big jim

I wasn't going to joint the 'me too' brigade but mine has arrived too, no email confirmation but I did order it face to face in the shop a few months back, I think I may well be ringing them back in Friday to order the other one (that I changed for this one last minute!) As mick says the etched plates are under the loco attached to the blister packaging under the detailing parts

some from today, loco swaps between crewe and derby started with 37069 to derby from gresty bridge had to wait while freightliner shunted some wagons the HOBC was also being moved in the distance into the station and away to derby unusually got stopped in the platform at kidsgrove and once that was in derby i had to bring this lot back to crewe! this must be following me round! and into crewe and away to gresty bridge its such a ballache getting 3 locos together to move, prep each one, jumpers in, brake test, double check brakes/handbrakes etc, i put the control cut out switch in on the centre one so it wasn't powering up, the outer 2 were as i needed to change ends 5 times between leaving derby and arriving onto gresty bridge!

yet more pics from the weekend tyseley to derby via shrewsbury via kidderminster tyseley snow hill new st shrewsbury then a swinton to derby job and there we go

Some from today, conducting the TRU from Derby to Banbury Stopped at Leamington to wait time Then this came through, I'd already seen rood Ashton hall at tyseley! https://youtu.be/1rgBp-ApYes And off at banbury to get a voyager back to derby Local job tomorrow, more bloody 37s though!!

And here is a video of the GCR trip

lets have something a bit different this time... first job this morning retrieve a train from swinton to derby, an unusual sight in derby 2 east midlands trains coming in at the same time, one from etches park and the other from nottingham (going to skegness) some will be happy to see that 37057 has had its destination blinds repaired i then went to loughborough to the model show which was a bit meh! so after an hour i decided to go and have a look at the Great Central Railway who were having a 50th anniversary since closure gala 9F on the windjammer dmu class 25 rained all morning 25 departing ropley ropley signal box lovely station dmu again back to quorn and woodhouse where i found this little gem, the parcels office has been turned into a naffi cafe, its actually under the road bridge! caught the 25 back to Loughborough 9F and Britannia passing by 6990 shunting off the windjammer 31 in the yard 25 and 46 got the 25 back to ropley where i crossed the platform to get the Hall back to quorn love the station entrance at quorn lovely station 70013 passing through non stop at this point the camera died so i didnt get a pic of the 9F i got back to Loughborough, a quick dash to the van to collect my emergency charger which bought my phone/camera back to life for the afternoon, made it back to the station in time to get cromwell back to leicester north running round and ready to go nice headborads the black 5 carried a wreith off at quorn again got the 8F back to Leicester leicester north station off at Quorn again and onto this one, Black 5 and 25 top and tail back in loughborough 25 again 8F ready to drop on onto another Leicester service and finally 70013 arriving back into loughborough must admit i had a fantastic day at the GC today, cant believe ive not visited in a good 30 years! i dont normally "do" heritage railways but i really enjoyed myself today, the whole set up is fantastic, the signalling around swithland is something to behold and the double track mainline is superb, passing other trains is a great experience! i will definatly be paying a return visit at some point

sorry about that, when i got the paperwork it showed us transit from tyseley to smethwick jn so i spoke to control to see if we could take the shorter direct route via snow hill rather than having to thread our way round new st to galton jn, we did come back into new st though en route to shrewsbury, changed ends in platform 3 and away to wolves (and ultimatly shrewsbury) from there

Just one from tonight, had to do a transit move from Peterborough to derby via Melton Mowbray, nowt special, another DBSO move! 37175 on the rear, that's my train for my job this evening too, off round the dark side to Kidderminster via new st then off to shrewsbury and walsall amongst other places

the new 3D prints from modelu are imminent according to alan, just waiting on a delivery of resin, you can then also have tall paul and little willy in the yard too

that 08 really needs a mini me driving it

the tonezzzzzzz werent for you, they were for the p-way you can see in your pic towards balshaw lane! the pics come out well when you consider i was doing 90mph at that point

the grey boxes are LED light units for illuminating the pointwork during night time P way work the green boxes on etches park are fresh water supplies to top up the toilets etc on units

yes it is/was a loco release, i dont suppose anything would use it now anyway some from today, crewe to carlisle these were in crewe when i got there heading off to derby and my train wigan, did the underpass move into platform 1 again and into carlisle one of those jobs today that i really enjoyed, been getting a bit fed up of class 37s as its all i seem to have driven the last few months but today was a good one as it was a 90mph max train and in places where i could do that i wound it up to speed (line speed and train configuration have to be taken into account as in places i'm limited below line speed) it certainly makes you have to think about the fluctuating speeds on the northern end of the WCML so you hit them right, something you dont have to think about on a 60mph freight and away home in my van!

lets fill some gaps now im finally home for a few days going back to fridays job, crewe-manchester-derby with unusually 37716, a first for me that one dbso on the blocks in piccadilly 37716 under the roof crewe and back to derby, early morning dawn shots train back to crewe where i noticed a special was booked to arrive shortly adter i arrived in from derby voyager heading south 90 heading north then yesterday it was carlisle to derby with 37057 crewe and after a night in a hotel in derby today was yet another run around all over the place 08417 shunting stock over to etches park (not me on it!) 37558 (37424) 56113 and 08899 on etches 37025 large logo together! my job was to conduct this to leicester, note the other 73 on etches too 37025 fires up away to leicester and into the station travelling back pass on a meridian i noted a coal train departing ratcliffe, must be the first one for a long time then the next job was to take this to doncaster with a trainee, passing him out on dbso's rotherham masborough with 37254 bringing up the rear and into doncaster HST passing through and that was that, nice local job tomorrow, 37116 and 37025 crewe to carlisle and pass back

like phil my dumper has turned up the same week as the coach! lovely model, definatly a keeper

i was going to link to that too, lovely story the pic of the little un 'flying' away from the camera in the forest is a stunner

You'll be lucky! I've been after it for ages to go with 20189, never bought it when it was released and now selling at a premium on the likes of eBay As it happens i was in s and j yesterday morning and saw 189 on the shelf, of course had a look to see if it was the White one which unfortunatly it wasnt, I've paired mine up with a gbrf one for now

Hmmm, I changed my order from the white one to the black one, I may well have to make a call to reorder it now!

some from last night doncaster to derby with 37116 and 37175 on one plp train doncaster derby (using a class 73 as a tripod!) then it was back to doncaster with 37602 and 37609 with a different plp train 37609 is first one ive had in the new drs livery

it would seem some got the unimog and others the class 66 that particular month, i got the 66 unfortunatly

proper camera update! 37421 "all gold" derby and away to new st over to leicester and back at derby yesterday in carlisle and thats that, WCML tonight but wont be bothering with the camera

this is the coach, looks good, cant say ive ever seen a real one though

Had a few days off but here are a few from tonight, prepped a train in Carlisle ready for it to head along the Cumbrian coast 37057 at the tail end Royal Mail unit 37057 again 37403 passing on the Cumbrian coast service Independance day pendolino Fellow rmwebber 21Alizard traction conducting the train And a video https://youtu.be/mGdEho-WYC8

You May as well make a complete new loco by the time you've done all those mods!!

Oooh, exiting times, had 'the call' earlier to confirm my details, dispatch by the end of the month according to the lady on the phone I actually changed my order from the white one to the black one while on the phone without issue as I decided I prefer the look of that one (although if I can afford it and they don't sell out quickly I may well get the white one too at some point)