jetmorgan

Finally got around to scanning some of my class 90's First 2 pics are of the launch of the class 90 at Crewe 4/7/87 Then comes 90 021 at Kings Cross 22/6/92 and 90 022 Kings Cross 8/12/92

Thanks Dan...bit of a bummer but will have to live with it...next time I'll have to go down the week before.

Sentinal Steam lorry that I sometimes pass on my way to & from work. Apologies for the quality but taken on my crappy mobile phone camera...

I'm trying to find out how long the B12 & 8F are staying at the Bluebell. I won't be able to get to the Giants of Steam weekend so was thinking about the following Sunday or the Sunday after...weather dependent. So when are both locos going back home?

In case you feel you can not have too many recovery series 3's there is another for sale on Ebay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1968-Landrover-Series-IIa-2a-LWB-109-Barn-find-Project-Restoration-/322277134008?hash=item4b0936ceb8:g:P5EAAOSwOyJX3uUW Also that early 2 door Discovery 1 is still available so I think grab yourself a bargain classic that I understand is only going up in price http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Land-Rover-Discovery-Series-1-200tdi-3dr-1-driver-from-new-136k-MOTd-until-Jan-/262646626275?hash=item3d26f577e3:g:EOIAAOSwCGVX63Tn

OOOOO don't say things like that...it makes my brain spin and I have to sit in a dark corner and whimper for a bit!!! and I have enough headaches trying to sort out the disasters going on at work. I'll browse that website at a later date...many thanks for that. I do still browse Ebay and the series 3's on there, and when I was looking a few months back just before I bought the Discovery there were 2 or 3 6cyl Srs 3's for sale and all runners and road legal and all not to far from where I live so not too long a distance to go in a car that I've only just bought and don't know if there are any big mechanical problems. While very very tempting I kept my sensible head on and stuck with getting a Discovery ......A 3.9 V8 Discovery There is a farm near where I work that I do deliveries to, that has a Series 2 (I think) sitting in a shed, body work looks in very good condition...I don't know what's under the bonnet, I presume 4 pot diesel. If I had a few thousand burning a hole in my pocket I'd make the farmer an offer. But I don't even have 10 quid burning a hole...£6.80 that has to last me until payday!!! So I'll have to stick with my dream Series 3....109" with 4 door cab and a pick up rear end....sitting on a coil spring converted chassis with a moderate lift, a couple of inches...Ford Cologne 2.9 Cosworth V6 with custom vertical exhausts (although I do quite also fancy a cummins straight 6) In black.....Oh for dreams!!!

Oh they are great fun and I don't mind the pumped up Defenders that have come along recently...especially when James bomb takes them out with an aircraft. But yes if you do motorway miles in them be prepared to be very tired at the end of the journey!!! and get one with a radio...I had to end up singing and talking to myself to keep me entertained. But buy your Defender now as they are just going up in price and you may start paying 5 figures for a barn find!!! I'd turn my eyes on the series 3 as they are still quite cheap...you just have to remember no power steering...so get down the gym and build up the biceps

Nothing wrong in showing your anorak. From the various articles I had read in LRO & LRM over the past years as I understood it that bonneted series 3 with the 2.6 were termed 1 ton but I may well have misunderstood or been misinformed....I don't mind being wrong...I only learned the other day, watching Shed & Buried, that there were 33 series 1 or 2's built with a Rolls Royce engine. It was a 20 odd years ago since I owned it and it will now be fizzy drinks cans and razor blades. I just like Land Rover products...well except for the most recent products and from what I've seen of the proposed new Defender, all a bit too much lifestyleee vehicle for me...and no doubt with a lifestyleee price tag. Just left the utility sector to the Japanese pick ups. Anyway love the Land Rover collection...think I may have seen some of them before on one of the Landy forums??? One of these days I'll get back into the Series or Defender habit...already have my dream series on the wish list drawing board.

