big jim

no issues with the 805, last minute emergency engineering was put in place which prevented the run

I for one am someone who can’t tell the difference between blue Peter and tornado, they look the same to me at a glance! The mk3s are SVR stock, normally parked outside the carriage sheds in Kidderminster when I’ve passed by

Seems like ages since I’ve been in work, the 805 jobs were cancelled all week so I’ve been spare but got asked to work last night conducting a stone blower for Harsco from walsall to soho Jn and back soho jn at the end of the job, 2 machines on site tamping side by side, waiting for the 2nd machine to couple up to head back to the depot soho depot possesison tomorrow in Warrington then a few days of Stoke diverts and an 805 to Carlisle at the end of the week

don’t know, I picked it up from the road side from the lad who’d bought it off a work colleague

the FTO has come up good bodywork wise with a good wash and a T-Cut part way through you can see where I’d only done part of the roof the wing but not the bonnet and the rear quarter but not the tailgate now that’s the good bit, prepare to wince at the state of the underside thanks to lack of underseal, paint and being stood for 12 years! rear chassis rails, at least there’s something actually there! Rear Suspension and chassis rails Floorpan, still fairly intact but very little paint left! Inner skin behind the rear bumper as you can see a major job, got the mot guy coming over to have a look at it at some point and give an idea of what exactly needs doing welding wise EDIT: I’ve shared the pics with a friend who’s normally quick to spot things I’d not as well as posting them on another forum and the consensus is that it’s not as bad as it looks, once the welding is done (assuming there is no other major issues) give it a good clean and lanoguard it and it might be alright

Finally got it home, it’s going to need some serious welding, I’ve managed to put my finger though the outer floor pan skin around the front jack points but the chassis rails are in better condition at that end than I’d hoped (but still not good) under the arches seem ok, not able to poke anything through them toward the engine bay the exhaust issue is twofold, one is it’s missing a piece of the centre pipe (I wondered if someone has cut the cat out but I’m not sure it has one?) Secondly the flexi pipe has long corroded away but that’s part of the down pipe from the V6 manifold, thankfully not massively expensive but something that needs doing before we can really fire it up properly as it’s so noisy! I think the first major plan of action is to get the welding work assessed and priced up, the first minor job is to get it off the road and onto the drive then give it a good wash and t-cut

meanwhile I rinse out another jam jar 2 miles down the road to save the planet!

that line is now a foot and cycle path into Glasgow, had a look on my strava and I rode it back in 2022 all the way from arrochar and tarbet on the west highland line, 40 miles (and it rained all day!) here’s a screenshot of part of the map the top yellow arrow is where the first pic is and the bottom one the 2nd pic, a bit further along the old trackbed there are quite a few of the famous Glasgow pigeon lofts in fact I’ve just realised this pic is the bridge the 08 is passing over looking in the opposite direction to the old picture

click on the photo and it takes you to Flickr with a caption (it’s derby)

That’s the plan, get it home and have a proper look at it, the guy who does my mot said he’d have a look over it at my house to give me an idea of what major work needs doing had a cursory look under the rear in the light earlier and the chassis frames don’t look too healthy, as for the noisy exhaust, quite simply from what I can see there is no centre pipe attached (or even fitted) as I can see the pipe from the manifold going to air, hopefully quarryscapes can help me out on that front! struggled to get it to move earlier as it was not running on all cylinders and the brakes are binding but a few jerks back and forth in gear got it moving and it also started firing on more cylinders we couldn’t get it on the guys transporter but I’ve managed to borrow an A frame tomorrow to get it home to decide what to do with it, if nothing else we’ve saved a modern classic from scrap, even if we have to sell it straight on if it’s too much of an undertaking but as I say it certainly won’t be a 10 minute job to get it back on the road if we do give it a go having had a look on Wikipedia the yellow COTY edition was a Ltd Ed of only 207 worldwide so it’s a rare old car really, I think there are only about 50 FTO registered on the road in the uk at the moment i wont lie im having 2nd thoughts about it now in the cold light of day specially as the alternator has gone on Dom’s Saab now too and its a major job to replace that

