TheSignalEngineer

Why have I just found a roll of Gaffer Tape in the bookcase on the landing? Couldn't find it anywhere yesterday afternoon, although I used it in the garden in the morning.

Been there, done that.I used to have a party trick of banging my head and cracking them when I was a kid. Later I got a bit too enthusiastic one night in the pub when doing an encore.

Off to a great start with 7 in the first round then went down hill with a measly 11 in the other four although I am claiming an extra point for Dominion of Canada in that. I also want a bonus point in Round 1 for spotting that there are two stations in Picture No.2 (three if you count the embyonic HS2 site).

It was Lance Wade, a Texan who flew with the RAF in North Africa and Italy.

Reminded me of the church in my local area when before I was married. The organist/choirmaster was a frequent resident of the hostelry next door to the extent of being almost resident in the Landlord's Snug behind the bar. His favourite hymn for the choir to process out after Evensone was Ancient & Modern Revised No,34 "The Duteous Day Now Closeth". Verse 3 begins "His care he drowneth yonder"

From just north of the signal box to Livery Street bridge there were severe gradient changes. Not ideal if you actually want the points to work reliably.

I have learned that putting all tools away in their allotted spaces after use does not make them easier to find next time they are required.

The Strategic Reserve?

Two "prototypes for anything" for the price of one. As they were building about 1000 per week at the time it's probably not difficult to find one like that in use. I remember seeing a picture of a train of about 50 leaving a wagon works all fresh painted. On the other hand I wouldn't trust that 7-Plank to hold together with half a dozen loaded ones behind it on the bank up to Camp Hill.

Sometimes you just cant be bothered to weather one. This is an extract from a DJ Norton photo at Camp Hill Coal Yard in 1955, pristine finish. Just look at the state of that old 7-plank creeping into the picture next to it.

Space a bit short for the crossover and siding connection. Use a 3-way, even in the main line like this one at Camp Hill https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/lms/mrch861.htm

I am in charge of the store cupboard containing toilet rolls, bath and shower stuff, First Aid, medicines etc. If I notice we are low on anything I shout up. I also empty the bins around the house and sort the recycling so I can tell if anything has been used up.

Some old fashioned signalling people like me had a reputation for being a bit OCD. Just look at some of those big trees of shiny wiring in old power signalling relay rooms. I once saw on old installer putting offcuts inside the tree so as it went up the rack each level was perfectly formed. Well I've just collated this weekend's shopping wants from around the kitchen. I found myself putting the items in the order I pass them on the shortest route from entrance to till passing all shelves in the local Aldi.

The LMR had a lot of open stock, between 1925 and 1940 they built thousands. Naturally the newer stock was extensively used on ordinary main line duties with period 1 examples mainly kept for holiday trains and excursions. Compartment stock, some of great age, was also used. The ER had a lot of Gresley opens which could be found in full rakes or mixed with other stock. There was a record of a Thompson non corridor lav composite making it through to east Devon on a holiday train via Bath Green Park. Other than BR stock the Opens have been virtually neglected by manufacturers in all scales. Loco workings would have depended on route. Anything coming S&D would have local power south of Bath. ER trains often came via Basingstoke changing loco was frequently done at Oxford. Contemporary records of special workings often appeared in Trains Illustrated and Railway Observer.

There was a similar situation in S&T during sectorisation and privatisation when business sectors and outside firms were all trying to set up their own organisations. It led to some quite useless staff being recruited for positions they were totally incapable occupying properly. At least three other lots were trying to set up where we were located in The Rotunda with so much rotation of staff and silly pay rises it became known as the Magic Roundabout. Personally l had several approaches including two in writing with a contract enclosed. The two Projects Directors I worked under at that time kept their promises to make it worth my while to stay although was that because of my abilities or the fact I knew where lots of bodies were buried so to speak, and not only in our company. After all, I had recruited, trained, managed or worked with a lot of members of the opposition over the previous 30 years. You get to know a lot about where the Brown Stuff landed over that time, and not only in your own department.

I remember having an office window overlooking the end of New Street Station. There were some OLE switching structures there that couldn't be worked on without a full blockage and isolation. I cycled into work one day due to an ASLEF or similar dispute when all trains had been cancelled. The structures were completely covered with OLE staff doing insulator cleaning, swithchgear maintenance etc, which in normal circumstances on Christmas Day.

You should ask them to clean the residue off before sending the equipment to you.

I bought a Jenkinson book off Ebay and you could smell the stale tobacco as I started to open the package. Two years on I still have to leave it in the garage and only bring it in when I want to refer to it.

I'm getting jealous with all these pictures. I should have been riding my bike across there two weeks ago. Hopefully better luck in the Autumn.

I had a similar experience during reorganisations where one instance led to me being allocated to a job at HQ, home station 100 miles from my house, with it's section being staffed mainly by my ex-Divisional staff who were temporarily outbased in the same building as the Division pending HQ moving there so made sure I was in residence there on as many days as possible. This meant two hours per day more at home and full-day scale expenses about four times per week. Next reorg I was Staff Rep, didn't like the new setup, the RS&TE had given me a public rollocking for wasting money by using the design process which became the BR standard instruction post-Clapham. I got myself not identifed with the post I was pencilled in for. That left me in pole position on the displaced list and able to pick the job I actually wanted. As it was only guaranteed to last for a year I arranged with my new Area Engineer that I would live at my present home and I would qualify for redundancy travelling allowance in lieu of house removal cost. As it happened I got my immediate line manager's job the next year. I was displaced again in the next reorg where I ended up back home getting two grades in two years.

Thanks Paul, that's the one. I couldn't remember where and was posting by phone so not easy to find from scratch. Need for the scissors was reducing as the Stourbridge passenger services had gone in 1962 and freight traffic was rapidly declining. Besides the hourly Paddingtons and Wellington to Leamington DMUs there was little weekday passenger traffic. Eric.

The only picture I can think of at the moment was of KGV on the special which ran on 9th(?) September 1962. It's around on the web somewhere.

Returning to the subject of shed buses, a picture came up on one of my FB groups this morning. It shows the Saltley Loco bus in shiny BR livery in May 1949. at a guess I would say it looks like a post-war build of the Bedford OWB, which was the Utility version of the OB which had just started production in the Summer of 1939. Not sure about copyright issues so I am trying to post a link to the Getty Images site which holds much of the old Birmingham Mail archive. https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/british-railways-bus-used-to-ferry-fueling-train-crews-from-news-photo/918590736 The Utility OWB had slatted seats and steel in place of aluminium for a lot of parts but post-war some were rebuilt to the familiar Duple body interior then full Duple Vista style bodies reappeared until the SB came into service at the end of 1950.

Back doors and holes in fences had their uses elsewhere. During my training time S&T Engineering and Management trainees, who were Salaried, were expected to comply with the discipline of the wages staff they were working alongside. When I was based in Crewe Telegraph Shops for a while I was lodging almost opposite the gatehouse clock. It was 7.55 clock on for 8 o'clock at your bench IIRC. After a late night out I could get out of bed at 7.45, wash and dress then across to clock on by about 7.53. At 8am I would go down to the stores with a list of small bits needed for the jobs in hand. Then out through the back door by the PWay Club, back to the lodgings to eat my breakfast, retrace my steps picking up a bag of bits from the Storeman and busily reassembling a Block Instrument or AWS Cab Unit before the Manager had finished his first cup of tea and started his rounds.

Hi Matthew, The dates on the plan I took those scans from show that it was amended in October 1962, so it would appear that the scissors was still in position at that date. All of the photos I have looked at show coaches parked over it on the middle road so I can't say when it came out. Eric