Jim’s “out and about with GBRf” thread

[corneliuslundie]

I am not sure that even your photographic skills could do anything to enhance Wrexham Central.

Jonathan

[big jim]

Some from last night, boring log job so didn’t bother with the proper camera

 

Set off from Warrington in good time, put me in front of a late running Holyhead service so I got tonchester early and had to wait for 15 mins

 

Voyager heading to Bangor

 

 

And away to chirk on time, which is where it got fun, got asked to assist a failed train that was stood between shrewsbury and Gobowen, had slipped to a stop on the bank coming out of the town, so after positioning the wagons to be offloaded I changed headcodes and went into thunderbird mode

 

And away to shrewsbury light engine

 

Then after receiving info from the signaller about the location, signal to pass at danger etc I headed off to the rear of the failed train to meet the driver (I’d already stopped and spoke to him on the way up anyway), picked up the driver at the detonator protection (and ran the dets over!) coupled up, brake test and ran ‘bang road’ back to shrewsbury, to futher complicate matters there is an AHB crossing that I had to pass under local control with a hand signaller giving me authority to cross, dropped back into shrewsbury and through the platform so the rear loco was clear of the north end signal to go and dump the train in coton hill yard

 

Isolated and ready to be dragged back

 

And away to the yard

 

All in and ready to head back to the station

 

Bit of a blurry quick pic but I mentioned this in another thread, a semaphore subsidiary ‘warning’ indication, quite a rare thing now!

 

Back into the platform to wait for that 158 to head north then I followed it to Wrexham

 

Where I changed ends again and went back to chirk for my train which still needed to be fuelled and due to the yard set up had to depart with 6 wagons still loaded as normally it would be shunted into position but obviously I wasn’t there!

 

Eventually left 2 1/2 hours late and didn’t gain any time at all on the way back as I got stuck behind a coal train from cosford to crewe!

 

A long but interesting night though

[Chris116]

Big Jim to the rescue! Rev. W Awdrey would have written a marvelous story about that.

[5BarVT]

Saw that in the log and wondered if you were on the logs. As you say, an interesting night.

Paul.

[woodenhead]

Did you hum the theme to Thunderbirds as you set off 

[big jim]

The funny thing is the train was the inward working of the same one that delayed me at hawarden bridge the night before on the 73s and it was the same driver too

[big jim]

just 3 from last night, forgot my proper camera but it was lashing down anyway

 

got on my train at chester after it had run round

 

over to frodsham Jn to await the possession to be granted

 

then on to halton curve to drop rail before heading back out at the runcorn end at halton jn and over to ditton to run round, poor pic as the sun had only just come up!!

 

then away from there to bescot to dispose of the train and home

[newbryford]

Dunno - trying to find out!

 

They (6392/6397) used to reside at Neville Hill - used as barriers for HST stock working.

 

 

 

Looks they're out and about as brake force runners.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sparrowhawk7/37754446514/in/photolist-ZwepB1-ZGtxDq-ZphrHb-DELLGm-21tjtEJ-GxWYgx-21Moun4-21AXxBG-21w4oyi-Dn2Gv3-21nFqR7-21icsMq-GRazKx-21Ghuns-GuYGFP-21uYzuU-ZDAq87-GRaiSv-21DwEGz-21tSqMR-21m5qz1-GDQBHz-ZKdfGw-GTKDSR-21HFjp9-21HsuXi-21rbS8c-GQwSbn-ZkXFY2-DvT5d5-21FyVB3-21HaSS9-Dzafh3-ZfyVcH-ZAA3Mu-GES744-21sj6LL-GyEQ5Z-21Fc3D8-21F2gRa-21s9D8y-21EZdkr-GN2fpH-DkjSQQ-21PhGkc-ZsJy62-21BwmU3-Zn8RKk-ZtjZ3Y-Gy7G1M

 

There are some more pics linked on wnxx.com

 

Cheers,

Mick

[big jim]

I meant to mention the barrier vehicles the other day, be interesting to see if they get repainted, I wonder if the Colas liveries pair may make an apperance one day (would have to be coupled buckeye to buckeye permanently though or modified)

 

Anyway just one from tonight waiting at Stafford for the tesco express to pass

 

And a vid of it passing

https://youtu.be/cDHjv-zIHbs

Edited November 25, 2017 by big jim

[Swifty11]

There was some info posted about the barrier coaches that apparently they’re only on short term hire to cover for unavailable break force runners so won’t be being repainted. But things do change so you never know!

[big jim]

Just 3 from last night, logs to carlisle

 

60002, just as we were about to leave the loco developed a fault and was unable to take power, a quick bit of fault finding ensued and I had to isolate a traction motor before we could get on our way

 

this morning in Kingmoor, im normally away Home in the first train home but I needed to do something in town so had a kip on the loco then popped into town on my way home

 

And when I finally got back to crewe there was this little lot, 68, MK2s and 37

 

And that’s yer lot, same job tonight

[big jim]

some from last night, a nice little 30mph trundle derby-new st-litchfield-alrewas-new st-derby

 

 

 

popular loco

 

new st

 

 

that was it for work, this this afternoon we got given some tickets to go to the santa special at the foxfield railway, despite being 30 mins form home ive never been there before, a nice little line with some interesting locos

 

the loco at one end of the train, ex woolstanton colliery 

 

and bellerophon at the other

 

 

 

whats this all about then?