might be interested in the exhaust, we went to have a look at it tonight with a spare battery and got it running, Christ it’s loud from the manifold end so I suspect it’s blowing, hope it’s not the manifold! It’s not going to be a quick project, oil is filthy, there is plenty of coolant in it but will need a flush out I recon, change all the belts, new tyres, air filter, wipers and something I did notice last night which will be the most expensive is it needs a new windscreen as it’s got a crack along the bottom which will no doubt get longer in time, that can be the last job I recon Bodywork wise a good t-cut should bring it back to standard, the fuel flap is in the boot for refitting, tidy up the wiper arms with a fresh coat of paint as well as the top of the door jams electrics, it looks to be ok, all light work, even has a fully working thatcham 1 Toad alarm (that brings back 1990s memories!) the head unit in it is a combined CD/minidisc thing! it should be in my possession in the morning as the guy is dropping it off at the house on his car transporter van then it’s time to see exactly what I’ve let myself in for

Think I’ve just done something foolish! i spotted this parked up in the side of the road not far from home the other day and low and behold I then found it on eBay, ended up buying it as another fixer upper, really don’t know what to expect with this one though, tbh it was Dominic who wanted it but he won’t be able to insure it until he’s got a bit more experience so I bought it for myself and I’ll pass it on to him (assuming it’s not a complete nail when we go and collect it) Mitsubishi FTO ‘car of the year 95’ Ltd Ed So, here’s where it gets fun, it’s not had an MOT since 2011 and is going to need some work to get it through I recon, certainly a cursory look on the side of the road earlier sees it needing 4 decent tyres, wipers front and back, number plate, fuel flap, bodywork seems solid, certainly compared to the MX5 but we’ll have to see how it looks once on a ramp one thing I’ve noticed under the bonnet from the pics is it’s missing its MAF meter and the cone filter has come off so I’ll have to have a check that nothing has got into the inlet that could get sucked into the engine, the description says it runs and drives but the battery is completely flat just need to hear from the seller about collecting it and hopefully take it from there, get it booked in for an MOT and see what needs doing only paid £600 for it so don’t mind spending a few quid to get it up to speed, if it’s a nail it will go straight back on eBay!

Got our other Mazda back on the road yesterday, and this one has no rust, a few dents though! my wife’s cx7 has been sat on the drive waiting for a new starter motor since about December which I finally had changed for a used one, a whole £17 worth, good as gold now Also had 2 new tyres put on it today as the previous owner had driven it with the tracking miles out which had misshaped the tyres and worn them both on the outside edges were off to japfest at silverstone in it the weekend after next and have track time booked. It was going to be for the MX5 but obviously that’s no more so we’re going to give the 4x4 a blast instead as the car has to be Japanese

I like to find work arounds, the NR guys on the ground were also glad of it as they needed it moving asap, the electronic rulebook is an absolute boon when things go wrong and you have to think on your feet had it not been able to move the whole possession could have been cancelled and there were already 3 other trains on site waiting to start work, I believe the loco was a complete failure in the end and they managed to use one of the other locos on site to go back and rescue it, thankfully it was the last train in the queue!

First hattons/accurascale Warwell finished, painted the extensions and added the buffer plates, I’m going to be lazy and not bother with the underside bracing as it’s barely noticeable from normal viewing levels The end plates I made from an old slaters sprue Mixed up some yellow paint with a spot of red wash to get a match for the existing yellow buffer beam gave the deck a light weathering of earth where the tyre tracks have been and a black wash all over Added a foxhound One down 5 to go Quite a difference in width between a standard width wagon and a modified one

Here we go, end plates added, used some plastic strip from an old sprue, brass strips painted, strapped down foxhound fitted and lightly weathered one down, 3 to go (and 3 oxfords!) Quite a difference between that and a standard width Oxford version

