big jim

it’s something like 05:15 coming from Foregate st direction, it’s the rail drop train apparently

I mentioned the above in the accurascale MK2 thread as it stuck out like a sore thumb to me too, couldn’t find this thread to update at the time if its not the same person then it’s a hell of a coincidence!

Only 2 from last night, rugby to hams hall rugby and fuelling at hams hall off to see The Horne section tonight then in tomorrow Worcester to bescot via Kidderminster

Conducted the sleeper train via the West Midlands last night 92010 up front and into rugby train home and that was that!

Found another project I’d started but forgot about, Mentor from @LMSfan72 that I’d primed up but put away about 12 months ago! painted up the interior print ready to fit when I glue the 2 parts of the coach together, as I used to work mentor I had some interior pics to get the colours somewhere near, they are a bit brighter so they will be a bit more visible through the windows Next up is glue the 2 parts of the coach together then fill the gap with fine modeller’s putty before a rub down and paint, not sure when I’ll do that as I need to find my airbrush, something else missing since before lockdown! what’s the best glue to use on 3d printed parts?

I was just about to send the link to that picture to my current trainee as he lives near there then I noticed the name and realised it was taken by his dad!

Notice a few MK2s have appeared new on eBay at £59.99 in various liveries however upon clicking on the seller it appears they are based in Oakhampton, the same place as a number of previous since banned sellers who took peoples money but didn’t deliver the goods it may be a coincidence but I thought I’d mention it incase it’s the same person using yet another username and people get scammed again

Loco move today Stafford to longport and back to toton DRS flask train 69004/66783/66795 freightliner 90s passing through Changing ends in alsager shunting round longport, dropped off 66783 and took the 69 and 795 back Into toton and home off tomorrow then conducting the sleeper train on Wednesday

the Grassington pics are wonderful, talk about run down in every way possible, location and loco! the only remaining point of reference in the photos is the building on the other side of the road

Possession last night at valley started in basford hall with a long walk to the south end to collect my train class 90s That 47 again! Shunting the loco onto the north end of the train And away we went, entered the Possession at Menai bridge and had to run wrong direction across the island to the worksite so had to cross various crossings under local control, the first one was llanfairpwll (gwyngyllgogeryllllantysiliogogogoch) to which I asked the picop to spell the full name of the crossing phonetically, you can imagine what his reply was! Into the worksite at Ty-Croes and a quick stop at rhosneiger Once on site we began unloading fresh ballast into the newly laid track before getting relief and driving home mixed bag of short jobs next week, class 69 move to and from longport tomorrow, conduct the sleeper train Wednesday, rugby to hams hall Thursday and Kidderminster to bescot Friday

Fortunately yes it is, I did check before I jacked it up! I got it for 1/2 the new price otherwise it would have been far to far out if my budget too, you can get a similar one for £415 new but again it’s quite an initial outlay https://automotechservices.co.uk/products/09013-adjustable-mobile-tilting-lift/

Lifted the carpets for a look from the inside and have a poke around and the car now has extra air conditioning! The driver’s side is the worst it’s also rotted away part of the bracing from the chassis rail Passenger side not so bad but still not good Hopefully still salvageable with a lot of work, I have seen preformed floor pan panels for the fto on an older mig welding forum which would save a lot of hassle but the guy was in Australia and I can’t find anything in the UK other than a complete floor pan!

Just got back from seeing Russell Howard in the theatre in town, absolutely brilliant, gethin came with me to his first comedy show and he was chuckling and really laughing all the way through, poo, , Willy and boob references were bound to be amusing to a 14yr old! my wife was upstairs in the monthly comedy club with my eldest lad seeing one of her fave comedians, Jenny hart, as well as 3 other acts, they came out really laughing too so a great night for all of us

C C Crumps in connahs quay, my stepdads place all sorts of things went in and out of there, octel tanks, 100t TEA wagons, those tiger rail things that revolution have just made, 400 Rudd wagons were made there so some unweathered ex works examples could be used, I’ve got a photo somewhere in my photobucket of one of the trippers running through flint behind a class 25 but I’ll have to find it

