big jim

Here it is ERTMS fitted on a train of auto ballasters off the Cambrian, it has to be the inside loco as the hitachi system isn’t authorised for use pic from Flickr

There are rules regarding the depth of flood water you can pass through in relation to the rail top locos are allocated to jobs by control and I can drive whatever I am passed out on, I work for GBRf but for the network rail trains we are subcontracted to work we have to use colas class 37s And DBSO’s, I used to drive them at colas so can drive them for GB, similarly class 56 and 47, I’ve even driven 70s for colas while working for GBRf, I’m lucky that as I shunt bescot I can get on various traction to keep them in date such as the 70 or 67 anyway, one from today, got asked to work a train into Kineton, met it at didcot and worked it into the site and back out to Leamington, should have been to crewe but the other driver never got the message I was working it through and travelled from his home in Winsford (10 miles from crewe) all the way to Leamington to relieve me! 66701 in didcot

Just one from last night, short engineers train from bescot to oxley, 5 coalfish wagons, once complete, out to codsall and awaited relief awful drive back, the road into Bescot yard was flooded, only just got through with the mini!

I got a set from the Dapol shop a few years back when they were selling them off because of a very slight livery error, if I remember right I gave about £90 for the set I had so much hassle trying to get them to stay on the track with the pi$$ poor coupling system I ended up modifying them with Roco loop couplings before getting totally fed up with them and flogging them on, (wish I hadn’t now though)

No, I got back there at 08:00, home in bed by 10!

Last night was hither green to derby via the ECML with a turn at toton hither green ready to depart Orpington Toton and away to derby to the RTC and home, ballast tonight at cosford

These are the valentines cards I got for my wife today.... one from me and one from the cat....

before anyone goes to the trouble of fitting a working spotlight to ‘biffa’ when it turns up, its disconnected! the other thing noted by classy is a GPS ariel, one end only, looking through my pics all GBRf ex EWS 66 i’ve drive have them

Only a few from tonight, got to the depot to find out the driver signs class 37 and DBSO and was happy to take the train himself all night so I did the brake test, had a ride out to Victoria for the fun of it and went back to the hotel hither green Change ends at orpington into Victoria and that was me, gone!

Some from last night hither green Leg stretch at Bo peep Jn Hastings eastbourne Over to Brighton Out to Seaham, by now it was really starting to rain! Back to wivelsfiled Back to eastbourne Hastings again And finally back into hither green

I’ll just leave this here for you

Had a day to myself today so went into the west end to see a matinee show, decided to have an adventure getting there though as I had plenty of time greenwich Where I caught the DLR to bank sat at the front so i could pretend to be a train driver I then caught the Waterloo and city back over to waterloo Then a bus to the west end, saw ‘everybody’s talking about Jamie’ which was brilliant, went back and had a kip and now off to higher green to get the train ready

I’m only on board to conduct the traction but the route is as below if that’s of any use to work out where the heck I’m going! https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/H40871/2020-02-12/detailed tomorrow will be of more interest to you as we are west of Brighton https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/H40912/2020-02-13/detailed

Nice view from the hotel, I can do some train spotting on the mainline and DLR

The flats are those EWS linked sets, I think the train started at longtown, not sure I got the train ran round and sat in the reception siding at fenny Compton until my relief came

And the 2nd bit, MOD to fenny Compton, they let me run early to minimise delays as it was diverted via nuneaton and Coventry, made it to fenny nearly 2 1/2 hours early! basford hall with 66710

part one of tonight’s job done, as suspected I was asked to come in early and take the cement back south via the Cannock chase line to bescot where it ran round before heading off via Sutton park to Bristol basford hall popped back home for a couple of hours before heading back to basford hall later to work the MOD to Leamington spa! nice easy day tomorrow travelling down to lodge in Greenwich ready for the IM job along the south coast

