Jim’s “out and about with GBRf” thread

[big jim]

Enjoy your holiday and turn your phone off!

Nah, 3 weeks in a caravan with a grumpy teen and a hypo 8 year old the phone is on ready to escape for a few hours at the first chance

Edited July 25, 2017 by big jim

[Chris116]

Nah, 3 weeks in a caravan with a grumpy teen and a hypo 8 year old the phone is on ready to escape for a few hours at the first chance

I understand where you are coming from there! Do you want to borrow some more phones?

[big jim]

one week of my holiday gone and HAD to go in for the day (for a bit of peace and quiet!)

 

assessing someone on a route, crewe to derby via stafford, rugeley, nuneaton and leicester, should have gone via walsall but due to a schedule clash we had to go direct up the wcml at rugeley or block the slows for 40 mins while the passenger sat in the platform

 

basford hall firing up the locos

 

 

and into derby and back to my holiday!

Edited August 1, 2017 by big jim

[newbryford]

Here's a Colas/NwR move you may have missed......

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/northeast_rail_photos/35556056154/

 

Cheers,

Mick

[big jim]

yeah, spotted that on flickr earlier, interesting combo for sure

 

coming into my last week off now, back in friday night with a UTU to start off with, might try and get a road learning day in around oxford if i can

Edited August 6, 2017 by big jim

[big jim]

And we're back, 3 weeks off and back to it last night

 

Unusual occurance in the RTC all the 97s were parked up and these 3 were in number order too 301/302/303

 

Loco for the night, 37175

 

50008

 

Into derby

 

And getting ready to go rightaway to Birmingham new st at 30mph all the way

 

Steel train passing through

 

And into Birmingham

 

 

Back to alrewas via the cross city line at 30mph again

 

 

And back to new st again

 

 

 

 

Then back to derby at 30mph again, from there it was an extra trip to crewe which should have gone via uttoxeter but as I was so early they let me go via alrewas again, until I got to wichnor and they couldn't accept me, they were then going to turn me back to derby to wait time but I suggested running via Tamworth, Sutton park and Walsall which they agreed on

 

Stafford

 

And into crewe

 

 

Then home to bed!

[big jim]

some from last night, crewe-liverpool-crewe-derby (via new st)

 

lime st

 

 

 

crewe, stopped to let the other driver off

 

and back to derby

 

back in tonight with an engineers job bescot to bloxwich with a 56/60 combo then pass to carlisle at the end of it!

[rob D2]

Nice to see a man enjoying his job ...

 

Do you get double time when scrambled or days off in lieu ?

 

Our pay for DO goes up as they become more and more desperate

[big jim]

Nah, just normal time and I'll get my annual leave day back that I gave up

 

Some from this morning, ballast from bescot to bloxwich, sounds simple, a nice 4 mile run in a straight line, unfortunately I had to go via Stafford making it more like 50 miles

 

56/60 combo, too and tail 38 coal fish

 

60026

 

Onto the rear of the train for the run to bloxwich

 

56113 leading to Stafford, bit of a balls up there as I was too long to change ends on the goods so had to run north of the station to do it on the slow

 

Then the soul destroying bit, into the possession at Rugeley only to find the worksite marker board just inside the possession limits meaning I could only do 5mph......for 13 miles!

 

Stopped for a 'facilities break' at hendesford as there is a worksite with toilets (and a Tesco), what's an extra 10 mins on a 2 1/2 hour trip!

 

Then to bloxwich where the train was used to collect spoil from drainage works (the rear had fresh ballast to replace the old stuff)

 

And that was me done, quickly home and pass to carlisle for the logs tomorrow

[newbryford]

 

And that was me done, quickly home and pass to carlisle for the logs tomorrow

 

Presume that's WCML routed again?

 

There's a 70 or two turned up in the last three weeks or so.

 

Cheers,

Mick

[big jim]

Presume that's WCML routed again?

 

There's a 70 or two turned up in the last three weeks or so.

 

Cheers,

Mick

its shown as s+c but ive reminded them i dont sign it so unless i get a conductor it will be wcml

 

also annoyingly its a 60 on it, wanted a 70 but 60085 is doing the dalstons tomorrow then dropping onto 6J37 while 70804 which has been on the logs is booked to take the empty dalstons back to grangemouth

[newbryford]

its shown as s+c but ive reminded them i dont sign it so unless i get a conductor it will be wcml

 

also annoyingly its a 60 on it, wanted a 70 but 60085 is doing the dalstons tomorrow then dropping onto 6J37 while 70804 which has been on the logs is booked to take the empty dalstons back to grangemouth

 

I'll try and look out for you on Settle station if routed S&C.

