long island jack

a pleasant surprise today, instead of 37423,which has been on the test trains! Not a good sign for those tractor bashers, but good for us photography's!! Ray

Return working just south of Workington at 17.00 Ray

What a weekend to pick, the 18th, right in the middle of Haweshead beer festival 16-19th July, 50+ beers, guess where i'll be!!!!! Ray

37423 at 09.01 just north of Workington today Ray

Test trains have started, for the up and coming loco hauled passenger trains taken at Whitehaven today at 12.34, by a friend Ray

i'll send you some bolognaise sauce Ray

Ian got to try and keep the paying public happy with as much variety as possible!!!, nothing worse than standing in front of a layout when nothing moves or it's the same engine just going back and forth (I tend to change diesel with every card, we are putting on a show you know) ,I watched a couple of American layouts at Glasgow both for 20 min they had the same 2 trains going round and round and both had fiddle yards full of stock( but, a least something was moving), I like to try and give a reason for running a train, hence the cards, the public can see what box car goes where, some even ask question about the op's!!! The Amtrak will run with late PC early Conrail NH RDC with NH,PC NYC RDC with NYC,PC well that's the plan,I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope it goes well! Ray

Had a morning trying to work the passenger turn, i think I've got my head around it (time will tell) made some small cards with road name and RDC number on, these will be used with cards scenario cards #4 and 6 (for the time being to see how it goes) How I imagine it to work; once the freights is on the front ,if Tino Tools or Goldberger Doll are to be switched (depending which side of the card has been chosen ,it's different on both sides) these must be switched first, then the train can clear the main, as both cards,( which ever side was chosen) involves a trip up the branch to either AG CONCRETE or R& K BOILERS, this would be the best time to run the RDC or when ever is convenient (but must be run before the freights ready to head back) I've tried this out and it works but, it can be more difficult depend on the freight trains set up (no set formation). what we usually do is, after the first freight has run, it's operator then sets up the next train and so on, depending how this is set up it can be easier or harder (usually easy on Sunday morning, after Saturday night out) this may entail having to use the main to run round, if this happens (depending how evil we feel), this will have to be done before the RDC runs. I'm hoping it will work out and add a bit more variety to the layout, so if any body see us scratching our heads please be patient, it's going to be a steep learning curve for both of us!!!! Ray

66149 at Workington dock junction with the FO china clay, this is the only booked freight to be seen in the Workington area, other than DRS, once a hive of activity, now down to one train a week, but there are rumours........................ Ray

The last part of the puzzle is done, I now have all my RDC's chipped for York, just got to finalise the op's part. Amtrack RDC1 New Haven RDC2 New York Central RDC3 All I need now are some passengers, on my shopping list for York. Ray

A day off and the sun was shining (just 7.45) and a photo 609-612 Workington Ray

Cheers John glad you liked it. Anyone who's is coming to York, please make yourself known, i'll be on the second floor, with the rest of the Jamland modellers! Ray

Goldberger doll has had to go, from a box car of plastic pellets to 2 covered hoppers a week ,due to a sudden up surge in some of there lesser known plastic products, small model cars ,dummies and plastic balls PC RS11 dropping of the first shipment of covered hoppers a spokesman for Goldberger doll said" we don't know how long this up surge will last, so we have decided to have plenty of plastic pellets on stock just in case the trend continues, while it's nice to see products grow, one of our best sellers, " canned humour" has had a big slump, looks like everybody taking life more seriously these days, that's the beauty of being a small independent business, you can move with the market " looks like the line may stop open for a few more years, with the extra traffic!!! Ray

Thanks everyone for the kind remarks, glad you liked the article. As away of a celebration, i'm going to throw a passenger train into the operations, there are 2 operation cards where you don't really need to use the main for switching, these would be the easiest one's to use, haven't worked out the moves yet, probably will have a east and west bound passenger(same RDC) there will be no set time, but must move sometime during the card, when it is most convenient, going to have a more in-depth play look this week. my NH RDC is chipped (no sound) if I can get the NYC one chipped before the show, that will give me more variety. Ray

