Jim’s “out and about with GBRf” thread

[Mark Saunders]

I don't know about GBrf but as far as DBs locos go the jumper was usually just thrown on floor somewhere - waiting for you to trip over it!

I only multi-ed 66's up on a couple of occasions and to be honest it's a right pain in the bum, getting the jumper out again was a right ### especially as you were trying to balance on the buffers/coupling at the same time! And in fact I was led to believe that as it had never been properly risk assessed drivers were not supposed to do it on their own.

 

I only have tried this once but these are used so little that the contacts are not clean enough to work properly and every bump would cause the brake to apply and since then there were instruction from FL management not to put loco's into multi! With hindsight I should have isolated the E70 on  rear loco.

 

Mark Saunders

[big jim]

Continued thanks Jim for your notes on here.

 

Couple of questions if I may please.

 

I have read that there are different versions of the class 66 cab in GBRf service and some of the fleet can only work in certain areas. Was this only a temporary thing and can all 66/7 now go anywhere?

 

Also, when you had to self rescue with another 66 from Bescot, presume there are jumper cables stowed inside the loco somewhere for you to "crack open" and use. Also presume it is just the AAR jumper and the two air pipes using the AAR multi system ?

 

Thanks Jim

I don't know about GBrf but as far as DBs locos go the jumper was usually just thrown on floor somewhere - waiting for you to trip over it!

I only multi-ed 66's up on a couple of occasions and to be honest it's a right pain in the bum, getting the jumper out again was a right ### especially as you were trying to balance on the buffers/coupling at the same time! And in fact I was led to believe that as it had never been properly risk assessed drivers were not supposed to do it on their own.

The jumper is hung up in the clean air end of the loco on our locos

 

Getting the jumper in and out is not too bad if your tall, also the cover is designed to take the brass key to hold it open, lift the flap up and insert the key into the top and flapnis held open!

 

Regards the different cabs some have ‘euro spec’ cabs which sort of wrap round the driver rather than having a pedestal in the middle of the cab, I think the reason they were only used in certain areas was driver knowledge, even now they can’t be used on possessions where multiple companies drivers are involved as say Colas, dB, freightliner drivers don’t have traction knowledge on them (there is no drivers key or direction lever in them, just buttons and switches)

[big jim]

And some from today, iport, had another driver with me today who I was assessing to pass out on the route so we have more drivers for it now thankfully

 

Stopped at Masborough as usual only to have a nice surprise that NR had cut back all the trees and bushes from the platform, I won’t have to stomp down bushes now to get a clear shot

 

 

 

 

And ready to depart iport

 

The train has had 66715 ‘valour’ on it all week but it was swapped out yesterday for 66717 as 66715 is an official war memorial and was removed to be given a good external clean at Roberts road ready to be used in this weekends rememberance day service in Doncaster station

[Steadfast]

Getting the jumper in and out is not too bad if your tall, also the cover is designed to take the brass key to hold it open, lift the flap up and insert the key into the top and flapnis held open!

Most of the 59s the cable goes in and out nice and easy as they're older and do get multi'd up quite regularly. Some, and most of the 66s, can be rather sticky to remove. I presume the brass key trick doesn't work with the black plastic ones as they're a different shape? Not heard of it before, sounds like it could make getting the cable out a lot simpler as you only need 2 hands not 3!

Being a shorty, makes getting the cable out tricky, but it does mean I can rest it on top of my helmet to plug it in. Me plus hard hat is just the right height!

 

Jo

[big jim]

It should work with the plastic key too, if I get a chance I’ll grab a pic next time I stable one up

[Chris116]

Great to read how railway workers still help each other even if they are nowadays working for different companies. 

[big jim]

Nice little job last night, possession at shap, tied in nicely with the final weekend at our caravan site in cumbria, went straight from there to site!

 

Sat at scout green for 5 hours until the possession was lifted then up to tebay to change ends

 

66711

 

Rail milling machine, never seen one of these before!

 

66726

 

And away to carlisle upperby to stable

 

 

Mountsorrel the rest of the week

[rob D2]

Interesting bit of kit.

Do you have to have knowledge of odd stuff like this or is it a case of it’s got air brakes off we go ..

[big jim]

Interesting bit of kit.

Do you have to have knowledge of odd stuff like this or is it a case of it’s got air brakes off we go ..

 

The on train techs prepare it for haulage and give a certificate of readiness, brake tested etc and safe to go

 

I was asked to uncouple the locos at carlisle and leave them clear of the unit at each end so they could work on it but as I don’t know how to operate the handbrake on the Miller then at some point it would lose its air and roll away into one of the locos so I just left them attached!

