Jim’s “out and about with GBRf” thread

[adb968008]

Qq, when running top and tail with the rear engine powered up, is it manned or is it ok just to drag it about ?

 

Ive seen a ton of ballast trains in our area this summer, many top and tail and I see the rear one ticking over when dragged.

 

The other common sight is on posessions, the trains going in solo, and last one top and tailed, the lead loco on each then detaching on site and going onto the rear of the proceeding, in order to run it back at the end.

[big jim]

The back loco is running but isolated to be dragged in the rear of the train, you can do that with the likes of 66s as they have no fire system, if it’s say a 37 then it has to be mannned if it’s running incase it catches fire, the person in board can activate the fire system,

 

Traditionally 37s have to be running on the rear otherwise it can’t keep main res pressure however some 37s now have an isolating cock to enable them to be shut down and maintain pressure (similarly 56s) 

 

if they are top and tail and the multi cable is in throughout the train (RHTT for example) you can have both running without anything isolated as a fire system activation is detected through the jumper cable 

 

the practice of dropping a loco off the back of one train into the top of another is called cascading, quite common where trains head back to site the same way they come from 

 

 

[Iron Horse]

Think this might have been you

 

 

[big jim]

giving it some welly today, running on greens

[Iron Horse]

I gathered that.............I saw you were running late and thought that gave me some time for my late running teams meeting..............I nearly missed you!!!!!!!

[big jim]

66735 today

 

a brand new uncomissioned 196 unit in store in Donnington, I had a look over the outside of it while there to refresh myself on them, I am supposed to be being passed out on the the end of the week (but it may not happen now!), my trainee for some reason was cleaning the windows on the loco!

 

And into landor st

 

Landor st to leicester tomorrow

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 1, 2021 by big jim

[Dagworth]

How far do you sign Jim?

 

Andi

[big jim]

I do Carlisle to rugby on the wcml then into london via the chilterns, didcot is as far south as I go outside london, hereford via the marches is as far south that way then the likes of bidston, Chester, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, derby, Nottingham, MML Leicester to Sheffield and Doncaster, clitheroe, hellifield, S+C then there’s other bits and bobs I need to refresh like holyhead, the Cambrian to Aberystwyth and Barmouth, heart of Wales etc but there is no requirement to go down there (at the moment) 

[newbryford]

1 hour ago, big jim said:

I do Carlisle to rugby on the wcml then into london via the chilterns, didcot is as far south as I go outside london, hereford via the marches is as far south that way then the likes of bidston, Chester, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, derby, Nottingham, MML Leicester to Sheffield and Doncaster, clitheroe, hellifield, S+C then there’s other bits and bobs I need to refresh like holyhead, the Cambrian to Aberystwyth and Barmouth, heart of Wales etc but there is no requirement to go down there (at the moment) 

 

Not quite as far as a Saltley Seagull........

[big jim]

Saw plenty of seagulls today waiting for my train which was about 2 1/2 hours late because of a land slip near harbury!

 

the question was asked of which line wa a which in saltley the other week, anyway here is a DB train being unloaded in the EMR siding 

 

Steel train passing by

 

70001 heading to landor st

 

Long train of VGA wagons 

 

Eventually my train turned up

 

And off at Leicester 

 

Rest of the week cancelled so a coleshill to derby tomorrow, bidston on Thursday and Iport on Friday now instead of the 196 course! 

[Chris116]

@big jim Those 196's will be worn out and sent for scrap before you get your training at the present rate progress! Thank you for more very interesting photos and comments.

[Markmiller2008]

I was too slow to get my phone or iPad cameras open at Leamington earlier when 721 rolled through the middle road! 

Too busy trying to get the info out to the staff!

 

Mark 

[big jim]

Some from today, road learner bescot to bidston

 

bescot 

 

a shot from my dad as we crept through Gobowen 

 

A soon to be replaced 150/2 unit

 

replaced by 230 units, one of which passed while we were awaiting the signal

waiting at shotwick 

 

into bidston

 

Penyffordd on the way back

 

 

Then into bescot where I was due to stable the loco then go home but it turned out it was the same loco I was booked to come to bescot to move to crewe tomorrow morning! 