Cheers Jack, hope you liked the photo's this time, your not in them, just the name!! I've enjoyed building 59th & Rust, also I enjoy exhibiting it around the country, and this I think, is were my lack of mojo comes from ,this one layout has knock 3 things of my bucket list, a layout to win a trophy (always a big challenge for a American layout to win anything at any show, ask Jon Grant) exhibit a layout a York exhibition (Cost me a lot of beer!! ) Get a layout in a magazine (Andrew Burnham was at St Albans show, were all the photo's were taken, lucky that) I think i'll have to set myself a stiffer challenge now, but in the meantime, i'll just enjoy running it at home and exhibiting. If anyone coming to York call and say helloooooooo! Ray

I all ready do that ,and will never stop trying (no loss of mojo here) to find more unusual style beers, (you of all people know it's not a hobby!!!!), it's one of life's challenges to try them all, but the goal post keep getting further and further away!!!! Time for some therapy ( Youngs double chocolate stout), pencil and a few beer mats, got to try and get the mojo back some how!!! Ray

Morning all, just a note, that 59th & Rust will be at York show, if you there come and say hello. My usual operator won't be with me, so yesterday my stand in, Dick, had a crash coarse on how to operate the layout, after hours of hair pulling and lots of finger pointing , he got his head around operating!!!!!!! So be gentle with him if you see a mistake, hopefully by Monday night, i'll be able to take the "L" plates off (what a show to be thrown in the deep end) The answer to the Question I set about the RS11(which goes down really well at shows "love the sound" "cracking sound file") is, the sound file is a 251 16v,where as the RS11 is a 12v 251,wasn't happy with loksound RS11 sound file, just didn't sound right, when they upgrade there sound, i'll re-blow it ,maybe!! the mojo's gone again, done now't for months!!!,just can't get going, may need a fresh start on some thing different, stamp collecting!!!!!!! Ray

BR blue 47's on the Whitehaven-Huddersfield TPO, which started at Workington! 309 with the morning arrival, TPO stock, being uncoupled 007 sitting in the centre road, after running around the stock 420 on stock waiting for brake test before shunting stock into bay platform 419 on the evening departure at Salterbeck ,south of Workington Ray

Keeping on the BR blue theme, all Workington 070-038 shunting in exchange sidings 075-078 standing on reception road, waiting for signal 135-004 crossing over to reception road 138-032 arriving with morning steel Ray

Peter I don't have any roof shots of D200, I've still a few side shots left. D200 coming to the rescue of a steam special D200 arriving at Workington with the afternoon trip from Carlisle 002 sitting in the morning sun at Workington stabling point Ray

A couple more from the archives, didn't manage to see/photo all the 40's they started scraping them before I got interested in diesels!! 135 stable at Workington Another of my haunts was Man vic,we'd save up and buy a north west rover and have a week in the summer, we use to cover some miles. 086 on a mixed freight at Man vic Ray

40122 (d200) served most of it's last days around Workington, it could turn up on anything! but mostly on the Carlisle -Workington trip Arriving with the afternoon trip again, how many photo's did I need of D200 on the trip working, if I only knew then what I know now!!!! Ray

A couple more morning shots for you 152 shunting the mail stock after arriving from the south 172 waiting to enter the yard, with a pair of 37's on the empty steel waiting to go back and a pair of duffs coming of the fuelling point Ray

152-086 on rail charter at Carlisle Ever had that feeling you should " kick yourself ",I do, often! Workington use to be full of 40's,i use to call round on my way to work (when I was apprentice ), just to see what was stabled there in the morning, of coarse never taking any notes (first kick) and, only taking pictures of something new (which wasn't very often, same old same...second kick),film was not cheap, wish there had been digital then!! (third kick) this is the only photo of a class 40 I have on a coal train in West Cumbria, they were back and forth all day(admittedly I was a work, but still!!, forth kick) Ray

Still with the BR blue theme, all Workington 144-004 Workington yard 077-078 returning with empties 078-096 after arriving in exchange sidings 015-043 with loaded steel, after running "BANG" road from Maryport Ray