big jim

thought i had a good work for sure playing scrabble on the ipad yesterday!

dunno what merl has been up to but he's looking a bit mucky!

some from friday night and saturday morning 37025 crewe to rugby, 30mph from stafford to rugby and back via new st then back to derby! new st waiting at derby 67027 "merl" is looking a bit mucky! a right mixed bag coming up next week, NMT around worcester, 70 to derby, UTU round essex, 73's to bidston!

Looking good, saw one of the real things yesterday in derby edit: picture below

Just. Couple from last night, had to conduct a driver out of Basford hall and back in again this morning (with a few hours sleep at home in between!) Double headed 56s on both train that were going out both in multi as the trains were 2000 tons

I asked someone to photoshop an angled black section on the 67s under the side windows and this is the quick result, looks much better in my opinion https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPH1sia5xFD2Yl3HWYklLRd69wND6gvVlQbkIARVNOLKfAk17DXf0n7KTTQcN3pTg?key=MGo4Q0I0M2RWNG5fS2lWQ0lxZTVZRzlFeU1LRm5n

Some from last night, wasn't going to turn this one down, 37057 on the DC lines from primrose hill to Watford jn via Watford high st as well as a trip to Northampton and back, obviously had to be conducted as I dint sign it but it was a great little trip, shame the 37 is a to photograph at night Ferme park Away to Northampton via the NLL incline at Copenhagen tunnel and over to primrose hill and out on the slows Northampton Back to Camden Town to change ends And away to Watford via the DC lines, at primrose hill you duck down below the mainline into the overground lines, once your in it that's it until Watford, no simple way off again! At one point you share the bakerloo line, but like being back at chiltern again working over the met End of the line! And here's an unusual one, not the best of pics as we were getting smoked out somewhat while waiting for the signal to get back out to the mainline, the DBSO in the "underground" tunnels! And back to Camden for a taxi to euston and home

The flashing light means the APU (donkey engine) isn't working

proper camera pics freightliner convoy 37025 ultra 73s leicester

It looks like they add a skid under the blade https://goo.gl/images/95iBcD

Mick also had the bonus of having the official drawings before they appeared for real! As an aside the real things should be out and about today from Toton

Just 3 phone pics for now, moved 70812 crewe to bescot then 37025 Derby to Lichfield via Leicester Proper camera pics to follow later today when I upload them, tried various ISO settings on the camera to try and get clearer pics with varying results (as viewed through the camera screen) will have to see how they come out on the big HD computer screen Convoy of 5 freightliner 66s 70812 in bescot Still from a video of 37025 in Lichfield And the video of it departing https://youtu.be/5O6KOUcpZ0s

Only in crewe!

some from today first job NMT derby to chesterfield va the erewash then over to liverpool for 70812, nightmare journey over, full and standing sheffield to manchester on a TPE then a 142 local stopper to Edge hill! comes complete with a handy carry handle! warrington crewe 56096 and that was that until monday when i'm moving it futher south to join 6V46 at bescot

It's always slightly open because the extension cable currently comes through the door so I can't fully shut it when I'm i there, all will be sorted once the electrician comes in a few weeks, not had the heating on in there for a while but it is nice and snug when it is running

heat is already sorted but i may add one of those low power frost prevention type heaters too and leave it running to keep damp at bay had a few hours earlier, didnt get as much done as i hoped as i forgot to buy cork earlier, managed to buy a Dapol 68 put forgot the cork! anyway, secured the top station boards better to stop them flexing and also fixed the new aproach board on the doorway section looking at the station again i do have some nice precut cork strips that ive put in place to see how much room i have, as they are nice and straight i can be sure the platform is also parallel with the trackbed down its whole length im going to run some Bachmann retaining walls along the rear wall and butt the cork up to those and some more of them as originally planned to hold the town in place im going to need to add a small fillet to the high level board for the inner track to run over (the one outside the tunnel) the reason ill run the wall along the rear is to be able to add my Hornby canopy's to the station, i'll add a wills flexi girder across the tunnel mouth this end and continue the platform a short distance into the tunnel to create the illusion of a longer station the outer edge will need some sort of plastistruct girgers adding between the uprights i'll fit, i'll actually do it so the canopy will be removable for cleaning etc, i will mount it lower than in the pics, ive just placed them on top of the wall to get the idea, basically i'll run a plasticard U 'gutter' along the retaining wall at the top of the arches (where the wall goes vertical) for the canopy to sit in, similarly do the same on the outer side between the stone uprights looks quite good with a 5 vehicle train in the platform even better with the basic idea for the canopy placed in position the usual, "view from the door" picture 37401 hired in to move the translator vehicles hopefully get some cork tomorrow and get the track fitted over the doorway section towards the station, maybe even roughly lay a complete circuit

some from last night, same train but this time just structure gauging calibration runs between stoke and macclesfield crewe away to stoke and back to macclesfield at 70mph then back to stoke for another go at 50mph then back to macclesfield that was it piccie wise but it was then another run at 30mph and once back at kidsgrove away to derby via alrewas and drakelow (to turn the train) and home

Oh dear, I just appear to have bought a chiltern livery one too! Got Richard at dagfileds to fit it with a Bachmann 4 function chip while in the shop, hopefully we got the switches in the right orientation for the lights, ran superbly on his test track, gonna have a shed night later and give it a good run if I can (and chip up my Drs one too)

just 4 from last night, crewe to hellifield via manchester piccadilly, bolton, darwen, blackburn, preston, blackburn, darwen, bolton, manchester victoria, ashburys, guide bridge, denton, stockport and crewe! obviously had to be conducted for a vast majority of the job beyond ordsall lane but certainly an interesting run, first time ive done bolton to blackburn and also got a line in ive been wanting to do for years, the one from the top of miles platting to ashburys, also fascinating to see the old woodhead overheads still in use on the line to guide bridge, hard to imagine it back in its heyday with 4 tracks in situ! blackburn preston while changing ends a snowy guide bridge same train tonight but only doing crewe, macclesfield a few times and back to derby

I'll just leave this here https://twitter.com/colasrailuk/status/836944229947559939

Yes I was on that one, wondered if it was you on in the box tbh I also took C56 in the previous night, there looked to be an official looking "suit and tie man" in the box that night along with the signaller

You couldn't resist the lure of yellow, I saw you there in your arm chair giving me a wave at 01:20!

We're having a new kitchen fitted at the end of may and have had an electrician round to give me a quote for the major amount of work associated with it so while he was here I asked him to quote me for wiring up my garage and shed, the quote he gave for that job was a good £100 cheaper than the last guy who ever turned up after I booked him 2 years ago so I decided to go ahead with it So finally after over 3 years wait I will have electricity in the shed, no longer need to run an extension cable out from the conservatory, the plus side is he can do it in a couple of weeks, I have all the bits he needs at the cable from the last guy so it will be done in a day