big jim

That's a great video, handy for a bit if pre road learning boning up as I need to learn that route, last time I did it was only as far as Oxford parkway and the station was just the foundations! Certainly looks like they have spent the money down there though, lots of new bridges, lots of fencing etc

Home at last! Some from last night, 2 trains, one from Greenford to Hinksey and then Hinksey to Crewe, nice to drive a 60, 66 and 70 in one shift! First up was the Kirow crane and side tipping point wagons from greenford to Hinksey via banbury, had an EWS 66 on it, typically yet another Bachman ltd Ed 66, 66077, only managed one pic of it though Through to banbury where I change ends and fired up the 70, unlike the previous night this one was stone cold so t took 35 mins for the compressor to get to temperature to kick in so I ended up having to sit there until I could get the air back Chiltern 165 Into Hinksey where I left it on the reception line for another driver to deal with, went and prepped the 60s and then headed off to Crewe And into Crewe And home to bed!

Some from last night, been standby by in london to work trains over the chilterns in connection with the work in Paddington, as it happened I had to work one from Ruislip to Hinksey via Banbury Got a new iPhone 6, these pics are from that as I've not bothered with my proper camera today West Ruislip, 70809, the driver who got off then took my van to Hinksey and i met him back there, I had to take the train as he didn't have route knowledge over the Chilterns And into Banbury, 70801 "Donna" on the rear, fired up and ready to go And into Hinksey and shut down That was that apart from having to drive the driver back to Kensal rise

Only ended up doing one in the end, had to drive a driver back to site from Hinksey which by the time I got there after the change ends at Banbury, stabling the train etc put me up to my day, turned out it was covered anyway so back to the hotel to bed Had to drive the van into Kensal rise this morning, does london ever sleep, 05:00 on Boxing Day and the A40 was already getting busy

Thought I was going to have an easy night in standby, no such luck!! Sat at Ruislip ready to head north with one train then back for another!

well i'm in work tomorrow and boxing day at old oak common, should with any luck be home sometime on the 27th, i wasnt going to work them but its a late shift tomorrow so i wont miss out on the kids opening their presents, dinner etc and by the evening im normally bored anyway so may as well go in and earn a few bob extra, im on standby down there tomorrow and manning a train to bring back to crewe on boxing day night may well not even be used tomorrow but its far better for the company to have someone sitting round ready to roll than have an unmanned train if there was last minute sickness etc quite looking forward to it to be honest, shame i cant get a show in on boxing day!!

one more from the proper camera from this morning, 37604 on the rear of the train i bought in from leicester 37604 Derby RTC by jim scott, on Flickr

a few pics from the last couple of days, ended up being asked to work 9as i thought would happen) toton to bescot with a pair of 60s class 66 going over the ski jump in bescot then just one from this morning in leicester, moved a UTU from there to Derby as the driver bringing it in's day was up Thats it til tomorrow night in Old Oak Common, merry christmas to all the people following the thread

Which crossing is that, Griffin lane? The foot crossings leaving Aylesbury towards little Kimble are horrible, back in the black and white days they were merely paths between farmers fields now they well used thoroughfares between pretty substantial housing estates both sides of the tracks, although I've never had a near miss on any of them I have seen plently of people cross in front of me on them

If nothing it shows how not planning ahead properly can come back and bite you in the bum! Thankfully the bit I wasn't happy with was the unsceniced side

thats one of my biggest fears with foot crossings like that, i hate it when the back end of a train in the opposite direction has just cleared the crossing as i approach, i always sound the horn an extra time in those situations looking at the vid, as 96701 says other peoples actions could have an influence on the outcome, in reality the range rover driver shouldnt have opened the gate until the 2nd train had passed (as the signaller would have hopefully instructed him) and it was lucky that he decieded to open it when he did, had he done so a few minutes earlier in preperation for the trains passing then the cyclist may well have been still mounted and travelling at speed as either one of the trains arrived and not been so lucky to be just needing new undies and not a funeral

ive been off and still no modelling time! in tomorrow though, pair of 60s toton to bescot and a 56 to crewe, then in christmas day night and boxing day down old oak common

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/video_and_audio/headli

Here are the Dapol twin pack "madeley colliery" wagons that Richard has commissioned, only available through trident trains

Like me with 37s, given the choice of sitting in one of those for hours on end or in DBSO I'd take the DBSO any day, non genny fitted ones are lovely, so quiet!

woodwork evening..... proper wood for the far end of the high level area, fill in bits and the removable section big piece of ply for the rear then cut away the tunnel portal removable section, high level wood, this is a rough piece as i need to make it slightly wider and with 3rd and 4th radius curves i was hoping to get away with not having to do the next bit but i just couldnt get the track to fit so i had to! basically ive added a small fillet of baseboard to the low level on the station side bracing fitted by screwing it from the rear cut the ply to suit and screwed in place, a few more to add though which means the track has just that little bit more room then i had a think about the track in the station set up No1, platform at the back and island platform with bi-di line in the centre to which i could add a bay the other end which would go round to 3 points on the removable section (hence why i need to widen it a touch) meaning trains could use the dentre road in either direction or set up No2, line at the rear, island platform and through road at the front other end which would go to the same 3 way sets of points, this time the bi-di line is the centre one, general overview, i'm prefering the 2nd station set up personally

agreed about the lamp iron, nowt a good scalpel wont cure but a quick google image search shows the real wagons with the left hand wagon of the pair with steps/ladders at the inner end

found a vid on flickr of merl off to skeggy 37099 Split Box 3Q86 DERBY / SKEGNESS, Wilsford Xing by Keith Doubleday, on Flickr interesting to see it actually UTU testing too, 4th coach back, rear bogie you can see the little jockey wheels on the rail head between the main wheels

i only signed it under the old guise as far as water eaton, similarly the bicester end i only did aylesbury-claydon-bicester town, ive yet to see the completed line through islip etc or indeed get a chance to learn it (and up onto the chilterns) as there are enough 'local' drivers who sign it now compared to just me when colas first started to take the infrastructure trains in i should be doing an OOC to hinksey on boxing day via the chilterns and ive got to go via banbury to change ends with it because of the missing route knowledge across the renewed line which is a bit of a pain!

This is nice https://www.buzzfeed.com/matthewtucker/a-photographer-has-painstakingly-re-created-photos-of-young?utm_term=.emAWGqMrn#.myyxV1r2q

Brief 1/2 hour in the shed, laid the point work for the hidden sidings, drilled the holes for the point motors, just one extra set of points to fit up as I realised I can get an extra siding in near the back And with the top board placed loosely back on you can see where the goods line will rejoin the mainline and how it will curve gently round into the tunnel which may become a cutting yet! And looking the other way

Ooh yeah, forgot about 20s, now those are fun!

no progress on the layout this week but got hold of this little beauty via ebay, 37025 in large logo going to update it with cantrail stripes, up to date OHLE flashes etc, i can live with the prototypical 80s wonky double arrows

i think gordon is still up there, certainly was last year anyway (if im thinking of the same guy), top fella

when i started going there with the stuff for the bicester chord one of the signallers was a new starter, ayoung guy and had been at claydon for 9 months and i was the first train he had seen, all he did up until i turned up was release the token for the single line for trains going to the landfill site, those trains run round at calvert so didnt come as far as claydon box!