Jim’s “out and about with GBRf” thread

[big jim]

some from today, a daytime job!

 

started in crewe, 67 heading off to chester

 

up to carlisle, unusual sight of a voyager in the bay, a connecting service with the pendolino going to glasgow via dumfries

 

over to kingmoor where the dalston tanks was departing for scotland

 

 

 

while my loco had an A exam

 

and off it went

 

couple of DRS 66s heading north with the stobart express

 

trying out the zoom while i waited for the fitter to finish

 

 

once the train was together i moved down the yard ready to depart

 

GBRf and freightliner 66s

 

GBRf 66741

 

ready to roll

 

to just outside carlisle

 

then away to eden valley loop

 

350 heading south, camera poked through the 2nd mans side window

 

pendolino

 

and that was it til preston where i had 5 mins to stretch my legs

 

up to balshaw lane jn

 

then golbourne jn for a good hour or so

 

 

 

and finally into warrington where my relief took the train on to chirk

 

a few trains while i waited for mine back to crewe

 

 

 

and that was it for the day

 

while i was sat in eden valley loop and golbourne i had a play with the zoom settings on the camera and am very impressed with the results, this camera is growing on me now but the preview thing is still very annoying, i have found a place in stoke on trent who can repair it for me and the bit is available on line so i'll get it repaired some point soon, anyway here are some zoom pics

 

the pics are straight out of the camera, no editing at all, all pics were freehand, camera on "point and shoot" setting, resting on the loco window ledge so a bit of movement/vibration from the engine

 

first up, no zoom, can you see the "giants golf ball" on the top of the mountain on the horizon (ive added a red V to give you a clue!)

 

now you can see it, zoomed in 50X optically

 

then with added digital zoom to 100X

 

and somehow 200X zoom

 

pretty impressive eh?

 

and a few from golbourne jn in fading light

 

see the pylon?

 

50X optical zoom

 

100X digital zoom

 

200X digital zoom

 

i think i may grow to enjoy this camera!

Edited February 10, 2016 by big jim

[eldavo]

That is a truly amazing range of zoom. May not be your ideal camera but bloomin useful none the less.

 

Cheers

Dave

[dhjgreen]

I do hope you learn to live with the downsides of this camera as the quality of the images and your photographic ability are both superb.

[CovDriver]

That's some impressive zoom on your new camera Jim I wish I could take pics to that standard with DSLR canon.

 

Cheers

Colin

[big jim]

some from today, smae job, different stops

 

started in crewe again

 

quite an unusual sight in crewe now, a 142 unit!

 

pendolino waiting for the off

 

nowt at kingmoor today, first pic just south of carlisle

 

350 unit

 

class 90s 

 

pendolino passing by

 

 

and over to eden valley loop

 

350 unit again

 

then carnforth

 

 

then to preston, sat on the goods at skew bridge Jn

 

 

156 passing by

 

319 unit

 

 

pendolino's

 

 

one of the functions the camera can do it filter certain colours, like a colour splash function, this one is the red setting

 

and into Warrington

 

 

 

and that was that again

Edited February 11, 2016 by big jim

[jamie92208]

Hi Jim

 

By chance I was in Lancaster yesterday doing a recce for taking Green Ayre there in May. I spent an hour and a half on the station in the afternoon sun. As well a seeing that engineers train that is shown in one of yours here's a portrait of you in full cry heading south. If you want the original PM me.

 

Jamie

Hi Jim

Edited February 12, 2016 by jamie92208

[big jim]

just been into cash convertors in town and they have the newer version on my camera with 63X optical zoom!!

 

Also a Bachmann 4F for £65 and some nicely weathered pannier tanks for £48

[CovDriver]

I wish our cash converters had the same deals as yours instead of hundreds of dodgy mobiles and laptops

[big jim]

some from last week and last night

 

bescot with 6C70 a week friday just gone, 59204 and my lead loco 66850

 

66849 on the rear

 

and last night, hinksey to banbury , 66849 again with 41 coalfish wagons

 

 

and into banbury, walked down from the signal to the van so used the opportunity to get some pics of the soon to be demolished south box

 

 

 

and inside

 

 

 

this picture focussed on the window frame instead of the station as i planned but i think the effect looks quite good

 

and that was that, tonight its off to newtown to collect 6C70 to take back to bescot and then take the locos to crewe

[GWRPhil]

some from last week and last night

bescot with 6C70 a week friday just gone, 59204 and my lead loco 66850

66849 on the rear

and last night, hinksey to banbury , 66849 again with 41 coalfish wagons

and into banbury, walked down from the signal to the van so used the opportunity to get some pics of the soon to be demolished south box

and inside

this picture focussed on the window frame instead of the station as i planned but i think the effect looks quite good

and that was that, tonight its off to newtown to collect 6C70 to take back to bescot and then take the locos to crewe

Some great pics of the Banbury box there. Would be of interest to "roundhouse" who owns the Banbury n gauge layout featured on Rmweb. Edited February 21, 2016 by hawkingetippyd

[big jim]

some from last night, just camera phone pics this time as i knew i'd be busy (or in total darkness)

 

pass from crewe to newtown, nice pair of 150s on a manchester to cardiff turn!

