Jim’s “out and about with GBRf” thread

[big jim]

Same train again tonight, this time to Manchester and Stockport

 

Prepping the train in crewe

 

 

 

And after a reversal at longsight over to Stockport

 

 

And that's me til Sunday

[big jim]

back to it yesterday, stafford to carlisle via basford hall, earlestown, newton le willows, carnforth and the cumbrian coast

 

stafford

 

 

 

preston

 

sellafield

 

 

 

waiting for the unit to leave the single line so we can get the token to St Bees

 

whitehaven, my trainee walking back to return the St Bees to whitehaven token

 

 

and eventually into carlisle

 

Bangor later today with 37025

[Chrom]

Jim, your excellent photo of the Freightliner at Stafford, what is the equipment laid between the adjoining tracks please? Thank you.

[Craig1989]

I believe that the equipment between the track in the freightliner shot is tpws or it has something to do with the signalling

[Signaller69]

025 looked mighty nice through the Down loop at Holywell Jct today, didn't realise it was you when you rang from Crewe.

Martyn.

[kevpeo]

back to it yesterday, stafford to carlisle via basford hall, earlestown, newton le willows, carnforth and the cumbrian coast

 

I wondered if that was you as it passed through Dalton tunnel Jim. The guy in the hi-vis watching from his bike! Kev.

Edited September 28, 2016 by kevpeo

[Banger Blue]

Jim, your excellent photo of the Freightliner at Stafford, what is the equipment laid between the adjoining tracks please? Thank you.

I believe that the equipment between the track in the freightliner shot is tpws or it has something to do with the signalling

AWS ramp in front of the loco, TPWS grids on the adjacent line.

 

http://www.railway-technical.com/sigtxt7.shtml

Edited September 28, 2016 by Banger Blue

[big jim]

025 looked mighty nice through the Down loop at Holywell Jct today, didn't realise it was you when you rang from Crewe.

Martyn.

 

that wasn't me, i got on at llandudno jn for the trip to bangor and back to crewe (pics below)

 

I wondered if that was you as it passed through Dalton tunnel Jim. The guy in the hi-vis watching from his bike! Kev.

 

yes that was me in the 2nd mans seat, were you expecting me or was it a surprise?

[big jim]

and some from today, Llandudno Jn to Bangor and back to crewe

 

175 in "the junction"

 

 

150 heading to manchester

 

and my train rolling in

 

 

another 175

 

over to it

 

and into bangor

 

and back over to the up side

 

sat outside llandudno Jn for 30 mins so grabbed a few pics from the DBSO droplights

 

looking down the Conwy valley towards glan conwy, can you spot the 150 unit?

 

here it is, in Glan Conwy station!

 

conwy castle

 

also the smallest house in the UK (red building), imagine how much that would cost in central London!!

 

and into crewe, shut down and home

[kevpeo]

yes that was me in the 2nd mans seat, were you expecting me or was it a surprise?

Complete surprise Jim, I was on my way home from work when I heard 'the growl'. Kev.

[Swifty11]

Jim spotted out and about on 3Q29 this evening, seen passing me at Moore...

 

37025 - 3Q29 - Moore by Swifty's Rail Pics, on Flickr

Edited September 29, 2016 by Swifty11

[big jim]

nice pic, thought you would have hung around for the return though!

 

i was actually rest day today but got asked to work that train as i have route knowledge for the whole circuit, a long old day, best part of 180 miles driving in total but at no point was i futher than a 30 mile radius from crewe

 

you can tell autumn is on the way, the 'cheshire lines' from mickle trafford to stockport via altringham got quite slippy around delemere and mouldsworth despite there not being any rain today (early on) the 37 was wheelslipping a fair bit and i had to use the sanders to keep it in check, and that was only at 30mph, its going to be fun down there when the leaves really start to drop (delemere is a known 'published' area of low adheasion)

 

ive got some pics to upload later today

[big jim]

and some pics...

 

didnt get any til sandbach after going to northwich and back

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

into crewe to change ends, to get from manchester to chester you can only go into platform 6 (without going south out of the station, which at 16:10 causes a bit of chaos!

 

 

 

chester, break time and a change ends again

 

warrington, there and back at 30mph

 

back to chester

 

over to stockport at 30mph

 

and back to chester, again 30 mph

 

and back, line speed this time to crewe

 

 

lurking in the shadows at midnight

 

and illuminated by by headlamp

 

and that was that

[Swifty11]

nice pic, thought you would have hung around for the return though!

 

 

 

I was hoping to but had other commitments (explained in PM)

 

A decent sunny shot of 025 will forever elude me I think!

[Signaller69]

that wasn't me, i got on at llandudno jn for the trip to bangor and back to crewe (pics below)

 

Ah well, maybe next time!

 

Edit: forgot to add, nice pics!

Edited September 30, 2016 by Signaller69

[big jim]

some from today, on the shunt in derby, conducted this off the rtc into the station

 

 

 

then train up to newcastle upon tyne, passed 43002 and 43185 outside a very wet NRM

 

and one from a work collegue, 56113 on shrewsbury coleham depot in readyness for the rhtt season, ive got this loco to holyhead wednesday next week on a training run

 

training day for me in heaton tomorrow

[russ p]

What are those GB 73s doing up there, have they got GB drivers on them?

I was on the RTC last week first with the saloon and then with the 68s, wondered if I'd see you was with Tim Howlett and we got Mike Jones as our IM driver

[big jim]

i think the gb 73s were doing the mersey circuit last week, they have our drivers on them, some sign 73s

[big jim]

some from today, this morning was finishing my static training on the NMT before heading back home via the NRM where the designer of the iconic nose end was giving a speech 

 

got him to sign a piccie for me and when i mentioned i had just been passed out to drive HST's he congratulated me which was a nice end to the day

 

 

 

the man himself

 

 

 

iconic streamlining

 

some TV production company actually got sir kenneth to "tag" the loco with an aerosol, quite why i dont know but it was off as quick as it went on!

 

there were lots of smiles while he did it but not from the head of engineering at GWR who looked very serious!!

 

eurostar unit in the great hall

[big jim]

quick job today 37116 from derby to barrow hill

 

37025 and 37424

 

 

ready for the off

 

and into barrow hill

 

and a random 158 in chesterfield, caught the train home via sheffield and stockport

 

maiden solo voyage on the NMT tomorrow

[CovDriver]

Which way are you heading on the NMT Jim I may head out if I can ?

 

Colin

[big jim]

Which way are you heading on the NMT Jim I may head out if I can ?

Colin

its only a short hop, crewe to derby, late on too

 

got it to holyhead on thursday as well

[D854_Tiger]

I didn't want to say this (but will).

 

Sir Kenneth Grange is a highly distinguished designer with a list as long as your arm of other notable design achievements but the bloke who designed the nose is given the credit for the HST.

 

Isn't that a bit like giving the design credit for the Mini to whoever designed the radiator grill.

[LongRail]

Jim

 

I am sure it has already been asked before but what camera are you using, the quality of the photos is very impressive

[big jim]

The latest batch (Blackpool onwards a few months back) are from my fujifilm 30 exr bridge camera, I've gone back a step from the Sony camera with fewer megapixels and less zoom but the pics are so much clearer and the camera is a lot easier to use

 

Saying that the pics immediately above are off the iphone 5!!

Edited October 4, 2016 by big jim