Jim’s “out and about with GBRf” thread

[sb67]

I've done the Thames cruises a few times, the views from the water are superb and after dark the city lights up and you see it in a totally different way.

The size of that cruise ship! I always thought Belfast looked big from the water! 

[KeithHC]

15 hours ago, sb67 said:

I've done the Thames cruises a few times, the views from the water are superb and after dark the city lights up and you see it in a totally different way.

The size of that cruise ship! I always thought Belfast looked big from the water! 

Big in terms of cruise ship size it’s a mere tiddler! Compared to Qm2 she is very small a would not like it across the Bay of Biscay. 
 

Keith

[big jim]

Some from last night, hinksey to Gerard’s cross for a ballast drop towards South Ruislip 

 

a colourful combination of locos on rhe train, 66794 and 66721 

 

 

 

into Gerard’s cross to start the drop

 

‘The navvy’ sculpture 

 

And all done at South Ruislip 

 

it was then down to Wembley to cross over to head back 

 

 

 

And back into hinksey 

 

same again tonight but on the down line so straight to Wembley to change ends then work back to Gerard’s cross 

[big jim]

Same last night but a loco issue meant we had to run the back engine round so we never got the work done due to time constraints, it really annoys me when things happen out of your control and you lose a shift, I tried my best to at least get some of it done but it never happened 

 

hinksey

 

changing ends before the issue was discovered 

 

we ran up to West Ruislip where there is the facility to run round thankfully, rhe shunt moved involved a change ends next to the northern portal for HS2 which is certainly an impressive sight! 
 

the portal is just to the left of the signal below the orange beam 

 

Gerrards cross at the exit signal 

 

And into hinksey 

 

Trafford park to nuneaton tonight 

[corneliuslundie]

I was talking to someone today about the class 196/197 EMUs. He mentioned that drivers don't like them because of the poor visibility from the cab. 

But he also said that there are problems coupling units, partly because it has to be done "automatically" since the driver can't see the couplings from the cab; and that on one of the first attempts the closure was at 5 mph (controlled by the computer) and that led to the coupling or its housing fracturing. And then the manufacturer refused to pay for replacement even though it was a design fault.

Have you heard anything about this during your testing of 196s?

Jonathan.

[big jim]

Can’t say too much but from personal experience the visibility is terrible and the coupling method is awful!

 

 

[big jim]

Just one from last night, 66781 in trafford park 

 

same job tonight but all the way round from landor st this time 

[big jim]

New and old in crewe yesterday on my way in 

 

blue pullman HST 

 

197003

 

730002

 

47614

 

And this morning at landor st 

 

the old footbridge from saltley depot to the relieving point over duddeston mill road has been removed to make way for HS2, I wonder how many (tens of) thousands of feet had walked over it in the many years it was there 

 

in tonight toton to peak forest via the hope valley then next week it’s a bit all over the place, bescot to crewe, bescot to kings norton, kings Norton to didcot and kings norton to Aylesbury/Great missenden 

[big jim]

Short job last night, actually more time spent in taxis than on the train!

 

started in toton, this isn’t my train but a ratcliffe to Doncaster service 

 

Then it was a lovely full moon run over the hope valley to peak forest, I got to chinley only to be met by a pilotman as it was single line working between chinley and great rocks signal box as peak forest box is shut as it’s being rebuilt, first time in years I’ve had to do pilotman working!

 

peak forest arriving over an hour early, nice to get some good moonlit shots  

 

 

 

 

And that’s me until Monday 

Edited April 16, 2022 by big jim

[big jim]

Last night was just bescot to Stoke then taxi home 

 

bescot 

 

My train

 

Into Stoke 

 

and waiting for the taxi 

 

 

 

bescot to kings norton later with the locos for the weed spraying train 

[big jim]

Only 2 from last night, bescot to kings norton, we ended up doing  loads of shunting and messing about in kings norton so I didn’t get any pics there 

 

 

 

rhats it until Thursday now when it’s a kings Norton to didcot job 

Edited April 20, 2022 by big jim

[big jim]

Couple of pics from my day off, lots more in the cycling thread here 

 

 

150 unit from crewe to chester

 

175 in deganwy

 

A colas UTU passed me near mostyn and a 197 not long afterwards, also a mk4 set at Conwy but didn’t spot it until too late to get a picture, shame it looked good climbing up toward the tubular bridge from the jn 

[big jim]

