Jim’s “out and about with GBRf” thread

[KeithHC]

4 hours ago, GWRPhil said:

Really like this shot. For me brilliantly atmospheric and a great angle.

So what did they take out of the loco………..

 

Keith

[Phil Himsworth]

49 minutes ago, KeithHC said:

So what did they take out of the loco………..

 

Keith

Jim's bike got stuck again, so the only way out was up through the roof...

[big jim]

1 hour ago, KeithHC said:

So what did they take out of the loco………..

 

Keith

before I lost weight the crane was used to lift my up and down into the cab!

 

here’s another picture from my arrival into Crewe at dawn walking over to the mess room to get my bike 

[big jim]

Juat a few from last night, same job again

 

had a walk to landor at from new st again as it was a nice evening, walking up to the signal noticed they were cracking on with the demolition of saltley signal box 

 

won’t be long until it’s a memory 

 

waiting in crewe, looks like someone has put an LED on the pantograph of this DCC fitted 86 

 

 

Waiting in crewe on the southbound trip

 

there was a fatality at Harrow last night and northbound services were effected out of Euston, the last Manchester Roser I’ve passed me near Lichfield running 5 1/2 hours late and the lowland sleeper passed me at tamworth running 3 hours late at 04:30, my train home from nuneaton which is normally empty had lots of passengers who had been trying to get home from london last night! 

 

Nuneaton 

 

same again tonight but through to leamington 

 

[big jim]

Just one from last night, same job but to Leamington instead

 

ballast job tonight 

[big jim]

Some from last night, ballast drop between Lichfield and rugby, a 25 mile worksite at 5mph!

 

bescot 

 

changing ends at Stafford 

 

 

Lichfield trent valley looking down from the high level platforms 

 

 

Amington jn 

 

And that was about it, ratcliffe power station to Doncaster tonight 

[big jim]

Just 2 from tonight, Ratcliffe power station to Doncaster down decoy with the weights and measures coal train which was top and tailed.

 

Got stopped en route after activating a hot axle box detector near chesterfield so had to go and inspect the wheel bearing just before barrow hill which was 6 wagons from the back, no fault found but had to stop again at Rotherham to check it again before continuing onward to Doncaster and stabling it in down decoy 

 

[WessexEclectic]

10 hours ago, big jim said:

Just 2 from tonight, Ratcliffe power station to Doncaster down decoy with the weights and measures coal train which was top and tailed.

 

*Stupid question* Assume that this is to calibrate the weigh bridge(s)?

[big jim]

Yeah, basically calibrating the weighbridge, it was all done and the train ready to go by the time we got there but we still had to go through the hopper at 1/2mph which takes about an hour! 
 

got it again tomorrow morning but actually dropping coal this time 
 

 

[balders]

25 minutes ago, big jim said:

Yeah, basically calibrating the weighbridge, it was all done and the train ready to go by the time we got there but we still had to go through the hopper at 1/2mph which takes about an hour! 
 

got it again tomorrow morning but actually dropping coal this time 
 

 

Is the full circular track still available at the power station? Unclear on mapping. 

 

Cheers

 

Guy

Edited December 6, 2021 by balders

[big jim]

Yea rhe MGR loop is still in use, straight in, discharge and straight out, no messing about shunting or running round like in ironbridge! 

[big jim]

Another night of ratcliffe 

 

met the train in Nottingham this time 

 

 

 

 

66788 this time round with ex EWS hta wagons 

 

And all discharged ready to check the doors 

 

And once done back to the loco for the off

 

 

away to Doncaster with it, obligatory Masborough photo!

 

 

that was it, into donny, jump off and car back home (via hobby goblin in Stoke)
 

same again in the morning 

 

EDIT: PHOTO UPLOADING ISSUES

Edited December 7, 2021 by big jim

[Davexoc]

5 hours ago, big jim said:

And all discharged ready to check the doors 

 

 

I take it the '42 Wagons' harks back to good old HAA days?

[big jim]

 

15 hours ago, Davexoc said:

 

I take it the '42 Wagons' harks back to good old HAA days?