[Craig1989]

Great pics as always and I’ve read from somewhere else that the nmt is out of service as it’s testing equipment needs replacing

Great pics as always and I’ve read from somewhere else that the nmt is out of service as it’s testing equipment needs replacing

[big jim]

It was in derby yesterday morning as a 4 coach unit, no conference coach, but I don’t know if it was off anywhere, normally goes to Heaton on a Saturday but yes it certainly was out of action last week as I should have had it Didcot to derby but got a night in bed instead, quite what’s up with it I don’t know

[big jim]

Just one poor pic from today, went to Blackpool and had a trip up the tower, was going to take my proper camera to get some zoomed in shots of the station but didn’t bother in the end but here’s an iPhone pic of blackpool north station sans tracks apart from platform 1 where there’s a freightliner ballast train

 

[Phil Mc]

Just one poor pic from today, went to Blackpool and had a trip up the tower, was going to take my proper camera to get some zoomed in shots of the station but didn’t bother in the end but here’s an iPhone pic of blackpool north station sans tracks apart from platform 1 where there’s a freightliner ballast train

 

 

The loco in the platform was 66597 'Viridor'.

Anyone happen to know which one was at the other end ?

 

Cheers,

Phil.

[big jim]

Bloody hell you’ve got good eyes!

[big jim]

Some from yesterday, was rest day in the middle of annual leave but got asked to move a loco from crewe to Toton and onward to derby, being as the job started 1/2 mile from the house and I could tie it in with passing out another driver on 67s i jumped at the chance

 

The loco was 67002 in arriva livery which is in hire to cover 67027 which is having attention in Toton, nice for me as I have the Hornby model of this loco

 

Set off from crewe and met the other driver en route as he had already moved 37057/37418/37521 from derby to Washwood Heath earlier in the day, and over we went to Toton

 

Where it was topped up with fuel and we collected 67023

 

Noticed these pair outside the depot at Toton, note the different font on the numbers, 047 has had a repair following collision damage and it looks like they have stuck any old numbers on it (look like arriva decals to me?)

 

We then set off for derby but went via the Erewash to Chesterfield to get the final hours driving required to pass out the driver, going direct would have left us short time wise

 

 

Then after arriving into derby I got roped into doing a brake test at Tyseley, so a quick trip over in the train to brum, dropped the cock, and train Home, well would have been had I not been sat on the wrong platform only to realise when my train pulled out behind me (and yes it was the last train of the night!) so unfortunately it was a taxi home!

 

And that’s me until next week as I need to use up my leave or lose it!

[Nick G]

I believe Colas have sold their three class 47's to GBRf?

[newbryford]

I believe Colas have sold their three class 47's to GBRf?

 

The 47s weren't regularly used (if at all?) on IM (test train) work and seemingly not much else recently. So it makes good sense to move them on.

I guess the extra 37s that Colas are getting (418/521) are to cover the hire in of the ROG 37/6s.

 

Maybe Jim can confirm/deny as required?

 

Cheers,

Mick

Edited December 9, 2017 by newbryford

[big jim]

I know nothing, I from Barcelona, sorry crewe!

 

back in work on Monday morning but I’m having photobucket problems so I don’t know if I can update any piccies

[cal.n]

I believe Colas have sold their three class 47's to GBRf?

What will GBRf do with them that Colas won’t? They hired a Colas one a few months ago to provide ETH on the Inverness and Aberdeen routes of the Caledonian Sleeper, but I doubt that would be worth a purchase.

[scottishlocos]

All

 

It would appear that the 47s will be going on sleeper empty coaching stock working as well as units moves as eth locos required for these moves

[big jim]

For whatever reason photobucket is still having a wobbler so I’m gonna try the site image uploader

 

First up today was a trip to Marylebone to refresh the route for my Christmas Day job I’ve got from old oak common, had a ride into the terminus before heading back out to Oxford via the new chord at Bicester, funny that since I drove the first ever train up the chord when building it I’ve never been over it since!

 

It was also the first ever time I’ve done the line between Bicester town and oxford parkway as I only signed it as a single line as far as banbury road from one direction and Bicester town station from the other!

 

Oxford

 

 

Then over to Hinksey to collect 70803 to take to shrewsbury, however the points into the yard at coleham are frozen up so we had to quickly get it rerouted elsewhere, unfortunatly everywhere in shrewsbury was the same so we ended up taking it to wrexham and leaving it there until tomorrow, to be honest I can’t see the points unfreezing tomorrow so I’ll have to work the training around wrexham!

 

Hinksey

[big jim]

Another days training, in Wrexham again, was hoping to get a trip out but points failures here and there meant we just had to trundle up and down the neck getting used to the controls etc, did lots of static work, played about isolating stuff etc

In the bay in Wrexham


Then at the end of the day I had to leave it right up the end of the neck next to croes newydd crossing

Tomorrow is definitely a trip out to bescot and back to coleham

Edited December 13, 2017 by big jim