big jim

As a slight aside When my dad was needing bits for his quarry Hunslet 'Alice' (the real one) he got in touch with the museum of wales who were custodians of the quarry equipment, archive etc and they allowed him to use the original wooden patterns which at the time were stored the museum in llanberis, he went there with a copy of the original Hunslet factory drawings and cross referenced the part numbers on the drawings with the bits which were still stored under their original part numbers, he managed to get everything he needed in one visit, mainly things like pipe work elbows, joints etc, as part of the deal he got them cast in wales (rhuddlan foundry)

Welcome to my world! Managed just over an hour in my shed earlier, first time in over a week (and I still got moaned at!)

Little bit more done, secured the double slip and points to the shed then Cut a couple of grooves in the board For a pair of peco inspection pits They are loose at the minute as I want to make a hard standing around the shed but that's a long way down the line Then it was adding cork to the now non removable removable section Cut the track back on the original incline And removed it so the new track will start further back Also removed the goods line and ballast around it Next up was refitting the track but had to go back in the house so this is as far as I've got, loosely fitting the outer mainline and goods line I will be adding a small wall to the outer edge of the doorway board in case of any runaways or derailments on the inclines so they don't take a tumble onto the patio

Some from last night, once again just iPhone pics Mostyn, the back of my train And the front A few views of the box, not quite sure what's happening with it once the new track set up is commissioned, I believe it may be a listed building Blurry, through the window shot From mostyn it was down to Llandudno jn to recess for the night, the possession was on from Holywell jn to llysfaen so I had to do 15mph all the way, and 5mph in the worksite (of which j had to pass through 2) so it took me over 3 1/2 hours to do the 23 miles! The batteries must have gone on this unit as the lights were lit when I arrived but off 30 mins later! Then after a few hours I set off for Basford hall, arriving in 30 late, Shunted the train, moved the locos and home to bed I believe all 5 56s have moved this afternoon to coleham!

A few from last night, class 56 for a change Basford hall to Holywell jn, cross over and bang road to mostyn 15 loaded auto's certainly made the old girl work! There were 5 56s on Basford hall last night all of them coast bound, (well one with a 60 to Chester) Holywell jn having set back across the crossover and preparing to run wrong road to mostyn and into the possession Then it was the joy of waiting for a taxi home, only had to come from Birkenhead for me!! Back there this evening to work one off back to Basford hall

Martins first point is what I've tried to highlight in my post in the last page about the failed 'main road' crossing last week, there were people willing to risk it as that barrier had been down for a good 30 mins at least between us being told about it and actually arriving at it

I've also had a signaller tell a farmer that he couldn't cross as I was in section (Wrexham to pen-y-fordd) but he sstill crossed in front of me anyway on a crossing that was in plain view of the signal box at the end of the platform, we was reported and subsequently charged/fined etc It was quite surreal as I was trundling along In a 153 unit and As he crossed I thought 'oh look a Land Rover and trailer' before about 10 seconds later thinking 'hang on that's not right!', I went to the box during the station stop and asked if I'd actually seen what I just had and the signal woman said 'yes, I'd told him not to cross' she said he'd waited about 10 mins for me then just went across Nowadays you tend to get a gsm-r call from the box asking if you have passed over a certain crossing if there is any uncertainty, although that is quite a rare occurance

There was a crossing failure on a job I was on last week, told to travel at caution over a half barrier only if it was safe to do so, of course I'm doing 30mph while recording and the crossing was 20 mins down the line, when I got there it was failed in the down position with a row of cars waiting at the barriers, however at the open side there was a van who's passenger had got out and was looking up the tracks to see if anything was coming, no doubt had I not appeared they would have taken the chance and gone across, I phoned the box to advise them they need to get people out there asap as people were getting impatient

Maybe early on in the system testing but as there are no 'real' line side signals anymore it's not an issue that I'm aware of, I've still not been passed out on ertms yet!

