big jim

Back to the Cambrian last night, this made me laugh when you read what’s on the sign! https://youtu.be/pUd2vJr3-_s More ERTMS issues last night, stopped me approaching a block marker thinking I’d past it and then the screen went again, it’s the future! And the usual shot at Basford hall

Just realised I’ve ordered mine from invicta not the hobby shop!

Hmm, I’ve heard nothing, I think a quick call tomorrow may be in order

Just 2 from this morning, cambrian ballast which got cancelled on arrival at the possession marker boards so back to crewe loaded! Left it as is for tonight’s train save the other driver messing about as the loco would just end up on the same wagons again Will have to see if it runs tonight

just a couple from last night, ballast cancelled but ended up taking a pair of 56s from basford hall to chirk to rescue the logs and work it through to warrington cambrian ballast again tonight

Which is the blunt end of a cat?

My wife is the same with tommy cooper, doesn’t find him funny at all, I’ve only got to see him and I’m cracking up! Despite doddy being from a very different generation to me I found him funny in a ‘silly’ way, my first real experience of him was the original ‘audience with’ in the early 90s which just made me laugh start to finish, no swearing, no shock factor just good old what I would call ‘end of the pier’ daft humour just a bit of inuendo here and there I love seeing old footage of him from the 1970’s with what I would call a gossip of ‘kitty and ada’s’ in the audience all wearing similar horn rimmed glasses and cake hats who would appear to give a unified ‘whoooo’ at the mention of anything remotely ‘sexual’ Was watching footage of him with the Beatles on YouTube earlier, fascinating to watch and even now still quite funny, even the Beatles humours shines through as they take the mick out of ringo mainly! I also found it lovely earlier that his wife paid tribute to him from outside the house he was born and raised in and where he lived all his life!

The Passenger service behind needed the up side, as it happened the down service used it too To be honest I could have had a go at getting to Sutton bridge but I didn’t want to knock the passenger service as the signaller phoned me at tallerddig and asked could I do it in 1 hour 20 mins from there but I was a bit wary of getting up briedden bank after tallerddig was breached at a mere 20mph! I think I had the poor engines as the driver behind had 15 loaded wagons and made it over the top at the same speed as me (and I had 10 empty and 5 loaded!)

Genuinely gutted, he’s the one ‘old school’ comedian I kept morbidly saying to my wife I really should see ‘before he dies’ he was booked to be on in crewe in a few months and was going to get tickets but never did His ‘an audience with’ was one of the classics in the series, if not the best ‘What a lovely day to shove a cucumber through a letterbox and shout ‘eh up missus the Martians have landed’ I love a good drum, you can’t beat em!

Crazy thing is I highlighted the hereford 108 bargain about a month ago and no one bit!

Some from this morning Ballast from Machynlleth to crewe 97302 and 97303 leading 158 units in the platform at Machynlleth A vid of me departing courtesy of the driver who bought the train in https://youtu.be/D0uL7LVrBzY 2 hour wait in Newtown And into crewe A whole week of Cambrian ballast coming up this week! Some vids from YouTube, nice one of me coming through Wem (and setting off a car alarm to boot!) https://youtu.be/aClbF2KKCDs Departing Newtown https://youtu.be/wu77J174Fn0 And as a bonus here is 6C71 which was following me (I should have actually been driving that one!) https://youtu.be/BI5BGfLGHP4

might pop over tomorrow anyone know if any of the traders may happen to stock railmatch or phoenix points?

i remember the bridge carrying the chester to wrexham line across the main road in saltney used to advertise the welsh mountain zoo in colwyn bay http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/s/saltney/ 1979 pic half way down the above page, i remember it still being there in the early 90s

How long has this thread been in wheeltappers?

Yes the mechanical speedo stops working and it becomes digital on the screen I did give you a toot as I passed, when the baglans passed me I did wonder if you would be at Willaston crossing having a nose!

just two from last night, loco move Basford hall to coleham, cambrian ballast back to Basford hall dropping off a loco at coleham en route 97303 And back this morning with 97302

Same job all week, added little bit at the start though, picked a loco up at crewe to take to coleham Down to site in a van then train back to Basford hall, had a bit of fun though as the rear loco failed at cemmaes rd and as it wasn’t running it couldn’t be left on the rear of the train as it wouldn’t maintain its air so we had to detach at cemmaes, train up to tallerddig, dump the wagons and take the lead loco back to cemmaes to collect the failed loco then return to tallerddig for the train and doublehead it back To top things off the ERTMS screen then failed in the lead loco, the signaller still had me under full supervision and I could hear when the screen beeped at me so I had to carry on st a reduced speed confirming with the box that I had authority at the various block markers en route, routes going through stations etc, basically driving blind as all my signals and speedo are on the screen, this is where route knowledge comes into play! luckily I have an emergency speedo app on my work iPad so I could use that, despite both failures and the extra moves to and from tallerddig we were still running mega early so despite going slower than usual we managed to get to Sutton bridge pretty much on time where I shut down the ERTMS and reverted back to the normal speedo for the run to crewe Left the locos in Basford hall for the fitters to attend today Same again tonight but hopefully with less drama!

Anyone after DCC copper bus tape, Poundland have slug repellant rape in at the mo, 2M £1 I’m using similar stuff instead of wires in coaching stock to get power to illuminate the interiors

I’ve got a ballast job to Aberystwyth this weekend and it involves all 4 class 97s one of which can’t be used in ERTMS mode so it will be ‘buried’ within the train consist to get to and from site and be used within the site where ERTMS isn’t switched on Just been doing a bit of phoning around to se if it’s possible to switch out the 97 with 37099 instead to see if we could get it to Aberystwyth as challenged when it was named! Unfortunately it’s not looking like it’s possible due to 099 not arriving back into derby until Saturday morning but i’ll keep trying!!

Walks like me nana - the wanted

Knutsford city limits - I can turn a corner

I always thought it was rylestone cowboy when I was younger, like the quarry near skipton!

Lock the taskbar - the clash Learning to fry - Tom petty It’s the end of the worm as we know it - R.E.M. Hey bale - dj otzi Everyone’s a wiener - hot chocolate No sleep til brookside - beastie boys

Back to normality again, ballast drop near Machynlleth Relieved the other driver at commins coch as the line runs next to the road and as we were close it was as easy to do it there then at cemmaes road And a couple from cemmaes road under the spotlights in the access yard 97302 leading to Machynlleth And after the ballast drop heading back the other way, 97303 this time Slightly in the shadow of a track machine, hopefully I can try for the same shot tomorrow morning but move it forward a bit And into Basford hall Same again tonight

I bought this GABBREIN 4 Pack Copper Foil Tape with Conductive Adhesive for Stained Glass, Art Work, Soldering, Electrical Repairs, Grounding, EMI Shielding (3 size) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B071HQB77R/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_-KENAbXREP4CM They had it in Poundland last year but it’s seasonal as it’s sold as slug repellant tape