Jim’s “out and about with GBRf” thread

[woodenhead]

58 minutes ago, woodenhead said:

I get more this vibe from them

Caption Contest 2:  I used to be the APT, but I got motion sickness

[Bloodnok]

13 hours ago, woodenhead said:

Caption Contest 2:  I used to be the APT, but I got motion sickness

I have this terrible pain in all the tilt packs down my left side...

Edited May 27, 2021 by Bloodnok

[corneliuslundie]

And here is a class  800 baring its teeth - taken yesterday at Swindon by Ken Mumford who circulates his pics to quite a few people.

 

Jonathan

[gismorail]

15 hours ago, big jim said:

I’m a recycled kettle 

[adb968008]

15 hours ago, corneliuslundie said:

 

 

Insert HST here ?

[big jim]

Rail drop in beaconsfield last night 

 

my loco in bescot before moving it over to the train, 66728

 

Then it was away to the drop site, 10 rails dropped and changed ends to head back

 

 

waiting in Wycombe for the possession to be lifted, 66777 on the rear, now the lead loco

 

 

This sign was discovered under an advertising hoarding back in about 2012 and has been restored and left on display with the words ‘formally’ added to it as the line to Marlow is no longer there 

 

And this is the lesser photographed opposite side of it, an enamel sign

 

And eventually back into bescot at 07:30

 

short job tonight, bescot to rugby 

 

as an aside for those interested in my weight loss ‘journey’ I’ve now lost 2 1/2 Stone but more importantly my diabeties blood sugar level has gone from a dangerous 76 down to a 43, the safe level is anything below 47 so 3 months of my lifestyle change has totally reversed the problem, this afternoon I’m off to Halfords to collect my new electric assist bike that I’ve got on the cycle to work scheme so I’ll be using that to get to and from the station when the weather is good 

 

[CUTLER2579]

Jim,

that is a fantastic achievment and one of which you can be very proud. Keep it up my friend and once more thanks for the time and effort you spend on this thread which has kept me going during my current illness.

Regards,Del.

PS:- Should I be calling you Slim Jim.

[gismorail]

Well done Jim on the weight loss not easy bet you feel like a young lad again  so much better to do it by diet 

Edited May 28, 2021 by gismorail

[37114]

Well done on the weight loss Jim and enjoy the electric bike. As part of my keep fit regime I do at least 90 miles a week on my bike and alongside a better diet (no burgers or chocolate) I keep my weight in check.

[Davexoc]

8 hours ago, big jim said:

 

 

I wonder if the other side was originally covered by this one? Seems to be a good match, but then it could have come from another platform.

 

 

Lives on at Fawley Hall, the McAlpine residence...

 

 

[big jim]

Got the bike earlier but they didn’t have a chance to charge it for me so I had to ride it home like a sucker with no assistance, quite surprised to be honest not as hard as I thought it would be, it’s a heavy bike (20kg) but I managed the 3 miles home with just one stop for a breather, looking forward to trying it with power!

 

I may see if I can get it up to the caravan tomorrow and do a bit of the Solway cycle path as it’s nice and flat! 

[5BarVT]

23 minutes ago, big jim said:

it’s a heavy bike (20kg)

You were lugging nearly that much around all the time, so well done at losing it.

Paul.

[The Pilotman]

I came across a startling figure recently; it has been estimated that overeating in the developed world accounts for approximately 10% of global food production. Put another way, the amount of excess food consumed by those who eat more than they need to could feed almost one billion people. Food for thought, if you’ll pardon the pun.

[big jim]

Just one from Friday night bescot to rugby with empty falcons 

 

 

off til Wednesday now, then a couple of intermodals and 196s again 

[big jim]

Ive started a separate thread about my weight loss if anyone is interested......

 

 

 

[big jim]

Some from today, last minute change of job, ended up with a bescot-Donnington-Landor st job via crewe and shrewsbury both ways 

 

bescot 

 

My train

 

Unusually conveying a VKA wagon too

 

and back to landor st

Engineers train tomorrow night in Wolverhampton 

 

 

[Iron Horse]

Sorry I missed you this morning, open trains gave me a false sense of security as I wondered around the house!!!!! But this afternoon was much better......