[big jim]

Some from yesterday, couldn’t be bothered today!

 

Had to take my car for tracking and while I was waiting I went to Greggs for a coffee, next door to it, near crewe station, is the old Nantwich signal box, now part of a training school!

 

And away to Birmingham to collect my train, first stop Leicester

 

Then as a driver had gone sick I had to take it on to banbury instead of Landor st

 

And off it went until I got back on it again this morning to take back to Leicester!

 

Supposed to be on it tomorrow but doing the clitheroe cement instead

[mark axlecounter]

I will see you tomorrow I’m at Horrocksford pop in for a brew Jim

[newbryford]

Loaded outbound?

Watch out for Langho bank being greasy. - just off Whalley Viaduct up to the golf course.

The Avonmouth slipped to a stand last Friday (4th time in 3 weeks.....), Driver and a MOM were hand sanding and managed to get going after about 2 hours!

 

Although it looks like there's an extra inbound later in the day arriving about teatime.

That should be the PCAs - get your order in for the Accurascale stock!

 

Cheers,

Mick

Edited November 13, 2018 by newbryford

[mark axlecounter]

Its a b####r when they slip and we give the train a full run clearing all the signals ( clear run policy) but the trees need cutting back  

Edited November 14, 2018 by mark axlecounter

[big jim]

If the signal is on at Whalley I’ll stop at the distant and wait for that to clear and give it the gun up the bank if I’m on the loaded train

[mark axlecounter]

I don't let you go until the other train is out of section from daisy ( all greens )

[big jim]

Just a few from earlier at Basford hall waiting for my train which was running 80 mins late due to a points failure near Wolverhampton

 

Panorama shot

 

Lots of freightliner locos!

 

Nice sunset

 

My train came in with 66711 up front and away I went to clitheroe, had a good run and got there 20 late but had to load it which wasn’t on my diagram!

[big jim]

Couple of days of the mountsorrel job, got some pics in the slr camera that I’ll add when I get home and on the computer

 

66770 this time

 

 

 

Couple of interesting jobs next week, very nearly hired by Colas to drag a tamper to towyn due to my ertms training but couldn’t make it as ive got to move the royal Scotsman ECS instead

 

Then Wednesday I’ve got a 56 and 47 move!

[mark axlecounter]

We missed each other again mr Jim.

I’m at Horrocksford Thursday Friday and Saturday nights.

[big jim]

Quick job today, ratcliffe power station to Doncaster

 

New chimney mod on the class 66

 

After leaving ratcliffe I got a call from the signaller to say I was still occupying a track circuit outside ratcliffe and could I confirm I was complete, obviously I was still on the move with no brake application so ‘as far as I knew’ I was but the only way to be sure was to stop and check I had the whole train behind me which I did at Toton

 

Luckily the train was a ‘weights and measures’ train that runs once a year to calibrate/check the scales at the power station are correct which required it run top and tail as each wagon is placed individually on the scale and the rear loco is needed to push wagons forward so all I needed to do was check there was still a loco on the rear, which there was (66722)

 

 

Derelict class 60s and a 66

 

And that was that, straight back from Donny and home, royal Scotsman ECS tomorrow night

[big jim]

catch up time, some pics from the DSLR and todays job from the iphone

 

end of last week was landor st to mountsorrel

 

3 hours in humberstone road

 

 

 

 

same on friday

 

whitacre Jn

 

 

and back to landor st

 

 

royal scotsman ECS crewe to leamington

 

 

 

then got asked at the end of that short turn to work the avonmouth to clitheroe cement from birmingham to warrington

 

 

 

 

today was a test run with 56312 and 47749 from leicester to barrow hill and back

 

56311 hasnt been out on the mainline for 3 years 

 

47749 still in colas colours

 

 

out onto the slows beside leicester station

 

and into barrow hill

 

ready to head back

 

 

too dark for pics once it got back to leicester

 

and that was that, nice to get back on a 56 and 47 today

Edited November 21, 2018 by big jim

[Covkid]

Just noticed Jim, that the 47 has a two MU jumpers on the front.  Any ideas why ?

[newbryford]

Just noticed Jim, that the 47 has a two MU jumpers on the front.  Any ideas why ?

 

Good spot!

A quick flickr search and it seems like an addition since it was transferred to GBRf duties.

 

Cheers,

Mick

[KeithHC]

Do you know where the the 56's are going to used. Have heard that they are for spoil trains from Willsden to Tytherington near Yate in Gloucestershire.

 

Keith

[big jim]

I think 56312 is off to peak forest to replace the Colas one

[rob D2]

Are they going toT cut it first ?? Saw 301 up at PF last week, straining its guts out