big jim

My holiday inn loyalty points are stacking up nicely!

Any use?

Erm...blue ones? Seriously, not a clue, there were a pair parked up on Leicester LIP this evening though and at a glance one was a mk1 and the other a mk2 so not this pair the working was a doncaster wabtec to Leicester move

Out of interest Hattons have the 2019 Bachmann 66s listed at £125(ish) is that the new RRP or price after discount, I can’t find any definitive info anywhere to what the actual RRP is

Catch up time Mountsorrel on Monday, time in the loop at Leicester so grabbed some pics, was getting a bit dark so some are blurry Tuesday iport Wednesday mountsorrel again, should have been a nice little Leicester to mountsorrel and back to Landor st but a driver went sick in the morning so I had to go to Doncaster for it, then while loading at the quarry I found out the relief driver had gone sick too so I ended up taking it to banbury Where I’m currently sat waiting for a train back to Birmingham and into a hotel for the night ready for another mountsorrel job in the afternoon

Time to roll this out.... https://youtu.be/sXQkXXBqj_U From One of the best episodes of South Park in recent years in my opinion

I believe there is one lurking in Eastleigh works under cover while it awaits overhauled bogies

‘Gammon’ is one I don’t understand? Snowflake I read as someone who takes offence at the slightest thing and has a meltdown

And a 47

having a couple of extra locos based in the midlands is no bad thing incase any "heavy haulers" are needed elsewhere i've snipped the info below from WNXX from the bloke who pretty much sorted the deal so people can see the reasoning/background behind the plan........... GBRf, the Class 50 Alliance and the Severn Valley Railway have been industry friends for some time, more-so than just sending a loco to a diesel gala. There have been exchanges of knowledge, facilities and resources for the benefit of all parties, keeping costs down and maximising benefits for all. It is fair to say that this partnership has cultivated a number of personal long-term friendships too, but more than anything, there is a strong trust between the three parties. For me, whilst not wishing to belittle the efforts of other preservation groups, the SVR and C50A have some real forward-thinking leadership which doesn’t just think about how they are going to pay for the coal for this summers steam service, but thinks about how it is developing the next generation of enthusiast, and how we might just keep these fine machines running for decades to come, and not just the next few years. For GBRf, having easy access to the Severn Valley/Class 50 Alliance also allows other benefits too. The locos are genuinely useful 100mph ETH machines and the valley provides a relatively sterile environment for staff events, customer days, and all the other good things the business likes to do. In 2018 my gaffer and I were invited to the Class Fifty Celebration weekend and went to the evening presentation about all things 50s at Kidderminster. During Gus Dunster’s speech about how some of the previous wacky liveries had come about, he explained that painting the locos was not just about appearance, but that the paint job, if done properly, also provides vital protection from the elements and preserves the loco for longer. Unfortunately though, it is expensive, and as Gus explained, if anyone wants to stump up the cash to paint one, it would allow the Alliance to spend their money on other things. There was an immediate knowing nod between the gaffer and I, and it’s probably fair to say that the deal was 75% done before we even got home. I can genuinely understand some views that it “isn’t authentic” but I think for all parties, this is hugely positive, it cements the relationship, it raises eyebrows, it gets people talking and passionate, and it helps fund other work. And the reality is that they will at some point in the future return to authentic colours, but for now let’s celebrate that these locos clearly have a bright future. I look forward to seeing them plying their trade for a long time to come. Lastly, it’s interesting to see that GBRf’s Facebook post has (after just 6.5 hours) reached 16500 people. There have been 923 “reactions” to the post. Of those, 740 “likes”, 74 “wows”, 71 “loves”, 27 “hahas”, and just 8 “sads” and 5 “angrys”. Fascinating. now where has that marcus37 gone i need a refresh on class 1 working and a conversion course to class 50's doing!

They are going to be working for GBRf though, spot hire jobs, ecs moves etc

I’m up for tornado in GBRf livery! Is don’t see an issue, It’s no different than the likes of DRS, Colas, europhoenix etc painting their 37s in corporate colours, they are ‘heritage’ locos but are also working machines out earning a living and an income for their owners It’s a shame that a lick of paint on the side of a loco will prevent you going out to see them, what happens if they are working at the SVR on a day you plan to visit will you still visit or will it be......

