big jim

but looking at his other items, you gotta love this... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FORTH-RAIL-BRIDGE-CANTILEVER-OO-GAUGE-48-LONG-/151864526350?hash=item235bd4c60e:g:L50AAOSwAYtWL6Z2

in the 80s "railriders" caps were a must, me on the left

funny how life turns out mike, your pic of the aproach to spellow station from 59003 made me think of one of my fave steam age pics of an 8f hammering out of spellow tunnel, i googled it and it bought up the image in the rmweb archive in a post written by yourself back in 2007 (about 1/2 way down the page) http://rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=10827 interesting that your final comment in your post is....... "spellow station, how bout this for spooky, im going to try and get a shot of a train along here one day" that "one day" being 7 years and 360 days later and you were in the cab (as opposed to driving a cab as i seem to remember you did back then)

http://peelports.com/news/phase-1-of-the-100m-terminal-at-port-of-liverpool-opens-for-business-with-first-biomass-freight-train

some from today, down in bristol for training on dbso's brunel's train shed station overview dbso in the high level sidings 37175 on the other end we set off towards shrewsbury via parkway to change ends so the dbso was leading where we discovered an issue which meant we had to return to bristol pink 153 another view of the station SWT 159 i so wanted to see the young ones running up the ramp to catch a train to be on university challenge and that was that

Overcast in brizzol this morning Just heading off to temple meads to get on my training train, supposedly going all the way to chester and back with it but i think we'll turn back at shrewsbury as the day is too long if we do the whole trip Should a good if somewhat long day

Well i have to learn it and be assessed on it, i can drive from it therefore it is traction! Admittedly i thought, "its just a coach" a few weeks back until i have had a few days with them, they are so much more complex than mk3 DVTs which i also know

My head hurts! first day of static on DBSOs for a coach there is a lot to remember, lots of isolating cocks, buttons, gauges, mcb's, so busy didnt even get a chance to get a pic of it To top it all there is a change of plan and now im staying in bristol instead of cardiff, first time ive driven in bristol and hopefully it will also be thr last, the van is parked up and i have no intention of moving it til thursday, im even willing to walk the mile to temple meads station to avoid driving round this place!

Not looked out of the window yet l to see what the weather is doing, in cardiff this morning got 4 days here while i learn some new traction, static work today then handling turns the rest if the week, likely to be a run to crewe and back to get the hours in Got to pick the instructor up at the station later then off to canton

the more i thought about this comment the more i felt i should give it a go so, simply moving the platform to the other side gave me this meaning the canopies fit over the tracks just loosely placed but loking quite good so from there i cut the legs down on them (the lugs and 2cm off) i then removed the low relief building and put a retaining wall in its place, the canopies are balancing on glued on coffee stirrers glued to the wall at this point (one is also masked up ready to paint the framework) my only concern was how close the uprights are to the edge of the platform, they are ok at the bridge end but as the platform isnt quite parallel with the shed wall they move closer to the track as the canopy moves along anyway i cured the problem by simply sticking a "craft lolly stick" to the inside of the side girder and in turn the upright to that, its not noticable from normal viewing angles and helps keep the uprights a decent distance from the platfrom edge moving them around again i had a look at the bay platform side and how to make the canopy look effective over that side, this is how it looked until i moved the bay platform track 1cm to the left meaning the platform could also move over meaning the canopy would be on the edge of the platform, out came the trusty foamboard and i made a high retaining wall for the canopy to "bolt onto" as it were, its the same length as the wall i added on the far side a low wall at the other end of the platform clad in stone card and window holes cut in obviously got to add lintles, arches etc to them similarly copings to add to the wall i've got 2 more 2nd hand canopies coming this week so just need one more to cover the whole area, in fact i only need the canopy part as i have enough spare legs and sides and with a coping stone strip loosley added ive also added copings to the bridge i will have to have a look at redoing the pedestrian access to the station from the bottom level again as the glass box doesnt look right now there is a big wall a final overview of the station, i'm wondering whether to put a holding siding between the mainline and bay now?

the manual says they are designated DBS (driving brake staff) but as you say they are known as dibso's

Already know DVTs, ex chiltern and all that! Anyway im not saying so lets not have pages of guessing, all will come clear in time Just one from today, pair of 20s on etches park

Nope, already sign 08s

Oh god no, dont want to get anywhere near those

Whats an MMU?

Please sir, please sir...... I know what they are! Looking forward to seeing the finished result

This is turning into a 'wish list' thread

there is a subtle hint (hidden message) on this page somewhere!

as you do.. luggage rack on a XC hst earlier, it was heading towards cornwall so i did wonder if someone was going surfing

my dad told me about that pic, the good thing about that job yesterday was it didnt show on realtime trains (or trust!) so it caught a lot of spotters and fotters out, flying through stafford on the fast at 60mph was funny, watchng everyone run across the platform to try and grab a shot anyway a few random pics from today, had to get from burnley to toton for my van which isnt as easy as it sounds, the choice is leeds-sheffield-derby or manchester-sheffield-derby or even manchester-crewe-derby, anyway went for the route via leeds along the calder valley as ive never been that way before burnley manchester road, blackpool bound 158 and over to leeds where luckily this was running 15 late so i managed to get it directly to derby, my booked connection was to sheffield then another change there to derby that was about it, taxi to toton and home tomorrow is a job in derby then ive got 5 days in cardiff learning some new traction, that traction definatly being something obscure i never thought i'd be learning in a million years!

if im not careful i might get job in t'mill

had yet another rescue mission today, the perston tanks failed in rose grove with lack of power so i had to go to toton to collect 60056 to go and rescue it, ran as 1Z99 so had priority over most traffic, even had me on the fast from lichfield to winsford leaving toton and non stop into preston where i left the loco in the parcels bay as i dont sign the route to rose grove as the train is a tank train it cant be left unattended so i had to go with the shunter from preston to sit on the loco while the driver goes back to preston to collect 60056 unfortunatly by the time he gets back to the train he will be at the limit of his day so the train will have to sit in the loop until the next driver books on at midnight therefore ive got to sit on it til then, by the time he gets here i'll be at the limit of my day so i'll off to a hotel in burnley for the night before heading back to toton after rest tomorrow to collect my van! who says freight is glamorous

Control orders today hopefully i wont get a call to move a train Got next weeks roster in, got 4 days training based in cardiff so will have to lodge away, then on thr friday got a booked job using the train im training on

some from today, should have been doing chirk to hereford with the baglans but operational issues meant it didnt actually arrive into chirk at all so i ended up working a very delayed carlisle logs instead basically a lorry crash shut the M56 and railway line between warrington and chester (for the 2nd time in as many months) which meant the carlisle logs had to run to crewe to run round and head back via chester however as it came time to depart the line between crewe and chester shut due to some cows on the line, it eventually got away at some ridiculous hour, getting into chirk just after midnight, because of that the baglans has had to stay in gresty lane overnight and will be coming out in a bit http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/m56-tanker-crash-three-people-10301119 http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/cows-cause-mayhem-cheshire-train-10300644 i left chirk at 06:00, getting into crewe for 08:15 with 60095 as it happened my dad came in on the train behind the logs heading off for a days spotting in nottingham so i hung around until he departed so while i was there a colas operated IM train came in DBSO leading in 37603 at the other end and a 325 went through north i've got to pop back out in a bit to brake test the train at gresty lane!

i know a mike hunt, likes to be called michael for some reason also knew a lad at school called 'ewan kerr'