 

 

[big jim]

Do you catch the 3 x 97s going the other way about a minute after I passed by? 

[Iron Horse]

Sorry Jim, I didn't.......I was in the middle of cooking oatcakes for my daughter for lunch 

 

Light engine going towards Nantwich is a little boring at the moment, I guess going downhill (and is there a temporary speed restriction?) they generally just coast past the house........although this was good the day before

 

 

[Phil Mc]

4 hours ago, Iron Horse said:

Sorry Jim, I didn't.......I was in the middle of cooking oatcakes for my daughter for lunch 

 

Light engine going towards Nantwich is a little boring at the moment, I guess going downhill (and is there a temporary speed restriction?) they generally just coast past the house........although this was good the day before

 

 

 

Unusual bonus at the end there !!

 

Cheers,

Phil.

[big jim]

Just a few from last night, bescot to oxley to change ends then to site at crane st jn, back on the same train tomorrow 

 

bescot 

 

running round in oxley, had 10ft in front of me to the signal

 

And the other end was about 2ft from the signal!

 

 

[big jim]

And back to it today, pieces the train together back on site and worked it back to bescot 

 

 

 

 

And into bescot 

 

i was then supposed to go to shrewsbury to get on the cement train to hereford but as I was early back to bescot I had enough time to drive to shotton and meet it there 

 

150 unit

 

when I go to Wrexham the signaller couldn’t pull off his section Signal so I had to go ‘at caution’ to the next signal, that next signal being Gobowen’ home signal some 13 miles away!

 

That made me the best part of an hour late into shrewsbury where I waited for a Cardiff service to go in front of me along the marches 

 

lots of different signal types!

 

 

and into hereford

 

and off to a hotel for the night, bescot to east mids gateway then back to crewe tomorrow 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 6, 2021 by big jim

[big jim]

Some from today, bescot to east mids gateway and back to crewe 

 

had a few hours at east mids so went for a walk up the man made hill alongside the site 

 

 

while I was there 2 euro fighter typhoons took off from the airport, never seen one in flight before but what a noise, they also took off and did a vertical climb which was amazing, so quick I couldn’t get a pic!

 

Ready to leave

 

and then it got interesting, got to Lichfield high level and got a call asking me to assist a failed train as I wa s the closest loco to it, agreed and once confirmed got down and uncoupled, handbrakes on and pulled the loco forward to Lichfield chord, changed ends and headed back to alrewas, back out into the main tamworth to burton line to await instructions to head ‘bang road’ to the failed train

 

I then got a call to say the fitter had managed to get the train fixed and it was on the move so I wasn’t required!

 

changed ends again and dropped into cerntal rivers reception line where I changed ends again to prepare to head wrong line back past alrewas to Lichfield to my train, I then thought about the logistics of it ans the fact the line back has manned crossings but also a half barrier crossing which didn’t have wrong direction controls so it would need a crossing attendant to lower the barriers, as it happened there wasn’t one available so that stuffed that idea up!

 

so onto plan B, and this is why I like to maintain my route card, from central rivers I went tamworth- water orton- Birmingham new street (changed ends)

New St- Aston - Sutton Coldfield- Lichfield high level and back onto my train from that direction!

 

of course I then had to couple up, handbrakes off, then walk to the back of the train to do a brake test, set my fitness watch app going and I covered just over a mile in doing so, finally got away from lichfield some 3 hours late

 

as I’m so late I can’t catch the start of my job tomorrow so someone else is bringing it to crewe for me and all I’m doing is crewe to trafford park, a nice short day to make up for today’s mess! 

 

[5BarVT]

Not just any old mile, ballast/cess is rough going too.

Paul.

[Mark Saunders]

1 hour ago, 5BarVT said:

Not just any old mile, ballast/cess is rough going too.

Paul.

Even worse when you have spent almost all the shift within 200 yards of an access point and then you start dropping ballast and end up nearly a mile away when your relief turns up!