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_sketch (9 years before I was born)

You just need a really short figure now and you could recreate the ‘i look up to him....” sketch from ‘that was the week that was’ I know my place

Looking at the weatherspoons boss I think it would be more of an ecumenical matter He’s the one on the right....no left.......right

just been watching that episode (assuming its the one filmed in california) and its not as horrendous as i was expecting, they were replacing the waterpump (which ive got a reciept for and was done just before it got parked up) and they replaced lots of pipes, HT leads etc, really the service is pretty basic stuff (oli, filter, plugs etc) but the supercharger bit is obviously the biggest part of it i know that the sequences on the screen are bitesized but to get to the supercharger isnt a massive job once the bumper and slam panel is removed (thats just 12 bolts) and the radiator is dropped out of the way, and what needs doing to the charger again is pretty basic, general inspection, 125ml of oil, gasket etc, a service kit can be bought off ebay for around £50, i may well have a look at doing that myself over the summer the main thing is actually getting it in for the MOT and seeing what basic stuff it needs first

Just seen that on WNXX, had to check the date too! Now all I need is that Marcus37 to run a traction conversion course

he went missing this morning! wife had the house upside down looking for him, 3 hours later while she was on the phone to me upset he reappeared sat under the side table in the conservatory looking a bit shaky she says he seems to have taken a backward step in that he suddenly went very untrusting and he even hissed at my wife, i think he may have climbed in or behind somewhere while exploring the house and panicked (had a flashback as it were!) he still cant get up stairs, or certainly not tried it in front of us anyway so he must have been somewhere on the ground floor, its a mystery? not touched his food since either but back in his favourite place by the radiator

Continuing my ‘selfish’ things that make you smile, this has today, been working my balls off and decided to treat myself to a new car, after the 5L phaeton became unviable fuel and repair wise I ended up back in November with an £1100 mini convertible 1.6 which I’ve been slowly modifying (looks wise) and having an absolute scream in as its such good fun to drive and bits can be bought cheaply for it anyway bought some side skirts the other week from a guy on a farm near Wolverhampton and sat on his drive was a Mini Cooper s which he said he son had been using but couldn’t afford to insure, I jokingly said if he wanted shut I’d have it off him as it was out of MOT Forward a week and I’ve ended up buying it off him, I like to think of it as a bit of a barn find as since the last MOT it’s done 16 miles and the year previous 25 miles, it’s 16 years old with 96k on the clock, obviously I’ve got to get it MOT’d myself but I’m seeing this one as a bitbif a project car, to my untrained eye it needs the brakes cleaning off obviously after 2 years of no use but it started first time, changed gears ok, super charger appears to be in fine fettle, no oil leaks etc, cost me £1200 which I’m more than happy with

west coast 37 and coaches for me, possibly colas 37521 as ive driven it a few times, definatly going for 'the wasp' 66413 i think ill see what the reception is like for the hattons 66s before i decide to go with Bachmann or hattons for 66789, im more than happy with my current Bachmann 66s so should the hattons ones 'have issues' i now have a time proven alternative

Some from today, possession at ancaster near Grantham working as site driver Signal box, 3 gbrf trains on site this morning And that was that, mountsorrel again tomorrow

Well the loco is count Louis, ex fairbourne railway loco The banner behind appears to read Newcastle exhibition and the other one an advert for Newcastle brown ale

All systems go again for next week, I’ve called in a professional plasterer as time is against me to get it all finished by early March to avoid paying for an extension to the building regs fees and my mates and my rest days don’t really align to get him over and finish the job So week after this the plastering should be done throughout, 2 days work including tidying up what’s already been done (and doing an extra patch up job in the house too) then I can get the electrician back the week after for the final fit then see about getting the job signed off as the council are happy with the floor as it is (but I will be further insulating it anyway) Hopefully end of January we should see it habitable I’ve also got a nice little finishing touch for the window regards security!

I still think they should do an unpowered version for those of us who want to model it being hauled by class 20s or 66s with barrier wagons Had I not been skint last month I’d have had one of the sets in the sale to put to one side for when the layout is rebuilt and de-motorised it ready