Peterborough North

[great northern]

The A3 approaching from the south is now revealed to be Grantham's 60065, the train being the 6.20 Leeds.

 

 

And another one is approaching from the north. That should be the 5.33 Up Leeds.

 

 

[great northern]

I was undecided about that last image. To crop, or not?  So I thought we'd have the full view first, and then the cropped one a bit later.

 

 

It does make a remarkable difference, don't you think?

[31A]

5 minutes ago, great northern said:

I was undecided about that last image. To crop, or not?  So I thought we'd have the full view first, and then the cropped one a bit later.

It does make a remarkable difference, don't you think?

 

It does, but both are good!

 

[landscapes]

On 01/03/2020 at 11:04, great northern said:

Today we have some sunshine, and it is forecast to last all day. We shall see. In fact as I type, the sun has gone in. No, its out again.

 

Our featured train is the Heart of Midlothian, with 60111 Enterprise. I think our man has found a safe place to stand about halfway up Spital Bridge coaling stage to take the first one.

 

 

Not sure where we got to to take the next one though. It isn't from ground level.

 

 

Hi Gilbert 

 

Hola from Sunny Spain.

 

I do like that first view of 60111, is this a first or have you shown this angle  before, it’s a very nice panoramic view across the layout.

 

Excellent photo.

 

Regards

 

David

[Oldddudders]

1 hour ago, great northern said:

I was undecided about that last image. To crop, or not?  So I thought we'd have the full view first, and then the cropped one a bit later.

 

 

It does make a remarkable difference, don't you think?

It hath a lot more impact, certainly, but is slightly marred by the near signal on the left, although to lose that you would need to lose some of the signalbox, too. The loco smokebox does need to remain central in the composition. 

[great northern]

1 hour ago, landscapes said:

Hi Gilbert 

 

Hola from Sunny Spain.

 

I do like that first view of 60111, is this a first or have you shown this angle  before, it’s a very nice panoramic view across the layout.

 

Excellent photo.

 

Regards

 

David

I'm not sure actually David. I may have done something similar, but not from this height.

[great northern]

An A3 approaching from the south, and another from the north, so if we are lucky, we might get both in the same shot.

 

 

and we are, though there are some impediments to a clear view.  A short while later, 60065 has come to a stand, while 60055 still has a liitle way to go.

 

 

[great northern]

60065 with twelve on and going north is entitled to some help when starting, so the N5 is on the way to provide it.

 

 

60055 also has twelve cars behind it, but will have to cope on its own when the whistle blows.

 

 

[great northern]

Another stopper from Grantham. I still can't fathom out why there were so many of them from late afternoon onwards.

 

 

We are stiil up on the Cenotaph somewhere, and if we very carefully swing round, another elevated view can be had.

 

 

[great northern]

Still up on high, we can now focus on the D16, which is waiting to reverse its stock down to the sidings.

 

 

 Back to ground level now, to see the 6.35 Hull approaching, with yet another well kept Grantham A3.

 

 

In case you wonder why I'm up and posting early, its because I'm having my guttering done, and they turned up at 0800.

[Clive Mortimore]

24 minutes ago, great northern said:

Still up on high, we can now focus on the D16, which is waiting to reverse its stock down to the sidings.

 

 

 Back to ground level now, to see the 6.35 Hull approaching, with yet another well kept Grantham A3.

 

 

In case you wonder why I'm up and posting early, its because I'm having my guttering done, and they turned up at 0800.

They won't get much work done if you keep using their ladder to get these high shots.

[great northern]

22 minutes ago, Clive Mortimore said:

They won't get much work done if you keep using their ladder to get these high shots.

 Another example of the crazy modern world Clive.  Job always used to be done by very experienced people who knew that if there was someone to hold the ladder firmly at the bottom, and the guy up top knew what he was doing, it was perfectly safe. Then we got well and truly elf and safety'd, and have been told for some years that either a cherry picker or full scaffolding was needed. That of course resulted in huge quotes.

 

These guys turned up locally a few days ago, one of my neighbours recommended them, and they did the job the old fashioned way at a reasonable price. It took only forty minutes, so I can use their ladder again while they have a cup of tea.