 

 

a path was arranged and I ended up taking it to basford hall which will save me a job tomorrow, all I need to do now is move 3 locos from Doncaster to crewe later in the day

 

 

 

 

[big jim]

Just 3 from today, Doncaster to crewe with 3 66s, I don’t know if spotters en route were expecting us to have the new 66s in the consist but there were people everywhere with cameras down the Erewash etc but nothing else of note was showing on RTT?

 

doncaster 

 

and into basford hall, we asked en route if we could go via alrewas which NR agreed to which took over an hour and half off the journey which originally was via tamworth, Sutton park, Walsall and Stafford 

 

 

possession tomorrow and Sunday then a varied week coming up including working classes 47, 56 and 69 amongst others! 

 

[big jim]

Some from this afternoon, bescot to tamworth 

 

bescot, 2 cranes in view

 

Ews 66s

 

and my train to tamworth 

 

back in it again in the morning back from Tamworth but with a different loco as it will have been cascaded off a different train 

 

 

[big jim]

2 from yesterday, returning the wagons back to bescot from site, the job was actually cancelled after we arrived on site so the wagons returned in the same loaded condition as they had arrived!

 

kingsbury

 

bescot 

[big jim]

some from today, first up a quick trip crewe to trafford park with a wagon from maintainance

 

crewe

 

trafford park

 

then a tram back into town

 

cornbrook exchange which is on the start of the old midland railway viaduct into manchester central

 

and back to crewe, the new order on the derby service, class 170s

 

class 90 road learner 

 

then my train to leicester LIP, 47739 with 4 barriers and 56081 on the rear

 

and into leicester after a diversion via the west mids

 

fired up the 56 to shunt the coaches out of the way

 

 

 

47739 after uncoupling

 

 

and that was that, showing someone round shrewsbury tomorrow, then class 69 move on thursday all being well

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Craig1989]

How long is the 69 staying at Severn valley for?

[big jim]

Don’t know, it’s having a lot of testing done there I believe so will be a while 

[sleepyrider]

Missed that one - Leicester LIP is becoming a good destination for my 'daily exercise' bike ride along the old GCR into town - caught the 56 on Sunday when it came down from Doncaster. Terrible filming, max zoom on phone whilst holding it wrong side of railings and police helicopter overhead!

 

[Swifty11]

This is the path for the 69 for anyone in the locality of it:

 

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/R07745/2021-02-11/detailed?fbclid=IwAR1NYBbCF9Tbl7q9k80WSExNeHDE8DYaiVCfAVrNMbyaVZ3efKwR-bEcsrY

[big jim]

It’s been cancelled again, looking like Monday now 

 

 

[Swifty11]

2 hours ago, big jim said:

It’s been cancelled again, looking like Monday now 

 

 

 

Kiss of death posting the RTT link!

[big jim]

Well the 69 is moving Monday but I’m not doing it unfortunately, despite me being booked to work it the job ended up in the vacancy list and was taken by someone else before I realised the mistake

 

I am going to longport on Monday though to collect, I believe, 66794 to take as far as derby where it continues to Doncaster, varied week coming up, longport, possessions, Trafford park, and 37 IM train on the north Mersey amongst other things 

 

[big jim]

EDIT: just realised this is my 10000 post on RMWeb!

 

Some from last night, seems like ages since I’ve updated anything, medical wednesday then 2 days off and a cancelled job Saturday!

 

last night was a possession near daw mill 

 

66741 one end of the train

 

Which moved up the line as ballast was removed for the opposite line

 

and 66747 on the other end to haul the train back to bescot 

 

and in bescot after pushing the train back into the yard 

 

moving 66794 from longport tomorrow then doing a toton to bescot job straight afterwards 

Edited February 15, 2021 by big jim