyhead, I managed to grab a photo and then went for a coffee in the cafe.


 
When I came out, blow me, wasn't it parked outside on the Up through line. Bother! Missed the manouevre.

 

Oh, well, off I went to the other end to see what happens next...and wait....

 
And then the Cardiff DMU arrives.

 
At last, the Voyager makes a move - into the tunnel on the Down line
and then back out over the crossing

 
and into the Up platform.

 
And plenty of time to spare as the train I was waiting for (a 2-set Voyager) was a bit late.

Banda Feminina - that's girl band to you and me.

 

Polly

 

[andyram]

Good evening all - late on parade today as Amber struggled to sleep this evening and I was stuck in the bedroom for well over an hour trying to settle her. She had a less good day with the potty training too, wetting herself shortly after getting dressed. We went out for the day and decided to put her in the pull up type nappies. No luck with those either. At least she was back on form in the evening with no mishaps between arriving home and going to bed.

 The day took us out to the Great Central Railway for the "Teddy Bear" event. Quite busy today, busier than the day I worked last week. The loco for the day was the green 9F which looked quite smart in its pseudo "Evening Star" livery. Just a shame about the awful "Cromwell" nameplates it was wearing complete with the Cromwell tools logo. This company seem to be having a huge corporate influence on the railway, already branding the "Pullman" train. That looked like it was due out on a charter this evening and was being prepared in the loop. Interestingly the new mark 1 "veranda" carriage was attached to the rear - this is a converted mark 1 with the rear cut away to form an Americanised veranda. It did not look as bad as I feared, but I am sure that this vehicle is going to receive very mixed reviews.

 Amber enjoyed the day, especially the large teddy bear which was giving out sweets. She also enjoyed the sausage bap from the griddle car whilst we tucked into extremely enjoyable all day breakfasts. A pint of real ale each for Sarah and I was very nice on the second trip. The two return trips has pushed by summer steam hauled mileage up to just over 132 and there could be more to follow this week.

 Tomorrow I have promised to take Amber out for the day to give Sarah some time off. She wants to do some preparations for my birthday, I believe she is wanting to bake a cake. My dilemma is where to go. Churnet Valley has a Peppa Pig event and Butterley are running their seaside specials. The only trouble is I have a provisional arrangement to go to the Severn Valley with a mate on Thursday. Three railways in three days may be a bit excessive especially as I am going to Butteley for the Rail-ex on Saturday. Perhaps I could take Amber on the trams at Crich instead. Decisions, decisions.

[Ian Abel]

Evening all,

 

Safely back at home  (last night) after a superb holiday - as my facebook friends will have seen.

 

After driving around Germany and down to Dunkirk from West Germany it took me a matter of a few minutes to realise how bad the general driving is in the UK and how much lorries overtaking each other contribute to delays, the Autobahns we used were mostly 2 lane and traffic flowed freer than the M2 we were using, drivers moved over, used indicators and other complicated things like that.

 

Back to work tomorrow - deep joy.

B*ugg*er me that sounds AMAZING... drivers moving over??? and indicators you say??? I don't believe it, what an innovation!

 

Wonder if such concepts will ever make it to this side of the Atlantic, I BET if we could lobby to have them installed over here there'd be far less stupid driving seen on our roads! I always wondered if indicators were a very expensive option, especially on the BMWs/SUVs/soccer mom vehicles, appears they must be - apparently a good job Starbucks coffee cup holders aren't - ggggrrrrrr  

 

Oh, welcome back, glad you had a great holiday, take a deep breath for the return to work.

[bbishop]

Polly, rather a lot of tra1ns, you may be in receipt of a visitation from North East Wales.  By the by are you coming to Guildex at Telford next month?

 

Wrt Wales, second prom this year from the BBC Welsh orchestra; sadly both have been barely adequate.  Some very good individual performances, but they seem unable to work together as an ensemble.  A very underwhelming Sibelius 5.

 

Getting organised for a week in Prague and Dresden, including brief breaks in Köln (going), and Leipzig and Frankfurt (coming back).  All journeys by train, of course.

 

The computer will be in hock whilst I'm at Guildex.

 

Bill

[NGT6 1315]

After driving around Germany and down to Dunkirk from West Germany it took me a matter of a few minutes to realise how bad the general driving is in the UK and how much lorries overtaking each other contribute to delays, the Autobahns we used were mostly 2 lane and traffic flowed freer than the M2 we were using, drivers moved over, used indicators and other complicated things like that.

 

You really sure you were driving on a German autobahn?