[Oldddudders]

2 hours ago, great northern said:

 These guys turned up locally a few days ago, one of my neighbours recommended them, and they did the job the old fashioned way at a reasonable price. 

Some years ago, Sherry and her now-ex once enjoyed the services of just such a firm, rejoicing in the name Utterly Gutterly. Sadly a while later one employee fell off the ladder, apparently, and died. I believe the proprietor received a custodial sentence. 

[great northern]

2 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

Some years ago, Sherry and her now-ex once enjoyed the services of just such a firm, rejoicing in the name Utterly Gutterly. Sadly a while later one employee fell off the ladder, apparently, and died. I believe the proprietor received a custodial sentence. 

Hard to make a judgment without knowing the full facts Ian. Sounds like very bad equipment/ working practices, but being up any kind of ladder involves risks, doesn't it? And idiots can find a way to injure themselves however good the equipment and instructions may be.

[great northern]

Persimmon is seen from a higher vantage point as it eases towards the station stop.

 

 

and once more as it pulls away, and meets more WD hauled coal.

 

 

[great northern]

Black engines this morning, as the expresses become fewer and farther between. A K3 follows Persimmon through with a Hitchin- Colwick Class D.

 

 

While the 8.30 to Melton Constable waits in the bay. This train occasionally produces a surprise, but not this evening, as 43067 has the job.

 

 

[great northern]

Another black engine first this evening, J6 haulage for a Grantham local, formed of a MK1 five set.

 

 

Things then get much brighter though, as another very clean loco, this time a KX A1, comes in with the 5.15 Hull, a lightweight train for one of the top link.

 

 

[great northern]

Our statisticians have noted that most of the time green engines, and in particular shiny ones, receive higher approval ratings. Customer satisfaction is obviously high on our list of priorities, or at least we have to claim that it is, like what other businesses do, so more images of shiny 60157 are on the menu this morning.  The first one had areas which rapidly proved to be a real pain to photoshop, so it got cropped more and more, and we finished up with this.

 

 

No such problems with the next one though, so you get the panoramic treatment.

 

 

[phil.c]

What was originally in the area behind the trees?

[great northern]

3 hours ago, phil.c said:

What was originally in the area behind the trees?

It wasn't behind the trees which gave the problems Phil, it was the area on the far left, and beyond that. Having the camera higher up brings part of the fiddle yard into shot, and strips between the blinds, which lined up with great precision with telegraph poles. I finished up with a mass of almost identical shades of grey, which the magic wand tool couldn't cope with. I had a couple of goes with the eraser by hand, but got nowhere, and so filed it under "too ****** difficult". Actually, the crop I finished up with didn't look too bad.

 

I've binned the original image. so I can't give it to you to play with.

[phil.c]

The magic wand tool is great, providing the background is reasonably uniform, when it's not, there's a lot more work with Paths and nodes, but this can be very accurate when the picture is magnified. As for the area behind the trees, I know the area to the left was sidings, I just wondered what was to the right?

[great northern]

3 hours ago, phil.c said:

The magic wand tool is great, providing the background is reasonably uniform, when it's not, there's a lot more work with Paths and nodes, but this can be very accurate when the picture is magnified. As for the area behind the trees, I know the area to the left was sidings, I just wondered what was to the right?

Sorry Phil, did you mean what was there in reality?  That would be some houses on the other side of Station Road. In years of looking, I have found only one photo showing any details of them.

[great northern]

Tonight we have the second Down Cleethorpes.

 

 

and the Friday only version of the 1145 from Dundee.

 

 

[thegreenhowards]

9 hours ago, great northern said:

Tonight we have the second Down Cleethorpes.

 

 

and the Friday only version of the 1145 from Dundee.

 

 

Gilbert,

 

Can we see the formation of the Dundee? Ive just been trying to put the train together on Gresley Jn, and it’s quite difficult to do faithfully to the carriage workings (if you interpret them as being all Gresley end vestibule stock). I’ve had to sneak in a couple of Thompson vehicles.

 

Andy

[great northern]

First up today is another look at Quicksilver with that Dundee service.

 

 

I rather liked the wide view, but have I cropped it too much at the bottom?

 

Running behind the A4 was fish from New Clee.