Weed sprayer last night kings norton to didcot and back, had to turn the train en route so the tanks were the right way round to refill when we got back in the morning 

 

crewe, on my way in, NMT passing though toward the down siding to change ends after coming in from Holyhead, that turn was actually my last job with colas before I left 

 

 

And back through northbound toward Liverpool 

 

 

And onward to kings norton 

 

Turning the train outside Hatton 

 

Didcot parkway

 

 

Back on it tonight to Aylesbury and great missenden and back then off until Tuesday 

 

[big jim]

Last night of the weed sprayer

 

kings norton again 

 

Changing ends at landor st

 

Princes risborough 

 

 

 

Aylesbury 

 

 

 

Changing ends at great missenden 

 

Aylesbury

 

And that was that for pics, back to kings norton and done 

 

next week is hams hall to longport, rugby to Donnington and small Heath amongst other things 

 

[wombatofludham]

On 19/04/2022 at 14:29, big jim said:

 

 

Nice pic of Uncle Joe's statue (according to my ancestry research I'm possibly a 7x great grand nephew of Josiah Wedgwood.  Close enough for me to rename one of my Heljan Class 86/2s after him.  If you have a distant relly with an 86 named after them, it has to be done)

[big jim]

Some from today, couple of light loco moves

 

caught the train to derby, 170 unit doing the honours 

 

over to toton, sad to see one of my favourite 60s rotting away 

 

66747 was the loco we were taking

 

it should have been into hams hall to collect another 66, drop 747 off at bescot and continue to longport with the 2nd 66 but hams has too busy to accept us so we just went straight to bescot 

DB Ukrainian 66

 

Colas 56s

 

We then taxi’d over to hams hall to collect the loco we should have collected earlier

 

Couple of 37s passing while we waited at water orton

 

 

Changing ends at kidsgrove

 

Into longport

 

i then went back to Stoke for the train home to crewe, the same 170 as in the morning! 

 

Donnington tomorrow 

 

[Gilbert]

Great pics Jim - I saw the 37s at Gloucester earlier. 5Q59 Newport Sims to Derby RTC.

Chris

[big jim]

Donnington job today, first up train from crewe where 70000 Britannia was waiting to depart for Bridgnorth 

 

and a video where I disappear into the steam for about a minute! 

 

 

Rugby with 66753 on my train 

 

Waiting at a red outside Stafford, new WMT unit passing by 

 

Basford hall

 

Run round and shunting in Donnington 

 

And on the way back heading through basford hall yard 

 

 

 

And then at bushbury Britannia passed us again heading back to crewe, managed a pic as I wasn’t driving 

 

And into bescot 

 

Road refresh for the weed sprayer tomorrow 

[corneliuslundie]

I am glad the driver of Britannia had found out how to close the drain cocks by the time you passed her on the way back.

Or was the driver trying to prevent photography as she left Crewe?

Jonathan

[surfsup]

On 25/04/2022 at 14:52, wombatofludham said:

Nice pic of Uncle Joe's statue (according to my ancestry research I'm possibly a 7x great grand nephew of Josiah Wedgwood.  Close enough for me to rename one of my Heljan Class 86/2s after him.  If you have a distant relly with an 86 named after them, it has to be done)

Nice connection there! My family connection is a little more modern and probably saw your 86 off! (221110 / James Cook). I was rather disappointed to hear Avanti had removed the remaining Super Voyager nameplates as I was hoping to be in with a shot of acquiring that one, but sadly it had been removed and was on it's way to Auction before I found out. 

 

And no, sadly the sticky back plastic version on Northern Rail's 156490 didn't really appeal to me! 

Edited April 27, 2022 by surfsup

[KeithHC]

Ah Britannia somewhere in my mothers house there is a picture of me standing on the front whilst the loco was on its way either to or from the Pullman works at Preston Park. She had been put into the remains of Redhill shed I believe due to a hot box. She looks a lot better now than she did then.

 

Keith

[Craig1989]

Out of interest Jim when you operate the weed sprayer train do you the driver operate the wagons from a button in the cab or is there another person that operates the spraying? 
 

cheers Craig 

[big jim]

There are a couple of operators in the centre wagon control pod, I just have a back to back radio to communicate with them if i need to

[KeithHC]

So when will you add the new class 99 to your traction list.

 

Keith

[Nick C]

2 hours ago, KeithHC said:

So when will you add the new class 99 to your traction list.

 

Keith

It's be more interesting if he could add the old class 99...