 

Cheers,

Mick

[big jim]

some from today

 

logs carlise to warrington, 60085 this time

 

66705 passing by, this was the last gbrf 66 i drove back in 2010, doesnt look the same without its union flag on the side

 

into warrington

 

 

heading off to chirk

 

i then got on a train to london, walked over to kings cross where i caught this to cambridge

 

buffers on platfom 9 slightly futher back than those on 10 after a unit hit them yesterday!

 

terrible pic of the station exit

 

got to say tonight was the first time ive ridden a 387 unit, what a truly terrible ride, quite possibly one of the worst units ive ridden on, the seats were rock hard but the ride was absolutly awful, thrown all over the place all the way, shocking!

 

off to norwich and lowestoft tomorrow

[ruggedpeak]

Jim

 

Were you by any chance at Liverpool Street this evening with 37057?

 

Update: SWMBO took the photo as it was pulling out and said it was "very hot and smelly". Given the roof is only a few feet above the exhausts I'm not surprised! She took the picture cos it "wasn't a normal train at Liverpool Street" (i.e. not a white 90/317/321/360!). She was surprised later when I said "Big Jim drives that one..." and showed her this thread

 

Edited August 20, 2017 by ruggedpeak

[big jim]

no, but thats one of my loco's for tomorrow, (37254 the other end) for norwich-lowestoft-ipswich-lowestoft-norwich-cambridge

 

its a real pain to fott at night that loco too

[Chris116]

its shown as s+c but ive reminded them i dont sign it so unless i get a conductor it will be wcml

This is probably a silly question but if you do a number of runs over a line with a conductor does that enable you to sign the route or at least shorten the time you need for learning it?

[big jim]

some from last night, got some proper camera pics too that i'll have to upload whenever i get home!

 

caught a train to norwich where the anglia 'short set' was waiting to depart for lowestoft

 

 

153 unit

 

37 ready to depart

 

and away it went, a very spirited departure!

https://youtu.be/_8ohArSwOt8

 

after that went another set came in with 68s on, followed by my train top and tailed with 37s top

 

and into lowestoft

 

into saxmunden to wait for a unti coming from woodbridge

 

and away to ipswich then back to lowestoft again, waiting at woodbridge

 

had to go at caution due to police on the line looking for an illegal rave!

 

lowestoft

 

back to norwich

 

and back to cambridge, then this afternoon caught a train to kings cross

 

 

tube to paddington

 

 

and out to didcot, all the wires are up now

 

 

and to oxford, the new chiltern platforms

 

and off to another hotel for the night for a last minute job back to derby tomorrow morning!

[big jim]

Finally a train home!

 

 

Unfortunately the 153 which was full and standing when it got to tutbury with footy fans

 

And now to enjoy 5 days off

[virginhst539]

Train delayed due to rave.... anyone else thinking diarama?

[big jim]

Train delayed due to rave.... anyone else thinking diarama?

Being as I DJ as a sideline I was tempted to stop and drop a few beats!!

[big jim]

lets backtrack a little with proper camera pics from lowestoft

 

lowestoft

 

 

saxmunden

 

 

 

Edited August 26, 2017 by big jim

[big jim]

and back to work last night

 

caught the train from crewe to birmingham

 

crewe, crew swap on a DB car parts train

 

Moor St

 

first train was the NMT from tyseley to derby via nuneaton and leicester, had a nice chance to wind it up on the MML too

 

then back to crewe for a UTU to derby

 

 

 

and home to bed!

[big jim]

Just 3 from yesterday, 2 56s Washwood Heath to rugby

 

Departing Washwood Heath, got to open the gates then the ground frame, out into the mainline then walk back and put the frame back, shut the gates, set the trap points, a right pain in the bum on your own

 

Out in the mainline ready to go

 

And into rugby, parked up in the old carriage sidings

 

That's was that, 73s tomorrow to bidston and wrexham amongst other places

[big jim]

Some from today, had to route conduct from northenden jn, waited at the box for the train to arrive

 

Lovely signalbox

 

For those who like signal boxes

 

Cheshire lines backplate to the levers

 

Interlocking floor

 

Mid level toilet, looking up from the ground floor

 

And my train for the evening

 

 

And away to Chester where we had a break

 

 

 

And off to Wrexham then bidston

 

 

Back to Wrexham central

 

 

Slightly too long for the platform!

 

Lots of shunting and back to Chester then warrington

 

Back to Chester

 

 

 

And away to Crewe and home

 

Back on them again tomorrow

Edited August 29, 2017 by big jim

[TangerineWizards]

Realtime Trains had the train running around the Liverpool Loop Line as well as out to New Brighton and West Kirby. I'm guessing you didn't make it that far?