All the discussion regards precise location of trains, ERTMS can pin point a train to within a meter of it's actual location, the in cab display can show the meterage on the screen Both the driver of a train and the signalling centre in Machynlleth can see exactly where the train is from the start point of the system (i.e. The ertms start point is 0 meters radiating out to Pwllheli and Aberystwyth respectively)

no, cheshire lines today some from the past couple of days, same train again, so glad to get off it this evening after 5 days with it, back to freight tomorrow with a 56 to holywell jn and a 60 from llandudno jn on sunday (unless my job is covered then i'll be on something a bit 'different' on monday) Blaenau again with the dbso this time this time my conductor driver had a road learner with him so i enjoyed the trip along the conwy valley from the cushions leaving blaenau and over to warrington back to chester we then stabled on the down holding sidings, more commonly known as crewe diesel depot whee we picked it back up from this afternoon as it happened the NMT came in to 12 while we were there then it was crewe-sandbach-middlewich-stockport stockport-chester via northwich and the last bit, back to northwich, over to sandbach and in the crewe and home, i'd lost the will to live by chester so no pics after there

i know what you mean, i did think 'jesus' when i got home yesterday, my wife says since she wrote it shes had loads of dog walkers stopping to tell her its not them! we know whos doing the fag ends, a young girl sneaks out of her grandparents house for a crafty smoke in the evenings away from them and sits on our wall out of view of their house, not had a chance to speak to her yet and i dont want to drop her in it with her guardians

My wife certainly likes to get her point across to the dirty b'*rds regards the mess outside our house

just a few from today voyager in shrewsbury changing ends on the triangle at chester, this side is the line between the birkenhead line and the north wales coast llandudno llandudno jn bay platform from there it was away to bangor to stable for the night, tomorrow its blaenau, warrington and crewe

Same train today but a different loco, 97302 this time Derby Crewe And ready to take into Lnwr Off to Bangor with it tomorrow via Shrewsbury

the stobart livery seems a strange choice, it didn't operate for long according to wikipedia, a very niche market but i suppose there are plenty of stobert collectors out there who would buy just one coach for the display cabinet had they chose DRS instead.... http://www.railpictures.net/photo/193789/ (thats me taking the empty stock from crewe to oxley almost 10 years ago!)

some from today, caught the train from crewe, when i got there there was a pair of FGW 387 units on test then did an IM train from Langley Mill to Loughborough and back to Derby i believe this is the last week 31223 is going to be out and about on the network, caught it coming in to the RTC

luckily i spotted it had gone north on WNXX so i didnt bother heading out of town when i got back from derby on the train earlier, typical though, had i gone to work in the van this afternoon i'd have passed the roundabout while it was parked up there and i had my proper camera and tripod in the van!

the TRU is south wales bound tomorrow i think, via the heart of wales line

first one is here http://www.47soton.co.uk/2017/01/88002-prometheus-in-southampton-22nd.html pic by ian knight

They are new within the last 12 months I seem to remember model Rail did a kit a long time ago but it's long sold out unfortunately with no plans of a re-issue

yes it was the motorail van behind 37604, seen below in the unusual surroundings of blaenau ffestiniog, it actually did attract some attention from 'non spotters' asking me what was in the 'windowless coach' its basically there as a brake force runner, without it i'd be limited to lower speeds as i'd only have 3 vehicles in the formation

Just one from today, did the shunt which was non stop then had to go to barrow hill for this pair

The fog was thick as a bag until gronant then it was glorious! Even sun in Blaenau which is practically unheard of Some phone pics from today Chester Llandudno jn Ready to head off to Blaenau Blaenau Went for a look in the town, as I had an hour and a half to kill! Narrow gauge loco on display Freshly cleared tracks towards trawsfynydd And looking back toward the station 150 unit we had to wait for, both to arrive in Blaenau and then llanrwst before we could get the token Then away to llandudno, unfortunately the sun is on the wrong side in the rest of the pics Bangor, after shunting across from the down to the up Crewe (with swifty11 in the shot!) And eventually into derby, shunt via chaddesden and into the RTC and away to the hotel! A really enjoyable day, nice to have a run along the Conwy valley, gonna get a bit more road learning in down there I recon and get it on my route card (today I was conducted), lots of spotters about including one who was at every passing point and well known decent photo location between llandudno, Blaenau and back to Llandudno, then he was at penmaenmawr and Conwy too! And as usual, that was that!

its just for a bit of variety, it also makes the uphill climb a little less steep