big jim

The time has come to admit defeat with the blue cooper S, started misfiring when cold yesterday so took it I’ve too my mate who after a compression test confirmed the head gasket had gone on it, thankfully caught it quite early so not a complete disaster, no warped head or anything, anyway to repair that combined with work I was looking at having done renewing the big end shells, sump gasket etc the bill was going to come in at 4 figures so I’ve decided to get the bare minimum done to be able to sell it on as a working car and get shut of it I’ve already provisionally got myself a replacement from my mate, an 06 plate cooper S, so 3 years newer with a factory fitted LSD, new clutch and pretty much an engine strip by him fully documented with the work he has done, for the asking price he is going to swap all the performance bits off my blue one onto it, exhaust, manifold, intercooler, coil pack, leads, coilivers, wheels etc and swap those bits to the blue car for me to sell on, unfortunately the cost of the car means I’ve also got to sell the convertible to cover it but that’s something I’ve been pondering for a while anyway, this is the final justification for doing so, still reluctantly though! Hopefully all being well this is the new one (I’ve already unbolted the G wing spoiler off the blue one to try on it!)

Some from last night, light engine crewe to Leamington spa where it went onward to kineton after over 2 years with GB I finally managed to get on one of the royal Scotsman 66s! And into leamington trafford park tonight passing someone out on the route with @Marcus 37

Jury duty is over, not required this week so can go back to work and they didn’t mess about finding me something to do! covered a couple of sickness’ first up a trip landor st to Leicester landor st humberstone road GBRF 47 with an anglia unit heading for old Dalby This caught me by surprise as I was talking to the driver on the 47 Steel train Ex Lner HST Rear 47 Then later in the evening it was over to nuneaton to work a train to hams hall class 172 unit 66771 And that was that, back in later for a crewe to leamington spa job

Thanks for that extra discount code, DCR 56 heading this way for £96

Joined up the crossings to the mainline track Might not look like much but the lights in the 66 mean I have power to the track, just one line at the minute but ready to solder other wires to the other lines to get the whole lot live And a quick question, I’ve put insulated fishplates on both rails at the V’s of the double slip as shown by the red arrows, do I need 2 in each V or indeed any as it looks to me the toe of the V is insulated, as it stands now is the V totally isolated as the class 66 I’m using to test comes to a stop if driven slowly onto the slip, it will glide over without losing power as I think it just bridges the dead bit (it’s a peco code 75 double slip)

Hank is a bit miffed that Faye got to my new trainer box first

Ordered the 66 set this afternoon, gone for DCC decoder with it as I will be using it on the layout They still have the 1P available to order, I was tempted for the heritage line on my layout but managed to resist

Just one from today, had to walk someone round basford hall before they sign off the route, while we were there a TPE 68 came in with some stock for storage which it deposited before heading off to gresty lane

Our youngest is off today as someone in his year group has tested positive, we will know later if he is back tomorrow, I can only assume he is if it’s someone in another class?

Perhaps he’s related to lynrd syknrd

One for @russ p maybe, got followed by an R reg maestro yesterday, would that have been one of the post rover models you could buy as a kit?

Just a couple from last night, RHTT Birmingham international to kings norton voyager loco swap at one end this week, 66718 this time

Went back in the garage to look for something else and found the lenz supply, wired up and working nicely so that means I can now crack on wiring up all the lines I’ve fixed down

So much for going back in the garage and cracking on, I can’t find the power supply for the lenz 100 anywhere! i have a maplin regulated DC supply (13v) that I tried instead but as soon as I put a loco on a short length of track on the incline it shorts out, put a Bachmann analog controller On the same piece of track and trains will run so it’s not a track short, any thoughts? I might go and get the class 70 in the house in a min and get that done

It’s Quite lidderally a ‘Bachmann train I sometimes drive’ Mate LETS ROCK!

I’m going to try and have another day in there tomorrow, maybe get the hinges section done, possibly start wiring up the track feed around the crossings etc im really annoyed as I got a tillig standard gauge/narrow gauge crossing track about 6 months ago that I can’t find anywhere, without it I can’t get the narrow gauge line the right side of the standard gauge before it combines over the viaduct, I’m loathed to buy another as I will no doubt find the original once I get a replacement agreed, I really should finish the mini class 70

the MTU engines have to be preheated before starting them up, if you don’t then they can only be started 3 times (in their lifetime) without preheat before the engine has to be stripped and examined!

anyway back to the thread in question! i knew about the Bachmann 66 a while back through work but not how it would be presented, as in collectors club pack, i still bought the Hornby one though to do my bit for charidddy mate but had been expecting this next year maybe i didnt realise this thread had been going since tuesday so have only just found out about it oficially so im hoping its not sold out so i can get an order in on monday,(cant remember my log in details to do it on line) i also thought my membership had run out so was all set to add the renewal cost in to the price but as i went downstairs i spotted the postman had been and my Bachmann club mag and calender had dropped through the door minutes earlier with a renewal date of the end of november on the envelope lets hope im not too late

I knew a Wayne Kerr, Michael Hunt, and Chris peacock the butcher where my son works is owned by A. Cornes it took us about 3 weeks for us to spot that one on the sign

Some from today’s trip home from Chester 175 unit chester station with its missing part of platform canopy following a crash back in the 1970s https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester_General_rail_crash voyager Different livery 175 units

only a little job but one That is quite important, set up the diamond crossing matrix on the lower level where both pair of lines are on the same level, adding this means trains can stay on the lower level of tracks hopefully I’ve got the right rails insulated so when I get power it won’t short out, I will be powering the rails from both sides of the crossover And once that’s working I can then look at getting the doorway section track glued down and Lined up

Could it be anyone else?

This may not be anything to do with pylons but I pass this when running Dominic to work, however saw an electricity company van outside it the other day id just like to know what it is? It appears to have some sort of generator out back and an electricity pole in its vicinity, I did think it was maybe something to do with the ROC as hack green bunker isn’t far away but I can’t see any reference to it being military on various sites Dropped pin Near Hatherton, Nantwich https://goo.gl/maps/9LvYoXEUz9w6BSgWA

Chester model centre, a good half dozen or so DRS BSOs on the shelf £31.49 Each (and Lots of various network rail coaches too) as of tomorrow’s lockdown they will be doing click and collect and mail order

The hardest part is balancing the train on the rails! one from today while travelling back from Chester to crewe bahamas departing for keighley