big jim

Washwood heath panel were fantastic on Christmas Eve, my loco was 3 hours late and I asked very nicely if I could sneak out in front of the Leicester stopper as I needed to get a train home from nuneaton so needed to be in front of it and fair do’s they let me run about 10 mins in front of it out of Landor st, it never caught me up! Couple of random railway related pics from our weekend away in london, had a trip up the shard on the Saturday, lovely clear day luckily

I put down to work today but didn’t get a job this year I enjoy working Christmas Day evening normally, home in the day to see the kids open their prezzies, Christmas dinner, a sleep then a drive to say london for a possession or working a train back to somewhere or other GB don’t do as many possessions as Colas hence no job, first time in 4 years I’ve not worked, was out of old oak/Greenford the last 3 years

Just a few from today, quick loco move Landor st to nuneaton, should have been Leicester but it was 3 hours late Freightliner backing into Landor st 170 unit passing by Arty shot And into nuneaton That’s yer lot til the end of the week, happy Christmas

Picked up the bala branch book for my Dad today from Ian Allen for Christmas, let him open it earlier as I won’t see him tomorrow and he’s absolutely made up with it, he says he knows one of the co authors, Martin so will get him to sign it for him I only just happened to spot it as I was walking out of the shop, glad I stopped and picked it up

Up at 5 to get to get the train to new st at 6 then work a light loco Landor st to Leicester only to find out when I got to brum it hadn’t left avonmouth yet! Anyway it has left now (180 mins late) and after an hour and a half dozing in and out of sleep on a seat in the blue lounge in new st I’m about to head to Landor st to go and meet it for a now shortened run to nuneaton where I can get relief and catch a train straight back up the wcml to avoid Birmingham on the return That’s me then til Friday and an Iport job

Just one from this morning, same train south crewe to Hinksey where we ran round and back out to oxford

just 3 from today, oxford to crewe IEP chiltern 168 and into crewe, 66712 up front

When I learned Holyhead back in 2002 there were a coiple if bulk bags of ballast on the line side that was used as a breaking point for bodorgan on the up line, known as ‘snellys bag’ after the driver who told me to use it as a breaking point Roll on 16 years, the last time I worked a train over there back in July they were still there in a rather weather worn state! Going back to Robert shrives comments above I also had a job earlier in the year to collect used track panels from a relay Job on the Cambrian that got cancelled last minute so the panels are still sat in manageable chunks lineside waiting for the job to be rearranged, it was that last minute that we were sat at Aberystwyth on the loco when it was cancelled The line between clitheroe and hellifield also has CWR laid in the 4ft from a cancelled relay job, been there about 10-15 years apparently, makes me wonder whether it’s still within spec to use should the relay job re restarted?

dunno if you have been watching ebay this evening but a 66614 'poppy' has just gone for £105 from a private seller with only 1 bidder, so £95 after the 10% off!

just watched Bachmann rails of sheffield ltd ed freightliner 66 "poppy" go for £105, combined with the 10% off someone has just got it for £95! was tempted to bid but as ive bought the other rails ltd ed maritime 66 i couldnt really afford it on top of christmas etc, wonder if this is the shape of things to come with Bachmann 66s now hattons are doing their super douper one, (i picked up an unused EWS one for £68 yesterday) https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bachnann-32-726X-Class-66-66614-Poppy-in-Freightliner-DCC-Ready-BARGAIN/254022265265?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131017132637%26meid%3D315d95e20e9d4c9d8ee28f014eb67f59%26pid%3D100033%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D8%26mehot%3Des%26sd%3D254022265265%26itm%3D254022265265&_trksid=p2045573.c100033.m2042&autorefresh=true the 3 bids are all from the same peron, no doubt making sure they dont get outbid (which obviously they didnt!)

Bachmann EWS 66 for £68 after the 10% discount code added, happy with that, got it to respray into BIFFA livery when i get the chance in the new year

i did see you wave at the last minute and commented to my trainee that i reconed it was you! nice picture

It doesn’t really help with the item you have already paid for though! (I’m in the same boat with one of my purchases today, should have had £5 off but got nothing) Anyway used the code on a 2nd purchase and got a Bachmann EWS 66 for £65, happy with that Hopefully we can get some bargains posted up again soon!

