Jim’s “out and about with GBRf” thread

[Siggie in the east]

11 hours ago, big jim said:

while we were there one of DRS new acquisitions rolled in to work a train to Toton, nice weathering on it 

It's not changed since its last few days doing RHTTs on the GE out of Stowmarket. It passed Colchester PSB one day with so much "weathering" on it, we couldn't tell what the livery was.

Happy new year!

Thanks

[big jim]

First job of the new year, derby to Hendon with 37099 and 37057 on a plp train

 

derby

 

new EMR livery meridian

 

37099 on the traverser

 

37057 on the other end, new domino head code boxes after the blinds got damaged 

 

a busy moment while I waited to leave, DCR 60s, 156, NMT and 37612 

 

minions

 

37612 and NMT 

 

37099 now leading from the station to Hendon

 

DCR 60 passing through the station 

 

and into Hendon where it carried on to Woking 

 

37057 on the rear 

 

and off I went to St Pancras, over to Euston and home 

 

trafford park tomorrow 

[DRS Crewe On A Mission]

Thanks for the excellent photos Jim. 

 

I always like seeing them especially of Derby RTC. The 37s are looking brilliant as always. 

 

Was it good to be back on the 37s? 

[big jim]

Yeah nice to get a 37 on a plp train so I can give it the beans at 90mph instead of trundling round at 30mph! 

[DRS Crewe On A Mission]

20 minutes ago, big jim said:

Yeah nice to get a 37 on a plp train so I can give it the beans at 90mph instead of trundling round at 30mph! 

 

Glad you enjoyed it Jim. I do like the 37s, I have more of them on my model railway than any other class of loco. 

 

Bet it's good to get a run at 90mph as opposed to the slower speeds. Do you have any of the Colas 37s on your model railway? 

[big jim]

I’ve got 025, 057, 099, 254, 421 and 521 Lined up for when I eventually get trains running again as well as the colas 67s 

[DRS Crewe On A Mission]

2 hours ago, big jim said:

I’ve got 025, 057, 099, 254, 421 and 521 Lined up for when I eventually get trains running again as well as the colas 67s 

 

That's a really good fleet with a lot of variety with the different style noses and liveries. 

 

I have 099, 175, 219 & 421 at the moment. 175 & 219 are renumbers of 421 so not exactly prototypical but I chose to overlook the differences because they were only £100 each so I couldn't say no. I'm definitely thinking about buying 025 next because really it would be nice to have one that was different and not in Colas livery. As for 521 in Colas I may buy this one after the eight week price restriction is lifted in a few weeks time which means that retailers can reduce them. 

 

The Colas 67 by Hornby did tempt me but with them only releasing one of two I didn't want to attempt renaming one with those ribbed bodysides on the 67s. So I will hold out and see if they release 023 at some stage and I may buy 027 to go with. 

 

Have you got 67021 with coaches and 67024 in British Pullman livery? I have never owned a Class 67 before by any manufacturer but I am really tempted with these. Especially since Hornby produced both 67s in the same batch, so it saves me renumbering. 

[Nova Scotian]

5 hours ago, big jim said:

 

a busy moment while I waited to leave, DCR 60s, 156, NMT and 37612 

 

 

This (other than the HST clearly being yellow on the sides) could be a scene from my childhood. Fascinating photo with no recent traction, but all those older classes doing sterling work.

[big jim]

10 hours ago, Nova Scotian said:

This (other than the HST clearly being yellow on the sides) could be a scene from my childhood. Fascinating photo with no recent traction, but all those older classes doing sterling work.

I thought the same thing when I took the photo, I actually cropped a meridian out on the right to just get the older traction in the frame 

[big jim]

Just a couple from trafford park last night 

poor shot of the resident freightliner 08 

 

running round 

 

and coupled up ready to draw out and split the train 

 

possession tonight at Beeston castle 

[big jim]

Some from last night, autoballaster ballast drop between crewe and chester

 

66623 in basford hall

 

loco for the night before going on the train

 

job done, into Chester to run round and head back to crewe

 

 

and back into basford hall

 

a week of Trafford park coming up, going to be a long one! 

[big jim]

Couple from last night, on this all week now so don’t expect many more pics this week as there are only so many shots of 66777 you can get!

signal check at crewe 

 

nuneaton

[big jim]

Few more of 66777!

 

raining tonight

 

 

2 more nights of it 

 

[big jim]

And again, signal stop in crewe, platform 1 last night 

 

 

last night if it tonight and only working it Landor st to crewe which is nice, the downside being the reason I’m finishing early is to be in tomorrow afternoon on a possession turn! 
 

then a few days off and 3 more days of it next week! 

