big jim

Only one from last night, possession at bloxwich, waiting to leave and head for crewe basford hall just about to head off for Oxford to collect 37254 again and work it back to derby

Some from today, first up showing someone round bescot Class 56 and 70 waiting to head to Doncaster, one of my former colas trainees driving Walking past the ballast siding, spotted this in the stones, an old walkers crisp packet, best before end April 1992 on the back! Imagine all the stuff that would have witnessed around bescot back then Then over to Leicester to wait for our loco to come in 1/2 through the run round in humberstone road, note the new track alignment and the removal of the fox st sidings HST in the platform Cement train to hope And my loco which can now run into the platform instead of fox st without disrupting the main line Flashy new London Underground wagons? And back on the train In humberstone road and that was it as it went dark Possession tomorrow night on the Cannock chase line

PIBS having a sleep last night, he was out for the count! PIBS = puss in boots, which is what his last owner named him!

It’s open again now but in normally park my car at the bottom left of that picture so glad I didn’t that night funny how it’s never normally suffered that bad and in the last 12 months all the fields around the edge of the yard have been built on with warehouses and housing right Upto the boundary fence

Faye helping me with the car earlier today

I bought a base plate that used the original runners, I actually ended up buying a spare set of shoddy seats that I cannibalised instead of damaging the good seats from the car as I needed to angle grind a couple of brackets off

Some from last night, derby to Marylebone and back to west ruislip derby 97 departing with another service Changing ends Stopped in princes risborough for an op stop, lovely 08 lurking on the chinnor railway Marylebone West ruislip we then took a van to willesden jn and got a train into euston, travelled on a new(ish) 710 unit that’s me until tomorrow, mountsorrel Stone train

My dad managed a better pic of the 230 unit than I did!

Some from today, crewe to EMG crewe and stabled at EMG to get an idea of the size of the place this is the public view (from the passenger seat of the van) of the site coming from the airport, it’s barely noticeable from certain angles then as you get further along the road you can see the unloading lines, my train is on the nearest and that is 18 wagons long (2000ish ft) with plenty of room to spare at the end of each road

Mike the mainecoon used to ‘chat’ to the new fosters when they arrived in the house, I’d love to know what he was saying to them as they all respected him as the alpha male, one old boy did try it on to be the alpha only to be held down by him with one paw while he carried on eating!

Well she has finally gone to her forever home, Faye went out to say goodbye to her too! I can just imagine what she was saying to her - “Be good & polite & don’t forget, if it doesn’t work out you get yourself back here, okay?”

Should have been day off but got a call while running my lad to work, can you conduct a train through crewe station in about 45 mins! Home and a quick change to my boots, down to basford hall jn to jump on it line side and take it to sandbach where the driver took back over back in tomorrow to east mids gateway then a varied week including class 37 derby to Marylebone and Ferme park on Monday night then Mountsorrel, possessions at bourneville and bloxwich then another 37 Oxford to derby, then the week after passing out on 196 units

Some from today, coton hill Stone train coleshill parkway shrewsbury rhis was the only view I managed to get of one of TFW class 230 units passing by, tried for a video but just as it passed a 150 unit went the other way blocking my view! and back in coleshill

And the folly in place with a further modified tunnel entrance, removed the rear steps and lined it up with a curtain wall piece and with the rest of the castle in view

Hopefully this little lady may have a new home by the end of the week, the new owner is waiting on a few bits arriving from pets at home so she can settle as soon as she gets there as for this one, he was neutered yesterday, did the operation and anesthetic have any after effects, nope, still as nutty as ever, chases Hank round the house and jumps out on him like kato from the pink panther films, he’s really rough with him as well, despite Hank being bigger he’s often the loser in their battles, they do make up afterwards though and settle down for a kip together! He’s now pretty much ready to be put up for adoption

Couldn’t be bothered with pics today but did get these while waiting in the loop at gresty lane, couple of 68s heading into the drs depot currently fighting my way back to crewe from Bicester but I’ve heard the line is shut between Stafford and crewe

Only one pic from yesterday, Iport and back change of job today, off to Donnington to rescue the train we left there on Monday and take it to Bicester

I think the loco is sat on the EMR line and the nearest one is just a dead end, can’t remember off hand

Some from today, should have been shrewsbury to telford then back to bescot but an issue meant the departure never happened relieved the train on the triangle in shrewsbury 175 heading for cardiff Shrewsbury Severn bridge Signal box having a lot of work done at the moment 175 heading into the station With a 170 heading to birmingham My train arriving Ready for departure and set back awaiting shutting down Tomorrow will be either going back for that train or Iport!

Finally swapped the cardboard template for wood and placed the castle on top, also the slightly lower area where the 009 gauge lien will swoop round you can see in the above picture 2 bits of wall sticking out from the main castle walls, I’ve got to cut the edge of the higher board back a bit so the extra wall is sitting on the lower board where they will be replaced by this, a tower with a passage through the wall for the narrow gauge tracks ive made it from the ‘gate house’ kit, one side basically made normally but the other (and centre part) are scratch built using components of the gate house Then with the bits I had left over I made an ornate tunnel entrance, the box is the spare towers strengthening box Don’t even know if I can use it yet but hopefully I can!

Spent a few hours making a Metcalfe kit with a little friend sat on my shoulder! Quite happy purring away taking it all in! going to be gutted when this little fella gets adopted!

We’re you on that job mon to wed last week as I was in Tyseley dojng 196s and saw it running round a couple of times I’ve known you on here for a good 15 years, we sign a lot of the same places, have mutual work colleagues but have never actually met!

Nice little job tonight, landor st to Doncaster light engine Ews 66 in Saltley and my loco in a snowy Doncaster possession tomorrow night in Sheffield, out of toton this time though

yes thats the website, thanks for putting up the link, been a bit busy today to manage it myself if you dont want to donate via the paypal link on the website you can do it by BACS, contact me for details as some have already done, thank you those who have