big jim

Great tweet from 70s-80s recording artist ‘jah wobble’

Only managed a couple from last night, UTU crewe to Rugby via the West Midlands Crewe Lnwr In the station And into Stafford And Home, lots of training next week which I can tie in with road learning the S+C to finally get it boxed off once and for all

You need to add “l@@k l@@k l@@k, rare rare rare” to your previous post!

Some from today, had to catch a train to Bescot via Rugeley Top and tail 70 to banbury (and onward to Marylebone with another driver) 66001 (spot the fox) One of GBRf’s ‘new’ 66s Not long after I left I got a call from the box to say there had been a fatality at marston green and could I go via New st and Tyseley which luckily I sign so off I went, Perry Barr, soho, new st, grand jn, Bordesley, Tyseley, Leamington and banbury, the joys of doing IM work and signing lots of useful diversions! And into banbury 90 minutes early Quick dash over the bridge for a train home to save being picked up by another member of staff who was still on the M6 heading toward me as I was so early! That’s it for tonight

Bored!

I thought it was you

Some from this afternoon, assessing someone and a bit of road learning on the logs Carlisle station with its new glass frontage and roof My train coming in Hellifield Warrington Class 90 passing through with 3 x 325 units Quick question for markaxlecounter (signaller at horrockford jn) have you seen the albino crow that lives near your signalbox? It was pointed out to me earlier by the driver who has seen it a number of times over the last year And that was that

Don’t you have a working one on your layout Dave?

I think they were installed in either multi spad areas or areas with potential for conflict should a train have a spad, the only 2 I know of are hest bank on the wcml and grand jn in Birmingham Regards the signal it applies to i think that’s irrelevant as there will be one on more than one line in a location if one is lit you have to stop immediately regardless of whether you have a spadded or not as if you don’t stop you may be heading towards a collision where someone else has spadded I suppose it’s reset when various trains have had authority to continue and track circuits are clear?

705 doesn’t look right without the union flag on the side (It incidentally was the last GBRf 66 I drove back in fastline days, took it to ironbridge power station)

Funnily enough..... https://www.gov.uk/government/news/near-miss-with-train-driver-at-stafford Too easy, walked straight into this one...... https://youtu.be/MMiKyfd6hA0

Some from yesterday, 97 crewe to coleham Basford hall 97302 Coleham with 97304 in the shed Which I had to move outside to get 97302 over the pit Then went down to Machynlleth in an arriva train, Aberystwyth bound portion departing And I got on the Pwllheli bit with the driver to do some road learning As far as llwyngwril, as I didn’t fancy an hour in barmouth waiting for the return train, not so bad if the shops are open but soil destroying otherwise! Stayed at my mums house last night and am Just about to head back from there to Machynlleth in a bit where I will meet up with 97304 again to have a look at the Aberystwyth route one last time with another driver and collect a tamper

complete with black bin bag covering the nameplate, how apt! https://youtu.be/mTRDbc0iO3c

2nd coat of orange painted and masked up Roof panels and exhaust painted, I may paint the exhaust black yet though Refitted the etched grilles to one side of the body, this one was one of the old ones from the lower body side which luckily by pure chance fitted in the big grille hole I had reduced in size with plasticard

.........As I said to the wife last night

Some from yesterday, a bit random as I needed to take my laptop to be upgraded in Manchester so I use drhe opportunity to do some road refreshing of routes that were out of date It didn’t help that northern were on strike though! Voyager Then had a trip out to the airport on a TPE train as I sign the Styal line past it and it was in need of a refresh Been so long since I signed this as a guard the last train I worked there was a 101 DMU and there were only 2 platforms! From there is was out to Wigan, no pics as in the cab and a quick dash back to Manchester again Random tram passing by as I walked back to Piccadilly from the IT department 66 passing through, I think this was the old fastline path from Trafford park as I used to love coming through Piccadilly at rush hour with the 56 full chat, screaming along through platform 13! EMT 158 Northern 156 I then caught the loco hailed arriva service to warrington Into warrington Biomass passing through And from there went home, back in crewe there was a 350 in the awful new WM trains livery, from the side it’s not too bad but the green ends are just plain wrong!

No the driver off the 97 took it back! Joking apart when we get rostered these jobs the roster department sometimes don’t understand the logistics and geography of the Cambrian and that it takes over 2 hours to drive to Machynlleth or Aberystwyth from Home or shrewsbury then the train may be miles from anywhere, it’s one of the biggest frustrations about working down there

Edit: duplicate post

Some from today, days like this make you forget you are actually in work! Had to drive the van to Machynlleth where we picked up a pair of 97s to take To Aberystwyth to collect some wagons, being as we had the line to ourselves for a few hours until the first passenger train we stopped for a couple of pics as the sun began to rise over the mountains After shunting and buffering up to the wagons we had 3 hours to spare in Aberystwyth which at the time we got there was deserted After some breakfast we wandered over to the vale of rheidol railway for a nose We were very kindly shown round the shed too, some interesting locos and equipment in there including a 2ft gauge permquip P-way trolley which looked great fun and 1/2 size tamping machine, there was also a Garret, quarry hunslet, Kerr Stuart and a sir Haydn from the tallyllyn railway Then it was time to leave, 15 Lobster wagons Welshpool And into crewe And that was that

Oh what the hell, I seem to roll this picture out quite a bit https://flic.kr/p/nzehkL

Bit of orange (and yellow) on the 73 Hand painted it on, another coat to add then mask off for the blue which I will see if I can get as a spray can

Some from last night, UTU derby to brum, back to alrewas via the cross city line, back to brum and back to derby Derby New st Back in derby, i also turned the train in the Sutton park line hence the 37 leading back

As was mine at #162, I know shocking isn’t it!

KFA log wagons

i went in yesterday for a look, picked up an led tester, i was going to get some conductive paint as it was in the 50% off bit but it came through on the till at only 20% off so i left it to be honest i'd feel a bit crappy asking for the extra off when the guys in there are looking at being out of a job very soon and i'd be quibbling over £3, i felt ghoulish going in anyway but i have had a fair bit off them and they know me, i feel for one of the guys in there as he got a job there last year after brantano went bust, hope he has better luck in the future