[big jim]

And one from the last night of it, got off in crewe earlier as my relief didn’t want to drive the hire car to Manchester, suited me fine!

 

[big jim]

Had a few days off and then last night got told my train was cancelled so ‘stay at home and keep your phone on’, great another tonight off to go and carry on with the layout

 

30 mins later, a phone call, ‘we’ve got a job for you if you don’t mind’, dammit thought I was going to have an easy night!

 

The move was a light loco from Liverpool to Carlisle which was actually quite handy as I’m about due a refresh on the route from

preston

 

got a train to lime st before heading back out to edge hill and walking to the sidings, nice bit of variety there 

 

 

 

 

then it was up to Carlisle light engine with 66779 evening star, too dark for pics at tuebrook and not brilliant at Carlisle but once it arrived it joined another celeb 66 in London Underground livery for the trip to mossend

 

 

 

after that it was a drive home 

 

 

[Chris116]

I hope they are going to give you time off to make up for the lost modelling time!  

[big jim]

But if excitement last night, worked the Trafford park job from Birmingham but got to crewe and had a loco failure so had to swap for a DRS loco for the last leg to Manchester 

 

66777 which failed, we had to move the train from basford hall to Gresty green to get it out of the way

 

I then picked up 66432 from Gresty bridge 

 

which I dropped in the rear of the train, detached 66777 and carried on to Manchester

 

had to do a few big shunts to move the train out of the way as it’s had to stay there all weekend before I set off light engine back to crewe

 

and into gresty bridge 

 

 

 

 

and home I went, possession tonight between mickle trafford and Northwich 

 

 

 

[5BarVT]

Hi Jim,

Interesting night as you said.  Presumably via Gresty Bridge was to ‘turn’ the train and then out past Gresty Lane and Salop Goods. Was it via the siding (No.8 Road?) to get into Gresty Bridge, or the chord lines to Gresty Lane?

Either way, it’s a bit of a climb with a failed loco!

Thanks, Paul.

[big jim]

It was just mainline chord from basford hall (independent line) into gresty green neck with the knackered loco blocking itself into the neck, we had to put it there as the train is 2000ft long and there aren’t many places we can put it and it needed moving, had they not been able to hire a loco we were going to have to leave the train there overnight 

 

 when I went for the DRS 66 it was Off gresty via the siding and onto the train via the mainline, slightly different taking it back on shed, along the independents into arrivals 1, back to the electric road (toward the station), back into the hold, back up the western siding and into gresty! 
 

the loco is all fixed now and I’ve just been collared to take it back to trafford park tomorrow night and put the train back together for someone else to take south 

Edited January 18, 2020 by big jim

[adb968008]

Fascinating insight...

 

If Ive got it right GBRF hired the 66 from DRS, but assume you as a GBRF driver can take it (bit like a rental car/i surance) or is there some paperwork trail that in someway you are approved to drive DRS locos ?

 

Tonight I returned from Derby from seeing the DRS 20’s, to find 6Y66 (yes it was really that Headcode)  broke down south of Leicester diverting EMRs stuff via Corby for the next 3 hours, I saw two separate 1Z99’s going for it.

[big jim]

GBRF have to hire the loco from the other company for a fee or maybe they will borrow it to them if they can borrow something else later in the week!

 

as long as I sign the loco type I can drive it, I even asked if freightliner had a 70 knocking about I could have used but they didn’t 

 

as for last night it was a ballast drop on the Cheshire lines with top and tail 66s

66788 locomotion 15 

into Chester to change ends

 

66744 Crossrail at the other end 

 

 

 

job finished and out of the possession at 7am at Mobberley in thick fog and -2 

 

 

 

and a slow drive home in the freezing fog! 
 

quick hop over to trafford park tonight with 66777 

 

Edited January 19, 2020 by big jim

[big jim]

 trafford park with 66777 after repair 

 

parked up in the holding sidings in crewe with a class 92 

 

into the station, to get to the Manchester line from the siding involves a double shunt as you can’t access the Manchester line direct, so it was into platform 8 and Back out south into the down relief sidings before heading back north on the fast and across to the Manchester line 

 

and into trafford park and attached to the train, and that was it, relief driver in to take over and taxi home 

 

bescot to rugby tomorrow 

Edited January 20, 2020 by big jim

[big jim]

Bescot to rugby tonight with a rake of autoballasters

 

66783 in biffa livery leading, 66747 in NWT livery was on the rear

 

fenny Compton to crewe tomorrow 

[big jim]

Just one from tonight, fenny Compton to crewe with some wagons heading north for maintainance 

 

66758 “The Pavior” leading 

 

Return working tomorrow night