The article I was working from has appeared from behind the paywall so I’ve screen shot it for future reference incase it goes behind again, I won’t post it up here as it’s probably copyrighted (Hornby magazine article) but for anyone else thinking of having a go the styrene strips that go below the extensions need 0.010in x .100 Evergreen styrene strip, once I get some and do the work I’ll post some pics up here but it’s basically 4 triangular ribs attached to the existing uprights on the frame at each end the buffer protectors are just 0.5 thick brass squares in the article, I’ll probably just use plasticard as I’ve got some that thickness already, hopefully do a bit more tonight

Back to the figures, separated from the printing base and placed ready to paint (not all of them) faces and skin first then the clothes Did the foxhounds green this time Used the Vallejo paints instead, a much better Matt finish than the tamia paints I’d used on the tank thingy I then added deck extensions to my warwells 0.5mm thick brass strips 1.5mm wide glued to the edges of the platform still got to add plasticard strengthening braces below deck and the buffer covers A quick coat of olive green to see how it looks, quite happy with it, needs a touch of weathering to blend in with what I’ve already done to the wagon Also did a hattons/accurascale version too In a train next to the hattons wagon And a Birds Eye comparison between the modified and unmodified Oxford wagons, is it worth the effort, not really sure yet!!

Finally opened one of the 3 I’ve received this evening, one thing that is instantly noticeable over the Oxford version is the weight, it feels twice as heavy! here it is next to an Oxford one which id repainted to the correct shade of green One thing I’ve cracked on with is adding the deck extensions, I’ve used 0.5mm thick brass bar 1.5mm wide, cut into 45mm lengths and glued to the edge of the deck still need to add the triangular strengtheners to the underside of the extension and the plates above the buffers before I paint them to match the wagon, unfortunately the article I was reading had disappeared behind a pay wall so I’m not sure of the size I need to make those bits from plasticard And next to a modified deck repainted oxford warwell for comparison, thought I’d do the foxhounds green for these wagons

basically yes!

An interesting night to say the least! started in basford hall taking a train to site at plumley my loco at the front with our own mike Delamar photo bombing me! and from here on in it went down hill! first up I put my hard hat on the hot plate not realising it was on then I dropped a whole bag of crisps on the floor, and I hadn’t left the yard yet surely that was it for bad luck? Off we went, Mike left with his train first with a single loco front and I followed top and tail, it was an unusual situation as the locos needed to be cascaded but also switch to the opposite line when arriving at plumley so we both went through plumley and headed to the single line between northenden jn and hazel grove where we entered a possession put in place purely for us to do swap locos, once cascaded and changed ends it was back out of the possession toward plumley and into the main possession where the work was taking place I got to the cascade possession, permission to enter and stop at the back of mikes train, chopped my loco off and put it on the rear of mikes train (making it his lead loco back to plumley), we did a brake test and Mike walked back while I walked forward to my rear loco (which was now my leading loco) as Mike walked back his loco for some reason shut down and no matter what he did couldn’t get it to restart, it had been fine for me all night up until that point and it had to be declared a failure, of course without that train on site the possession was in danger of being cancelled! came up with the solution to couple the trains together and work it as one to site so at least it was there, could be put into position and worked on, the only issue being things like length, weight and having a dead loco in the middle of the consist which NR weren’t happy about but I found a work around in the rulebook and our own operating appendix which allowed it to move so i backed my train up, coupled, brake tested and awaited further instruction! Mike got in the rear loco and using radios to maintain contact throughout we set off for plumley with him giving me a shove where required (which surprisingly was only on one occasion) the train was an absolute monster but the 66 handled it well, I took my time to avoid braking too much as there were a lot of wagons, it weighted about 3200 ton and was 3/4 mile long, as an idea if it had been stood in platform 13 at Manchester Piccadilly the rear end would have been at the deansgate end of Oxford road station! And I got relief at plumley as the sun rose before I set off we got the train to draw forward so the broken loco was sat in the station for the fitter who was already en route as I say an interesting night, even if it hadn’t gone wrong the move into a dedicated possession to cascade was unusual by itself back in tomorrow, 805 testing all week

Popped to the MIOG show earlier in crewe heritage centre, I don’t model O gauge but went for a nose anyway and had a look at the visiting class 20s from LSL, very nice indeed Some sort of new build loco, info in the link below https://newprincegeorgesteam.org.uk O gauge class 69!

