big jim

One from this morning, too early for proper camera pics Had to assess someone to bidston on the rhtt, couple of issues en route with axle counter failures but we got there!! Then it was briefly home and up to carlisle in readiness for my job the rest of the week, somewhere I've not been before, ever, conducted all the way once I get north of carlisle Kingmoor Proper camera and tripod at the ready for a few pics, won't be home for almost 2 weeks though what with half term so I'll have to wait to upload them, i'll hopefully post some iphone pics while I'm up there though

some proper camera pics

Just 3 iPhone pics from earlier in the week, test train from Walsall to derby via Nuneaton and Coventry Couldn't get into Coventry station from Nuneaton with my test train so ended up in the yard instead And back to derby Same train last night derby to Manchester Piccadilly and back, some pics in the proper camera that I'll upload tomorrow

those lot were F5.6 with a 8 second exposure mainly

manic street preachers - umbrella (rihanna) florence and the machine - you got the love (in particular the Mark Knight remix)

why not choose another one to model then, or am i missing something?

and for those who still dont know what the street picture is...... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/(What%27s_the_Story)_Morning_Glory%3F

those are just iphone pics, proper one's below you'll see "what the story is" eventually anyway proper camera pics

4 mins late away from ferme park in the end some pics from yesterday one random one...recognise the street? and some from ferme park

It's in ferme park at the mo, on me way over to brake test it as we speak, enjoying a london overground service from Stratford to Highbury and on to Hornsey!

Funnily enough I'm in the same boat, the 3.5 out of my class 70 is after a new home and I've decided on a leggoman 66 but which one to put it in, the LUL pair or GBRf kids livery 66?

In the words of Britney Spears "oops I did it again" It's gone up to £169.99 now btw, I got it for £159.99 after they looked into the confusion over my missing order (which at the time 4 weeks ago was that price), it would appear that Acton is no longer the Mail order base and my order paperwork may have gone missing in the move to the new premises or whatever, (i'm sure the shop assistant said it was all being done from Covent Garden now)

Well I got to Cambridge only for the job to be cancelled anyway some pics of the trip there and back at least, stratford to pancras, kings cross to cambridge kings cross wot no duck? cambridge interesting pointwork in the middle of the station job cancelled, back to kings cross 91 blunt end first on the blocks nrm hst javelin back to stratford hopefully the train will get repaired tomorrow or that will be tomorrow nights job up the wall too!

It's all big and scary darn sarf, just found out I've got to get over Cambridge now!

My order for the white one has gone awry, I called in the shop a few weeks back not realising they didn't have them in stock there at the time and they forwarded my order to the mail order department who promised to process it straight away the following Monday, had to make a few phone calls to chase it up and was promised it would be done that day, that was a good 3 weeks ago and nothing has been taken, wasn't too bothered as I bought the rail express ltd Ed off buy/sell instead Anyway I'm in london for a few days and payday has been so I planned to call in the shop tomorrow anyway so hopefully I can pick one up then (and make sure they don't process the other one)

somewhere a bit different today! off to hertfordshire later

Not in a photo mood today but did a carlisle to Nuneaton trip with a light engine 56, from there it went to washwood heath, why it went via the wcml I don't know! Wigan for 45 mins, not a single pie shop open on a Sunday though! And into nuneaton, unusual move, from the Wcml slow line to the Leicester line, change ends and back through the high level 'birmingham' platform London tomorrow!

dammit, had to go into work early so thats it for another week til i can do a bit more on the layout

Good idea about the go pro To be honest I can see exactly where they are coming off by eye on one of the inclines, I'm going to try and get in there in a bit with the handheld vac and lift the loose ballast (and maybe the track) to try and rectify the problems

Some from last night, took my proper camera but forgot to charge the battery sonthese are iPhone pics Shrewsbury to derby via the west Mids Wolverhampton Rugeley Walsall Rowley Regis Tyseley Rowley Regis again From there to bromford bridge via bescot and sutton park and back to derby!!

A lot of the issues with the shonky track are in the polystyrene risers, I covered them With plaster before securing the track to them with long pins and PGA glue I may well Lift those parts and put a layer of thin ply between the risers and track, the ballast I put down has come loose anyway as I most likely didn't use enough dilute pva to fit it in place, a quick whizz over with the handheld dyson should recover a fair bit of it for reuse, I've got all winter to get it sorted!

This one arrived this morning, very nice but will be eBay bound

Got some decent lead solder from my local model shop this morning and repaired the damaged track, took the brass box section out and used a piece of PCB instead as I could tack it down I was going to use the brass originally but decided to change it when I couldn't get the soldering iron in where I wanted, i originally intended to line the rails up by sliding a fishplate over the top and soldering the bottom but it was too tight to do in place So I gave up and went down the PCB route instead which i think far more secure as I'd have also had to cut the brass bar down the centre I ended up lining up the rails by eye, must have down it right as trains run lively over it now! Glad to have got it running again but I'm still getting derailments in other places due to the shoddy trackwork which upon closer inspection dips and wallows which is throwing single axles of the class 66s and some 37 off the rails and causing them to come a cropper on the hidden points however the likes of the 67 and mk3 take run lovely round the layout Really don't know which way to go with it now, happy to be running but fed up of how poor it is

wow! thats really tacky

back to holyhead again today with something a bit more pointy forgot just how nice the north wales coast run is when the weather is nice, i suppose when you have spent the first 30 years of your life there you dont appreciate it but it was so clear the snowdonia range looked lovely, stunning sunshine most of the way too, also forgot how much fun blasting alongside the A55 past Colwyn Bayat 90mph is! started in crewe 20 mins in chester 56 yesterday, HST today! and ready to head back from holyhead and that was about it photo wise