 

freightliner ballast heading off to holmes chapel by the looks of it

 

first up down to newtown to collect my train for bescot, unfortunatly the lead loco had failed so we had to propel from near caersws to newtown to run round the rear loco to the front, just short of 3 miles, propelling at 3mph!

 

anyway into newtown, run round and ready to roll

 

 

it was then off to bescot where i left the train, the loco then had to go to crewe to pick up a railvac, the problem being as i'd arrived from the north the dead loco was now leading and there was no where to run round easily, so with a bit of forward planning i arranged for the train to leave bescot via tame bridge, perry barr, soho and back north to wolverhampton and onward to crewe

 

into basford hall and shunted away for the night, they departed this morning with the railvac according to local gen

 

68003 departing with a train of coalfish, sounded very nice!

 

nice view of the yard

 

back to the van and home to bed,

 

logs tonight to carlisle then due to my finish time tomorrow i cant make job tomorrow night which was 97s bescot to shrewsbury, shame as ive not driven one for a while

[big jim]

some from last night

 

started in crewe

 

175 heading to chester

 

158 for holyhead

 

desiro

 

and into kingmoor

 

 

 

 

 

and that was that

[Gary H]

Frosty sleepers! Not had many nights like that for a while!

(don't step on them!)

Good stuff Jim.

[class"66"]

Any pictures of colas 37116 yet Jim??

[surfsup]

Any pictures of colas 37116 yet Jim??

A quick search on Flickr has these from this month.

 

https://www.flickr.com/search/?text=class%2037116&sort=date-posted-desc

[big jim]

some from today, started in crewe

 

XC voyager heading south

 

Pendolino on the fast line

 

desiro and 153's

 

pendolino pulling away from plat 5 

 

virgin voyagers departing plat 6 across the ladder to the fast line

 

175 heading to carmarthen, 66 in the background too

 

then busy until a few stops en route, pretty much did all loops between carlisle and preston!

 

shap

 

 

carnforth

 

and into Warrington

 

arriva 67

 

 

and DVT

 

and thats yer lot, wasn't going to bother with a camera tomorrow night but i've just discovered ive got a pair of 97's (37) on the train

[Phil Clarke 1980]

you've got my dream job

[big jim]

you've got my dream job

i'll give you a ring at 3am sunday morning to remind you of that then!

 

i'll be somewhere in the middle of nowhere waiting to drop ballast at that time, the worst part being its a class 37 which are not the easiest loco to try and get some kip on

[corneliuslundie]

Would that somewhere in the middle of nowhere by any chance be in the vicinity of Newtown?

 

Jonathan

[big jim]

Would that somewhere in the middle of nowhere by any chance be in the vicinity of Newtown?

 

Jonathan

yep, somewhere around penstrowedd i think

[surfsup]

A little bit further to my post Jim, Looks like another Colas toy should be out soon as ex Spa Valley Railway resident as 37254 appears to have been on the Loadbank at Barrow Hill in the past week, now has it's windscreens changed and OTMR box et all fitted. And it's still complete in INTERCITY Swallow livery.

Edited February 27, 2016 by surfsup

[DRS Crewe On A Mission]

A little bit further to my post Jim, Looks like another Colas toy should be out soon as ex Spa Valley Railway resident as 37254 appears to have been on the Loadbank at Barrow Hill in the past week, now has it's windscreens changed and OTMR box et all fitted. And it's still complete in INTERCITY Swallow livery.

 

Thank you for the info.

 

That sounds about right because it was originally due to debut back on the mainline in March I think so in that case everything has gone to plan and should do, all been well.

[big jim]

some from last night, did a sutton bridge to newtown (well almost caersws), no class 66s available so had a pair of 97s instead

 

sutton brg

 

newtown, as usual taken from  position of safety etc, no other trains or plant about

 

 

 

then off to the middle of nowhere to drop the ballast, had to sit round while they finished the work so tried for a couple of pics, absoluley no external light whatsoever just my headlamp and ballaster lights so not easy, i trapsed up a field for this one!

 

 

then once dropped it was change ends and back to sutton bridge

 

 

protection lifted and away to sutton bridge for relief

 

 

 

and that was that, first 97s since doing the class 37 conversion, nice to get on one but i hate to say it give me a 66 down there any day, better headlights and slow speed control for the ballast drop!

Edited February 28, 2016 by big jim

[class"66"]

Very nice pictures Jim!! always nice to see and here Network rail 97s.. :locomotive:

 

 

cheers neil.

[big jim]

im just filling this post with waffle so the next batch of pics start on the next page

 

waffle waffle waffle

 

blah blah blah

 

yatter yatter yatter

 

here we go............

Edited March 2, 2016 by big jim