I got it off eBay but it’s a Sealey product https://www.sealey.co.uk/product/5637706758/portable-pivot-car-lift-1500kg

Saw it in the yard at crewe as I prepped my train last night

Rail drop at kidsgrove last night started in basford hall where there was a class 18 in the yard, on trial with freightliner shunted the locos onto my train, just needed to move one round to the front Into the station for a change ends, 805001 en route to to Rhyl change ends no2 in Stoke Got to site, change ends no 3 to drop the rail, after the job was done it was change ends no4 outside kidsgrove to head toward the session exit on the crewe branch that was it for pics but after change ends No5 in alsager loop I got relief and headed home! back in Saturday night next, another possession train at valley on Anglesey this time

Got a new toy the other day, a scissor lift, handy for the FTO and mini (that needs the brake discs changing) got the FTO off the road and onto the drive by firing it up and driving it into position then it was up in the air for a quick look to see just how bad it really is, honest opinion, it’s no worse than the MX5 was corrosion wise to my eye but I’m not a welder! the worst part is the corner of the floor pan on both sides, those will need totally cutting out and renewing, the chassis rails appear to look worse than they are, couldn’t poke through them but I didn’t really try too hard Passenger side floor pan corner Drivers side solid Floorpan otherwise, hopefully just a good rub down with a wire brush and underseal etc Missing cat and broken flexi on the down pipe so obviously they will need to be replaced by new parts and I’ve got the rest of the exhaust from quarryscapes to collect at some point i then tilted the car forward on the platform to get a good look at the rear end Generally I think a good clean up, wire brush and underseal as well as the required welding and it should be salvageable as it’s not too bad i didn’t go under the car or start poking around as it’s there was no secondary bracing (axle stands) should the lift fail, Ill have to get myself some tall ones for when the car is tilted forward or backward, I’ve got 4 decent short ones for when I’m working on it and it doesn’t need to be as high such as when I do the brakes and clean up under the arches mechanically as I say I managed to move it to position by driving it, only had it running for about a minute as it’s going to need the fluids and belts doing, also noticed the fuel tank is a bit rusty inside when I put a splash of fuel in it to fire it up (2 litres or so), can it be flushed somehow when the time comes to look at the mechanicals

Last night was a stone train to hams hall via a run round at bescot and another one straight back, there should have been another landor st to crewe at the start but someone else kindly did that for me basford hall my train, an hour or so late into hams hall and being unloaded straight away a rather sad looking 08899 in a very faded midland railway maroon, I drove this on etches park when I was with colas as we weren’t allowed to start locos in the wheel lathe due to smoke and this happened to be nearby and they let me use it! sad to see it like that but at least it’s still in service my 2nd train back to crewe and into crewe basford hall again handy for my car. 225bhp compared to 3000hp, not much difference in fuel consumption though! rail drop in kidsgrove tonight

What motor bogie is under that merv?

interesting to see the bridge carrying the SMJR line to line toward Woodford halse still in place at wormleighton

Only 2 from tonight, a ballast drop on the north warwick line from tyseley to Stratford, kind of! 08 in Bescot My train was top and tail 5 auto hoppers in the end I only took it as far as spring road and my relief turned up, so I never got to do any of the drop, annoyingly it took me 3 1/2 hours to drive from ilfracombe to drive a train for less than an hour!

don’t think I’ll see them but you never know! 3 from the first part of today, went over to Ilfracombe yesterday to have a couple of days with the family as they are down there for a couple of weeks and popped by woody bay on the L&B, didn’t have a ride though beautiful loco and stock and a stunning looking station wonder if they will ever manage to get it fully reopen?

You can get pre formed corners and chassis rails but I’m hoping it can be welded easy enough but I’m really not sure, if I can get some of the prep work done myself that might save a few quid on the welding, as for things like brake pipes and the like they are readily available, I’ve read that the rear callipers can be a killer on them as they are hard to get hold of should they be seized