big jim

Sunny morning in hackney, just off to new cross gate to act as site driver for the london bridge blockade Went to see wicked in the victoria apollo last night, very good show indeed, didnt know what i'd make of it but it was better than i thought, also saw dirty rotten scoundrels yesterday, of the two i'd recommend scoundrels over wicked, but neither over book of mormon!

Yep, rostering cock up, should have been in acton at 04:00 but relief wasnt booked on til 04:30 at hinksey, of course kennington is past hinksey so he had to go to didcot instead!!

Another weekend in london, working in london bridge tomorrow so a free day today so here is the west end theatre report! Just been to see dirty rotten scoundrels in the savoy theatre, WOW, what a fantastic show, very funny indeed, robert lindsey in the lead role but no rufus hound as support but still funny Well recommended if you are looking for a funny non offensive comedy, a few swears but quite mild, nothing compared to book of mormon, had the chance of going to see that again tonight but i've opted for 'Wicked' instead, not sure what i'll make of it but the reviews look good, i could have got a ticket for 'war horse' but i'm feeling like i need a laugh this evening rather than seeing a deep thought provoking show! Hereby ends the theatre watch...... Oh go on then, heres a train for you, my loco from last night bescot to didcot (and back cab to acton!)

it was quite eerie! walking back from where that pic is taken to the gates at heartlands park its hard to imagine all the trains built on the site as most of it is now just wasteland (for those who dont know heartlands park is the old metrocammel works) similarly looking down onto the site of the now flattened LDV van factory is quite sad! got a weekend in london bridge coming up now, just about to head off to bescot to collect my train (70810) and work it to didcot but i'm going to back cab it from there to acton and go off to lodge photo updates will no doubt appear when i get home on monday!

only one from tonight, had to take 56087 from chirk to washwood heath for repair

i was in newton heath depot doing my guards course when news broke of the attacks, as you say you could hear a pin drop, travelling back into central manchester to get the train home was quite scary at the time

especially for mick, 66156.... and a couple of others, british gypsum train just couldn't get this to focus!! same job again tonight, so no doubt more of the same pics nice job coming up friday, bescot to didcot engineers, into lodge in london and a weekend in london bridge again before 5 nights of the coal train from didcot to toton!!

just had a thought while reading your idea, how about i cut up a sainsburys carrier bag into strips as its the right colour! i think a bag for life would be better though as its thicker but still flexible

as mick says its warrington looking north fine about the picture too

I thought about using some very thin evergreen strip glue to the log piles and paint it orange once in situ, maybe leave the bottom edge 'floating' so i could remove the stacks if required

Just about finished the 2nd stack of 3 log piles for the first wagon, just need to fill a couple of gaps with small twigs and give some of the gaps a coat of brown paint and it will be complete, then think about how to replicate the orange straps Going to have another twig hunt round chirk tomorrow to get some for the next wagon!!

thanks for the idea jock but not for me im afraid, my reporting of my photos normally just amounts to 'pendolino', 'some units', '56', i dont know whats going where and why most of the time i just snap away!! i've been asked to do a caption for one of my pics going in rail express next month but i cant even remember when i took it or the id of the locos in the shot, luckily i can check the digital stamp for the date!

a few pics from sunday and monday.... crewe on sunday after bringing the empty logs from chirk then back to chirk for my van, had to change at chester, couple of 158s and a voyager and monday, pass to warrington to work to chirk crewe again, a lot of overhead wires! voyager and pendolino same voyager, different pendolino pendolinos again 175 coming in from manchester and a 92 heading into the 'muckhole' and into warrington southbound pendolino schenker 66 175 56105 and off on our way to chirk

i believe (not heard anything offical) they are for the midlands RHTT circuit

one to whet your appetite...... taken by another colas driver at whitacre jn

Of the maroon saloons, if i wanted to run one on my 'current scene' layout which would be the best one to buy to simply add yellow ends, dummy headlight etc I know they dont run in real life anymore in this form but the model just looks sooooo nice i really need one

couple of trains passing through banbury the other night

Had an extra little job tonight, because if pathing issues the baglan logs had to be held in crewe last night and they finally got in to chirk this afternoon and i had to take it from there to hereford Chirk... Rush hour!! And into hereford where i got a train back to chirk for my van Because of working late tonight i cant make the s+c to do road learning tomorrow

Things to move.... Not got a bungee strap? No worries, parcel tape will do just as good a job!! Spotted in crewe earlier

Only one little addition to the shed..... Couple of hooks from 99p land on the back of the door And now i have somewhere to hang the removable section when not in use Also got a lenz faceplate to fit to the layout front so i can move the controller about a bit easier

a few from the last couple of days..... on the bicester branch.... and the next night at wembley waiting to move forward to the rail drop site west hampstead having dropped the rail, shut the loco down and about to head back to bescot and run round in bescot ready to stable to locos

Crikey they have certainly stripped the colas 60s bare!!

Its dropped at 5mph

i'm hoping to get on them soon, as principal driver i should sign all forms of traction so i can assess other drivers on them, similarly the 37s, hoping to get on those too, i already know them from my DRS days and they were my basic traction with them so they wont take long to refresh

nope, im in didcot at the mo, got a rail drop tonight on kilburn viaduct (on the chiltern mainline just outside marylebone) i will be on the logs via s+c on saturday though road learning