[southern42]

Polly, rather a lot of tra1ns, you may be in receipt of a visitation from North East Wales.  By the by are you coming to Guildex at Telford next month?

 

[...................]

 

Bill

 

1.  There was a Warning.    You obviously didn't look away soon enough.  8)   

 

2.  Thanks for the invitation but I reckon we'll be getting Camel Quay ready for Warrington.  There's still lots to do.  Hope Guildex goes well, anyway.

 

Polly

[Jock67B]

Evening all,

Mal, I'm truly jealous of your locality when it comes to festival time - when I lived in Dunbar, we were able to take in quite a number of events. Drama, music, comedy, something for everyone in fact! Saw lots of the classic Scottish actors in the seventies.

Mark, funny how your local aged population is mirrored by the ones at Holland on Sea (where my last garage was) and Frinton on Sea - I'd rather drive in Central London where at least most people seem to know where they are going! Quite a few of my clients appeared to be rebuilding their cars panel by panel such was the number of times they managed to misjudge spaces! We also had one who did what Pete(Trisonic) mentioned and damaged eight cars in Tesco car park. He was grounded on the orders of the local constabulary. His own car was so badly damaged as to be a write off!

Debs and Ian are both right, Peugeot and Citroen are both owned by PSA who insist on the sharing of many parts, even to the extent of using the same body pan in some cases. Strange, but my mechanics often used to grumble that all parts such as water bottles were obviously bolted to the chassis before the engine was put in! Another problem on that subject arises in very cold weather, as the reservoirs tend to be a long way from the heat of the engine and are prone to freezing (under the wing is a common location!). We replaced hundreds of fuses each winter when unwary drivers attempted to use their washers - why I don't know as the water would probably freeze on the glass! Be warned and use double strength washer bottle anti-freeze.

Very tired now after completing the stripping and painting of the second patio chair - only four more to do. Still the Cumberland pie I cooked for dinner went down well. Good excuse for a drop more of the nightcap!

Can't believe we will shortly reach the hump again - 'tempus fugit'.

Kind regards all,

Jock.

[The Stationmaster]

The one which always got the mechanic who did my servicing was the Citroen ZX and the contemporary 30whatever from Peugeot - he said that once you had them up on a ramp you couldn't tell them apart looking up from underneath  My Peugeot 407 has the washer bottle right up under the front end of the wing - very convenient for filling and every winter it has a mixture of Halfords double strength screenwash antifreeze in it - sufficiently strong mixture to get light frost off the windscreen just by using the washers and wipers.

 

One of the less entertaining vehicles - in some ways but great to drive - was the Citroen GS on which they very obviously put the spark plugs in the engine before they put the engine in the car; a flat four engine with about 2" clearance between the plug and the wheel arch was interesting and the only way you could get the front end plugs out was using a socket set with a universal joint.  You soon learnt how to do it because if you didn't get a cold start absolutely right you tended to flood the engine and the only answer to that was to take the plugs out and dry them off - don't ask me how I know that!!

 

Edit to correct hitting wrong digit - thanks Ian!

Edited August 13, 2014 by The Stationmaster

[Jock67B]

Mike,

We're those the good old days?

Kind regards,

Jock.

Edited August 12, 2014 by Jock67B

[skipepsi]

Mike,

We're those the good old days?

Kind regards,

Jock.

No I still remember someome trying to weld his Citroen GS front end with the anti rust foam still in, a bucket of water from a more knowledgable person stopped him from gasing us all.

[NGT6 1315]

Morning all. I'm getting too old for social gatherings lasting well into the night!

[Robert]

Morning All,

 

It is a nice sunny morning here, but more chilly than of late.  I wonder if we are starting to see the first signs of Autumn?!?

 

Last night, the garage door gave up the ghost at last.  It has been living on borrowed time for the last ten years, but yesterday evening, I couldn't get it open. 

 

Tug - nothing

Big tug - nothing

Huge tug - rip... and the next thing I know, I am laying on my back in the drive with the handle in my hand.

 

It must have looked funny if anyone was watching - but it wasn't so at the time!

 

The next hour was spent getting the door open, performing a temporary repair, and avoiding mosquitoes.

 

The mechanism has disintegrated inside, so I think the time has come to get a quote for a replacement!  It is amazingly heavy anyway - being made of steel.

 

Have a good day everyone....

Edited August 13, 2014 by Robert

[Pete 75C]

Tug - nothing

Big tug - nothing

Huge tug - rip... and the next thing I know, I am laying on my back in the drive with the handle in my hand.

 

That almost got a "Funny" rating but I'm not so cruel...