They must have sensed I’m Welsh

luckily the driver who was with me road learning the s+c part took the car I left at hellifield and I took the one he left at tuebrook so it worked out good but otherwise I’d have had to somehow at some point gone back to hellifield to retrieve it, quite when and how I don’t know! in normal circumstances where we’re done with a car that’s not going to another driver we fill out an app with its location etc and it’s collected, the local enterprise hire car place isn’t far from my house so I sometimes drop them off there to save space outside the house There is a dedicated road fleet planning department who work out the vehicle plan for the week, I don’t envy their job as it’s as complicated as the train planning with more things to go wrong such as cars not turning up, drivers getting swapped so cars are left stranded, only this week I’ve found 2 ‘most wanted’ missing cars in various places which I’ve managed to use instead of a taxi and return to the local depot, tomorrow morning I’ve just been told by my relief that his car hasn’t turned up so I’ve got to taxi home from site (thankfully only 15 miles), luckily that car isn’t needed by anyone else afterwards so it’s not a hardship and the car i got from Liverpool yesterday will stay with me for the rest of the week to get to and from oxley

As mentioned by mick, today was a job to ribblehead drove my hire car to hellifield to meet it, not the most enticing of entrances to a station! Old bay platform at the south end, trains toward clitheroe used it mainly Nice detail in the restored canopy (although some of it is looking a bit aged again) Carnforth bound train Leeds bound train this wasn’t far behind another Leeds bound service (one from Carlisle the other from Lancaster) so it had to wait for it to clear the section ahead, there is a stop signal part way along the platform protecting the exit to the goods loop which the unit has to clear to get the doors on the active part of the platform, however the section signal is still on because of the other train, a potential spad trap! once the other train is out of section the signal is pulled off to depart (the right hand one takes you to clitheroe) In rolled my train with 60087 up front and away to ribblehead where we backed into the sidings, as we had 22 wagons we had to split the train into 2 roads While that half was being loaded I went for a walk, it wasn’t raining but there was a very cold string wind! artifact in the station yard Station building, unfortunately the cafe doesn’t open until the 1st April and the free wifi wasn’t working! There is no mobile signal at all in the area! Ribblehead viaduct from the station yard And a walk to the other side of the line, you can’t appreciate how remote the place is until you see it like this! 158 heading to Carlisle View from the other side below the pub a walk back to the train, made some new friends, I suspect the farmer wears an orange hi viz as when they saw me they came over bleating and started following me! Did a shunt to move the empty wagons to the loading pad at this point you can connect to the starlink WiFi/internet in the cabin and my phone started to ping with missed messages and a mornings worth of emails, you’ve guessed it ‘can you just’! Could I work it back to Liverpool instead of getting off in hellifield! 158 heading south DB 66 with a new biggin to tees yard service, this surprised me as it was a train of MEA box wagons, I didn’t realise they were still in use! ready to go but had to wait for a couple of passenger trains to pass walked up to the ground frame to speak to the shunter while we waited And away, I have to run round in blea moor to head back south so 2 trips over the viaduct! Had a good run at it until golborne jn when I got held to time, into tuebrook where I had to jump off and someone else put it away as I was right on my day and still had to drive home (and was going out for the evening too!) And that was that, back in Saturday night, possession at plumley again, then 805 on Monday, route refresh Tuesday and 805 to rhyl on Wednesday and Thursday night