I should imagine it does, it’s always been bogie hoppers all the time I’ve been going there (13 years), early on during my visits the daleks were still in place at the hopper for opening and closing the HAA doors, all been removed now 

 

just 2 from today, one in Nottingham 

 

and being as the doors don’t close automatically I have to go back and check all doors myself, only thing is the key is kept in the hopper house so I have to walk down the train, back along it checking the doors, then back again to drop off the key in the hopper house and back again to the loco, certainly gets the steps in, just over 1 1/4 mile back and forth!

 

Made sure I kept warm though! 

 

same again tomorrow

[jamie92208]

From memory the Nottinghamshire MGR trains were almost always 42 wagons but the Aire Valley ones were, I think 36. Alsp the automatic door vlosers saved a lot of effort.  I watched an MGR with HAa's go through Ferrybridge one night, (thevoperstor was getting a bit of small coal for me for modelling purposes), as the train went through the unloader the departure peg turned to green and the train never stopped.

 

Jamie

Edited December 8, 2021 by jamie92208

[big jim]

Just a few from last night and this morning, had tk go and meet it in Doncaster as the other driver didn’t sign the route via Lincoln and Nottingham (neither do I) so it was diverted via the erewash

 

 

Still got a marker light out, the loco has ran practically non stop on the circuit for the last week doing 2 trains a day between immingham and ratcliffe so hasn’t had a chance to get it repaired! 

 

Bit of a blast from the past in ratcliffe, the door key being branded fastline, amazingly it’s coming up to 12 years in March since they went Bust and I lost my job with them! 

 

A bit late discharging this morning so a daytime shot

 

and back to down decoy where the next driver came in and run it round for another trip to immingham after fuelling it 

 

a short crewe to banbury job in the morning on the trafford park job 

 

[rob D2]

Interesting shots . Coal you say ? That’s a swear word it seems these days !

[big jim]

1 hour ago, rob D2 said:

Interesting shots . Coal you say ? That’s a swear word it seems these days !

That’s part of the reason I’m doing these jobs this week, come 2025 coal power stations are supposed to be closing so it’s nice to get in there before they finally do the jobs are confined to history!

 

Saying that last night I did something non coal, a nice little crewe to banbury job with the intermodal off Manchester, 2 locos up front, 2nd one being dead in train 

 

crewe

 

banbury

 

back on the coal tonight, Doncaster to ratcliffe and back then hopefully a drive home via Wakefield to have a look at Heaton lodge jn layout 

[Davexoc]

14 hours ago, rob D2 said:

Interesting shots . Coal you say ? That’s a swear word it seems these days !

 

Percentage of demand isn't huge, but it looks like we may burn more of the stuff this year than last. Stocks must be low because someone turn the wind off during summer this year....

 

 

[big jim]

Last night of it, met it in Doncaster again, a few things passed through while I was waiting 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and my train, 66788 again

 

The end!

 

Blast from the past 

 

Ready to roll

 

And stabled in hexthorpe this morning 

 

New addition to the fleet 66799

 

possession train tomorrow rugby to bescot 

Edited December 11, 2021 by big jim

[JohnDMJ]

1 hour ago, big jim said:

New addition to the fleet 66799

 

possession train tomorrow rugby to bescot 

 

Still with its German DB-BASF number! https://www.gaugemasterretail.com/magento/rightlines-article/european_stock_numbering.html

Edited December 11, 2021 by JohnDMJ
Link added

[newbryford]

On 11/12/2021 at 16:02, big jim said:

Last night of it, met it in Doncaster again, a few things passed through while I was waiting 

 

 

 

They look like the KAAs that have recently returned to the UK.

[Fat Controller]

2 minutes ago, newbryford said:

 

They look like the KAAs that have recently returned to the UK.

They are. Apparently, they're running two workings per day. It would be nice to see some more flows like this

Edited December 12, 2021 by Fat Controller
Added text

[newbryford]

1 minute ago, Fat Controller said:

They are.

 

Do you know what flow they are destined for?

[Fat Controller]

4 hours ago, newbryford said:

 

Do you know what flow they are destined for?

Immingham- Doncaster.