*Chuckle*

[The Lurker]

Morning all, from a sunny Borough Market Junction. A few clouds here now but very blue as I walked down the hill to the station this morning, the parakeets screeched above me on their way to their daytime feeding grounds and the birds of prey were noisy above Marlowe House. The train got held up on the way in!

 

Last day at work for a couple of weeks, so lots to do / put in place to keep the boss happy and to ensure the spreadsheet king doesn't mire himself in a million sidetracks in the pursuit of the perfect spreadsheet, when all we want him to do is think, himelf, about the general output and what it means, and not automate it.

 

The family went to my parents yesterday and came back with a copy of a draft will which as executor I'm supposed to understand. Fortunately I get the general drift and I think I understand what he intends and interpreting the complicated bits are what solicitors are for. On the other hand his mother, my grandma, lived to 99 and his grandfather to 95, so I suspect I have a good 20+ years before I worry about all that.

 

I once filled up a car washer bottle with just water. It formed a gel with the stuff (technical term) that was in there and blocked it all up. 3 series BMWs become expensive in that sort of situation. I'm not a mechanically minded person at all; I can only look at posts in admiration or jealousy, knowing I would only make matters worse if I tried. Right, on with the day. I may pop back in later before I see a friend for a beer or three but otherwise will probably see you all after the bank holiday as I rarely if ever log in at home!

[travelintrev]

Good morning all,  

 

So far three days of "WAFB"*   --- to complicate matters internet at home has been  cr**  too so no chance to play catch-up I'm afraid. 

 

Still it's 'ump day  and only 9 days till I'm outa here!

 

Try and behave today,

 

Trev.

 

*West Africa Fights Back

[DonBradley]

It's supposed to be a cloudy/rainy day today and the clouds are very present but no sign of rain so far.

 

We had another bacon and egg supper last night. Both bacon and egg were cooked to perfection, no mean feat when you consider they were pre-cooked or 40+ people.  Served on time. A well done to the staff

 

Peace continues to reign at our table!

[PhilJ W]

Evening all,

 

Safely back at home  (last night) after a superb holiday - as my facebook friends will have seen.

 

After driving around Germany and down to Dunkirk from West Germany it took me a matter of a few minutes to realise how bad the general driving is in the UK and how much lorries overtaking each other contribute to delays, the Autobahns we used were mostly 2 lane and traffic flowed freer than the M2 we were using, drivers moved over, used indicators and other complicated things like that.

 

Back to work tomorrow - deep joy.

The German driving test is a toughie, and if a new driver breaks any but the most minor rules they have to take another test.

[southern42]

Morning all. I'm getting too old for social gatherings lasting well into the night!

 

I've always been too old for late night gatherings.  

[NGT6 1315]

Well, the womenfolk will be AFH for a day of shopping and other such mesmerising things, so I'll see to continuing tweaking...

 

 

...the recently-completed pair of HVLE 185s which in due course will be re-lettered to represent the pair of 185 640 and 641 permanently allocated to the Rübeland line.

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

Blue skies & sunshine - should stay that way all day.

After thinking about starting clearing out the loft yesterday I had a look and then thought better of it. I'm going to have another look and probably think better of it today!  Son has offered to give me hand with it on Saturday which is good because there's some of his "stuff" up there.

Daughter & family arrived safely at their holiday apartment in Menorca and we've already had some photos thanks to the wonders of technology.

Have a good one,

Bob.

[grandadbob]

Dominik - what are the shelving units etc that you use to display your models?

[southern42]

Good morning all.

 

Sitting in the dark wondering if I really should get up and put put the light on or just take the sunglasses off.       Blanket of dark clouds for miles and raining yonder.  Cancel that.  Raining here.

 

Hope you have a good day but, if you don't, remember that many a lost battle is made out to be a victory by the losing side.

 

Polly

[Robert]

That almost got a "Funny" rating but I'm not so cruel...

*Chuckle*

 

It's Ok Pete - it was funny after the event.  Just not at the time.

 

My wife laughed when she saw me coming through the front door with the garage door handle in my hand, and an "extremely grumpy look" on my face.

 

I reckon the neighbours probably learned a few English words they didn't know as well!

[skipepsi]

Morning all, Dom if you are too old for late nights/ early mornings where does that leave me? The three young adults AKA children think 1.00 am is going to bed early. Sunny day here and the bin men have been so life plods on for it is results day tomorrow...... Last one DD2 so once she is resolved calm will return until actually starting uni gets into full swing and panic returns. I remember starting at Liverpool Polytechnic with what I could carry not how much stuff can I get in a C4 Picasso will it be enough.Happy hump day Y'all.