big jim

and here it is.... http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/84546-colas-buys-10-class-60s-from-db-schenker/?p=1486664 got some pics of it in crewe yesterday before they bagged up the name http://www.clicsargent.org.uk

speaking of the great central im currenly lodging in brackley for my claydon jn job, i've just come back from a drive around trying to find bits of the old line, i managed to trace where it crossed the main road north of the town centre and while heading out towards buckingham i spotted the top of a bridge abutment which is now level with the road so the line must have been backfilled also worked out where the banbury-buckingham line used to pass through the town, there is a cafe called cafe locomotive pretty much on the trackbed. if i get a chance tomorrow i'll grab some pics of the bridge abutment as its quite eerie!! i may well have a drive out to woodford halse and finmere too

Back down bicester this week, had to stable the train on the new track between london road and the chiltern mainline

Bit of a resurection of this thread, one from yesterday 350/1, 350/2 and 350/3!!

Each loco has its own particular traits, as well as things like different types of brakes, all air brakes but there are westinghouse, electronic brakes, pbl, dynamic etc, just have to adapt your driving to suit but they are much of a muchness really (apart from the 70) My fave to drive are 47s, dont get them often but as they are the loco i remember most from my youth they have a fond place in my heart! Be nice to get back on 37s though and looking forward to doing 60s very soon

the logs are about 1200 ton, the 56 would have probably had a bit of a struggle last night up gresford bank with the 66 dit if the train was 21 wagons, not sure how many wagons it had though anyway a few rrom earlier, noticed the 60 was on the move today so i popped down to the ETD for some piccies...... its being named in long marsden tomorrow, i got a few pics without the bin bags over the name but i'll post them tomorrow as ive seen no reference to the name on the net yet, it was actually just about to leave the depot but i suggested covering the names up so they werent revealed before the big day tomorrow, a quick call to the big boss confirmed thats what they wanted to do! even if the bags blow off before journeys end at least it left with 'an air of mystique'!

i believe the 70s may be for my train to claydon jn tomorrow night, hope so, not driven either of them yet

A freshly repainted 08 on the old diesel depot in crewe this evening, spotted while walking back to my van at the end of my job

Had a call earlier to go and rescue 6J37 at warrington bank quay which was suffering from low water, picked up 56094 from lnwr in crewe and went light engine to bank quay and dropped onto the front of the train before the booked driver took it on to chirk

Not quite sure about the 3 domes and 6 safety valves though!

i've seen it twice, dom has seen it 3 times and i've pre-ordered it on 3D bluray, which should be out this coming week

My little uns face this evening after blowing over £100 of his 10 birthday money on lego sets in legoland windsor!!

I was hoping he'd not notice his coat was caught and end up dangling like a swingball

a few pics from this week, been on the hinksey-bescot-hinksey job with a trainee driver coventry, waiting for a few trains to pass by and onto bescot, 66185 alongside on the way back to hinksey, waiting at st andrews jn saw this cat doing a bit of mousing, no hi vis or anything!! and into dorridge for an hour and a half then onto yesterday, my trainee sunning himself in birmingham international then we had a bit of excitment between stetchford and aston, 4 asian youths trespassing, obviously ran when we came round the corner so slowed down and stopped by them by which time they were climbing the pallisade fencing and giving us a load of abuse and the finger!! grabbed the camera and got some shots of them on full zoom, of course hoods them went up!! as i was photographing them (got some good facial shots for btp) the trainee was on the phone to the box to report the situation, good training for him the comical part was 3 of the youths got over the fence but the 4th younger one struggled to get over the times on my camera noted that it took him 5 mins to get over the fence but not before getting himself snagged on the barb on the top by his jacket, so that had to come off resulting in some more nice clear pictures!! i of course gave him a round of applause when he finally got over!! after that we got on our way to bescot , no pics, had a bit of shut eye instead but as the night before we then sat in dorridge so i grabbed a few more pics from the "verandah" then we carried on to hinksey and home via claydon jn to position a van for my job next week

what a great suggestion

Going back to the hachettes one thing i did with my rake of 8 is pick out the door handles/grabs in gold, also added no smoking signs to the windows

Thats another on my list too, would loved to have seen the viaduct in its heyday Another one that does it for me is the old clc viaduct over the ship canal at irlam

I've nicked this thread from the WNXX forum but it like the idea of it so thought i'd see how it went on here Basically throughout the country there are numerous 'railway remains' that can stir imagination or memories in someone so i thought i'd see what structures etc people on here find are inspiring/evocotive/sad to see/fascinating etc I'll open play with a small one but it fascinates me when i pass through there..... The remains if calvert station, as i have been trundling through there at 30mph as i near the end of my journey to claydon jn i quite often wonder what it would have been like to see the old GC london-manchester trains hurrying through i think its the fact its pretty much the only, what i would call a GC Design 'country stations' remaining on the national network is what fascinates me and stirs emotions, the first time i ran through there it was quite eerie to see the old platform emerge from the gloom then pass under the access bridge, another thing that adds to the sense of loss is the mileposts still count down to manchester (london road?) after quaindon rd So over to you, what structure stirs your emotions when you see it in its current derelect/abandoned state, i have more but im sure others will come up with them in time

it looks like a GBRf kids design competition entry now!

a) cant remember if that was me or not, working 4 wagons seem to ring a bell though!! if you tell me the date i can work out if its me B) The droplight is broken so is held up with a wooden prop! c) it would have had 4 wagons as they wouldnt have been able to load it fully for some reason, if it is one of my workings it may have been the occasion i got into chirk late and only 4 were unloaded and sent on their way so at least something could run loaded the next day mick: what do you recommend to glue the stanchions together with?

i seem to remember it was BR green last time i went there in 2011

Paington zoo

The kids reconned it looked like a giraffe

and this is the only train i saw all week.....

and now im back!!