Yes the Disco 1's are now good utility trucks...I did look around for a LPG conversion but again they seemed to be either thin on the ground or were going for above my budget and it was a decision of do I go for my current one or do I hold out for a bit longer. With the air suspension, I've no direct experience of it but from all the bits I've read in the magazines over the past 20 odd years, with the early ones it was a matter of you either a bought a good one that never has problems or you buy one that has never ending problems left, right & centre...typical of anything British from that time. I did see very recently an early 2 door Disco 1 200TDi going within my budget, with issues but road worthy and those early 2 door Disco's are now becoming quite collectable. Personally I think they look a lot better than the 4 doors...kicking myself a bit now!!! but Disco 1 prices are supposed to be going up so my late version might well be a good buy in a few years...just a matter of do I get it back to original ES standards...or do I get lots of extreme off road bling bits for it. Thought I'd post some photos of my old Land Rovers. First up is my very first Land Rover and indeed my very first car after passing my driving test:- Series 3 LWB 2.6 straight 6 1 tonne (not to be confused with the forward control 1 tonne) Bought this off a friend of my sisters husband. The friend used it for towing their horsebox around. He just removed the bullbars and the Atkinson badge off the front as he needed that for the restoration of his own Atkinson lorry (Borderer I think) One advantage of this motor were the windows in the back...as that made it a car and not a van so you didn't get charged van rates on the toll bridges and tunnels. Sadly it failed its MOT, needing about £1000 worth of welding work done to chassis so had to go...I think it's been completely scrapped now. I used to sleep in the back of it going around the countryside being an extra pair of hands on small farms and small holdings. Next was the replacement for the Series. 110 Defender 200TDi. Ex National Rivers Authority. Wanted a 110 with the idea of getting back out doing my farming helping hand thing but it didn't turn out that way but I liked driving it so didn't sell it on and get something smaller. I kept getting nagged about getting something smaller by my dad but oddly I was the first port of call if he needed a load of junk or rubbish shifted about. Wanted to get something with a winch as well as I did get the old series 3 stuck a couple of times in the middle of a field, so I wanted to be able to rescue myself. Disadvantage to this old girl was the lack of windows in the back so it was classed as a van which meant van rates on the tolls and it became non compliant with the LEZ so I couldn't drive over the my dads house. Eventually it came to have too many issues to get sorted and I didn't have the money to get the work done or the time to do some of the work myself, like replacing the doors so better to let it go. I'll post a pic of the Discovery when I get home tonight as I don't have any pics on my work computer.

Last of my 87 collection and I thought I'd include my one and only photo of the 89 87 030 Birmingham New Street 15/6/91 87 031 Euston 22/6/91 87 033 Ilford 20/5/89 89 001 Ilford 20/5/89

Problem was my planned budget was only £2000 by October this year....and all the Disco 2's were going for between £2500 - 4000...especially the TD5's. I'd sold my old Defender back in March and wanted to get something before the winter set in as I didn't fancy cycling to & from work in the winter weather. This Disco 1 came up at the end of August and it was for a good price so thought better not look a gift horse in the mouth. It does roll so I just keep the cornering speed down a bit, I wouldn't say no to one in the future although I may look around for one that has been coverted to coil springs from airbags. One other niggle that I want to get sorted out is changing the tyres for slightly narrower ones...it's sitting on 255's at the moment and on full lock they rub on the inside of the wheel arches.

Ebay can be very strange at times...a bit like the buses, nothing much worth looking at for ages and then suddenly several turn up at once. When I was looking there were 3 series 3's, all 2.6's road worthy but well used condition available. I was very tempted as my first car was a 2.6 series 3 (I'll have to dig out some pics of it) but they all went for more than my budget allowed...well above £3000. The other matter was of course the lack of power steering...I've got used to power steering from my old Defender and now the Discovery. But if I ever win the lottery, rob a bank or sell my body on the street corner I might just have another look at getting a series 3 and get it done up...either a LWB 2.6 or a lightweight. Although a Defender with a Cummins engine conversion I have a 1998 S reg Discovery 1 V8i ES...although it isn't up to proper ES standards as they previous owner did so repair work on it and used parts of Discovery 2 and the wrong sunroof mechanism, a windy handle rather than electric switches. Mind you thats not a bother as the sunroofs are all taped up to stop the Discovery factory fitted leaking sun roof. A number of niggles to get sorted out on it but it's road worthy and comfy for me and my old age!!!