Yeah it arrived earlier in the week, looks nice Anyway some pics from today, 66711 again Coleshill Running round in iport We had to run a wagon set back to Roberts road for maintenance where 66789 was also sat And loco to the shed where another unique livery 66 was waiting, 66720 this time Annual leave next week but in for a couple of jobs to help out

i got it via their ebay store with a 10% off code which just so happens to be running again this weekend too so if you want one get on ebay and grab one before midnight sunday and use code PINCHME https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bachmann-OO-32-979W-CLASS-66-727-MARITIME-ONE-GBRF-MARITIME-LOCOMOTIVE-NEW/132624655187?hash=item1ee10ba353:g:efgAAOSwRQla~AXB:rk:1:pf:0

first time posting in this thread, what a fantastic layout i went to high school in Bala and i remember a new girl starting, elise gibbons (why i remember that i dont know) but she moved from hackney in london to the old crossing house near arenig quarry and cwm prysor which at the time (late 80s-early 90s) had no running water or electricity, that must have been a culture shock for her! https://goo.gl/maps/ESK5oFZPew52 i also use dto help out on the bala lake railway with my dad and one of the old boys there "bob" used to be signaller at arenig quarry, an absolute gent of a man, everything was "champion" he must have been 80 back in the early 90s, sadly no longer with us but had some wonderful tales of his time in the box and working the traws branch

I rang them and they acknowledged there is an issue for some people and I should ring them again tomorrow, I can’t see me getting my £5 back as credit though The listings are now showing the ‘you can get it for’ box underneath so I should imagine if I tried again it would work

I’ve just bought something on an accepted best offer in the car parts category and tried the code only have it say ‘code not Valid with chosen postage option’, changed the postage to all 3 options available (delivered, click and collect and collect in person) and got the same message every time so couldn’t use it, but annoying as it would have been £5 off

I saw that on our train running list as being at clitheroe and wondered if I would end up with it today, as it happens I bought the rails LTD ED earlier in the week while there was an eBay offer on Tomorrow’s iport job has 66711 ‘sence’ On it, the loco that keeps stalking me!

Just 2 from today, Warrington to Washwood heath with the cement, we then went to longport to collect a 66 only to find the place locked up and not to be moved boards on the loco so we had to leave it there and go home (or to my hotel in my case!) Warrington Washwood heath Iport job tomorrow

They never worked together on the same train, one week it was green wagons the next it was VTGs

I’m staying out of it, last time I mentioned my thoughts on the issue the thread was locked!

A bit of an update, my mate came round to do the plastering and as it was his first go is ince completing a course in April struggled with it as a first job, he managed the ceiling and one wall in the time he was there, he struggled as he was on his own and was finding he was losing a lot of plaster as it was going off in the bucket before he could get it on the surfaces, he has since had a few tips from his friends on how to preserve it and I’ve assured him when he comes back early in the new year I will be there to help him out to mix up as he goes along as last week he was alone as I was in work Anyway, I’m pleased with what he managed so far, another light skim here and there on what he’s done will finish it nicely And today my dad came around and we (ok mostly him) put the guttering back up, i sealed the window last week with silicone and added a facia above the frame as the rainwater was running straight off the sloping roof edge right onto the frame and into the building, the facia and now guttering has stopped any rainwater running down the brickwork at all On the front we put a new piece of guttering with clips either side of the new door however it was sagging slightly in the middle so my dad screwed a block of wood to the existing wooden cross member above the plastic facia and left it hanging below the guttering, he added a guttering bracket to it to lose the sag but also drilled a hole for the electric cable to the new external light to pass through, once the light is fitted we can trim it back shorter and give it a coat of white paint to disguise it a bit That’s it for now until the plaster returns early in the new year

Spotted this on a shelf in oxfam yesterday When I hear ‘mallorca’ I naturally think of the indigenous locals and their boomerangs!

Just 2 from today 66744 at Toton, supposed to relieve it at Leicester during the run round but as I was near Toton I went there instead as I hate driving into the centre of Leicester! And awaiting loading in mountsorrel