Made it off site with my train no problems last night and back into crewe basford hall where I collected 66720 for a trip back to bescot Unfortunately the trip south was a bit more of a pain, the line between Stafford and Wolverhampton was blocked, and likely to be until tomorrow due to ohle damage so I had to go to wcml to nuneaton, and down to Coventry where I changed ends then went back through international to stetchford, over to Aston and into bescot Coventry Bescot I then discovered I didn’t have a hire car the re as booked but I knew there was one in hednesford so I got a taxi there to collect it, as I was waiting for the taxi I got a call from control, could I take the Clitheroe cement to crewe via a diversionary route as the driver only signs the one main route via penkridge, had a think about how to get there from saltley without a change end move and came up with a trip via Wolverhampton and shrewsbury To crewe which luckily was open! picked up the hire car, headed back to Walsall and by pure chance pulled into the station car park as the cement train pulled into the platform! driver got off and took the car to crewe and I went there with the train via shrewsbury, taking pretty much 2 hours as opposed to the hour it would take via stafford 66789 leading a rake of 4 wheel cement wagons, first time I’ve actually worked those as it’s normally the JGAs I take supposedly on an MOD tonight but I’ve got a feeling I may well be asked to take a train or two via various diversion routes from crewe south

Unfortunately it will be at night but I am tempted to maybe pop down there during the day for a look

Some from last night, poor shot at bescot of the engineers trains lined up to leave my train on the left with 66720 and this morning at Hednesford Having had the empty wagons filled with spoil from the drainage work being done and the train behind with building and drainage materials in, the work looks to involve installing pipe work in the 6ft, no tracks have been disturbed or lifted back there tonight to take a train off site to crewe then take the 3 locos back to bescot light engine busy week next week, should have been a week of rest days but have ended up with an MOD on Monday night then a week working out of hither green depot traction conducting on the class 37 and DBSO to Hastings, Eastbourne, Bognor, Brighton, Seaford etc as I did a few months back, should be an interesting week

neither Of those for the role I’ve gone for but never say never

Only a couple of pics from today pendolino in crewe and an S stock train in Euston square had a good meeting, should things go to plan then I’ll be learning 92s amongst other things, will have to wait and see

Yet more mocking up this evening and a few changes of ideas to make things more interesting first up was having a look at this beast, got it off eBay, not cheap but looks the dogs! a laser cut “ironbridge” the main part clips together and there are cross members below deck to glue in place but even without it looks impressive, will look superb once finished and painted up I’ve got to put 2 sides down the lower section with a small plenty for the bridge to stand on then the ‘modelled’ valley sides will be where the wood is in this picture with the bridge embedded in the valley side I got a nice offcut of wood from B&Q earlier that is ideal for the high level on the town side, I was thinking about the layout the other night and I thought I’ve got this nice multi level town going in and no station whereas the other side of the layout has a station and no visible town so I’ve made a bit more room with provision for a small station as mocked up by the wood batons Instead of the retaining walls I’m going to have a natural rocky outcrop up to the town and down to the low level I Amy even have a go at my original idea of Having the road behind the station on an incline, as shown here with Bachmann risers below the ply Quite near the bottom on the left and a lot higher up at the other end! I then went back to the narrow gauge and mill area, again I was thinking about it the other day and came up with a different idea, basically a balloon loop The upper baseboard Will sit on risers and the track can head off on that to the right over a bridge and into the mill, continue round in a big circle and come back down the hill over the mainline (which will most likely be in a short tunnel) and through the Set of points (with a reverse loop module) a bit easier to picture on this shot if you fill the gaps in! where the 2 lines run parallel I could put an island platform between them and points at the top so trains can run either way round the loop to and from the mill I may once I cut the board have room for a small loco shed and sidings

Nothing spectacular, just a meeting to see how one of my existing competencies can be utilised

I have been quite lucky to have driven to Lowestoft A few times from both Norwich and Ipswich directions with IM trains, some of the old semaphores around Lowestoft and oulton broad were a right pain to see at night! Shame to see them go but that’s progress!