I'm glad I went today then!!!

Looks very nice...recently bought myself a Discovery, off Ebay, to replace my old Defender but I was very very tempted by several series 3 LWB's that needed mild restoration...including several with the 2.6 straight 6 like my very first Landy

Oopps...spot of finger trouble there

Ok here are some of my 87 photos 1st 87 010 Birmingham New Street 16/9/88 and I've no idea who the young lady was who was also spotting at that end of BNS, don't know if you recognise yourself 2nd 87 015 Birmingham Newt Street 25/10/89 3rd 87 021 Euston 27/8/90 4th 87 027 Birmingham New Street 28/12/88

Last of the 86 collection now 1st 86 401 Basinstoke 26/9/87 at the Basingstoke 150 event 2nd 86 408 Birmingham New Street 28/12/88 3rd 86 627 passing Kensal Green 27/3/90

Evening all.... Pt 2 of my little collection of 86's 1st 86224 Birmingham New Street 13/9/88 2nd 86236 passing Kensal Green 27/3/90 3rd 86255 Wolverhampton 13/6/91

Well following on from the 85's here are some of my 86's. Again apologies for the quality...cheap camera equipment. Another couple of 86 collections to come and then on to the few 87 photos I've got. 1st 86 217 passing Stratford 7/12/91 2nd 86 219 Birmingham New Street 25/10/89 3rd 86 221 Passing Stratford 13/3/93

After finding my old 35mm while having a bit of a clear out & tidy up I've also got some of my older prints & slides taken in my train spotting days of AC electrics. Not great images I'm afraid as at the time I was cheap camera equipment, usually point & shoot 35mm until I finally had the money to get a basic 2nd hand 35mm SLR. Also several photos were taken at Birmingham New Street which never had much light to be able to photograph anything. Early AC's to begin with...well all 85's as I was too late for anything else 85005 Birmingham New Street 16/9/88 85009 passing Kensal Green 5/11/88, when you could get a good view of the WCML before loads of Buddliea's started growing there 85019 Birmingham New Street 25/10/89 85032 Birmingham New Street 28/12/88

3rd and final part of my DMU photos. I do have others but not worth bothering about. cl121 55022 Passing Old Oak Common depot 27/3/90 cl121 55024 leaving West Ealing 21/10/92 cl121 55030 Paddington 11/4/92 Lab 19 975010 Peterborough 9/11/91

That reminds me I need to get some bird food in next payday. Used up the last of my nuts at the weekend. Need to get wild bird seed, nuts, meal worms and a few packs of lard....I make my own fat balls. The birds will have to make do with what they've got for the next 2 weeks.

Part 2 of my small collection cl108 set 073 54630 & 53994 Leicester 29/9/91 cl108 set B962 53612 Bristol Temple Meads 1/5/89 cl114 55932 Birmingham New Street 28/12/88 cl117 set T305 51368, 59520 & 51410 Birmingham New Street 11/9/90 although it doesn't look like it that is chocolate & cream livery

After having a bit of a claer out & tidy up I've been able to get access to my older prints & slides of my train spotting days so I thought I'd get some images scanned and give my four penneth worth of 1st gen DMU images. Not great images I'm afraid as at the time I was cheap camera equipment, usually point & shoot 35mm until I finally had the money to get a basic 2nd hand 35mm SLR. Also several photos were taken at Birmingham New Street which never had much light to be able to photograph anything. 1st up cl104 set L265 53539 & 54491 West Ealing 21/10/92 2nd cl105 53367 Birmingahm New Street 16/9/88 3rd cl108 54197 Bristol Temple Meads 19/7/88