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jamessolomon

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  1. jamessolomon
    So after last years awesome day out at the DRS open day in Crewe someone on Facebook posted that Virgin Trains where having an open day in Crewe this year and decided not much is on the calendar for June this year id go. Planning to purchase a ticket next month in anticipation of going to Crewe again noting its right next door to the train station. Has anyone been before and do you just walk down the road next to the station at Crewe or do you have to speak to Virgin staff as the DRS one was walk down to the depot up to the gate buy your ticket and your in easy process. On a side note what is there to see at the depot anything like stored items and such around Crewe or is it mainly the depot shed and I wonder what we will expect to be there to look at on display
  2. jamessolomon

    Workbench

    By jamessolomon,

    So I have finally got back to the projects piling up for attention on the workbench for quite a while. The coaching stock has been receiving painted springs and the blue thing plus the research on the various interiors of the BR blue MK1/2 and 3s plus the IC Mk3s has been going slowly in some departments or coach types but progress has been made.
     
    The Pullman got red springs and the chosen blue is too dark so needs to be changed to a lighter shade alongside the Mk3s getting yellow springs and the mk1/2s still to receive red springs and yellow caps the bogies on all coaching stock will be toned down with some weathering powders in the future, The Mk3s will gain a full interior paint (pending suitable pics) and lighting at some point if it works I may add to the Canadian coaching stock i own and my Hornby 47 North star will receive attention at some point on the workbench for detailing and paint.
     
    The other 47 in the fleet is awaiting a suitable RES 47 shell to progress the CVR project alongside the 2nd RMB part of that project alongside acquiring another 2 coaches to match. The LNER V2 requires acquisition of new name plates and a crest for one side of the tender and to somehow remove the front spring to fix derailing 
     
    On the Canadian front bid on 2 more coaches for the fleet these will be checked for interior details and lighting maybe added if i win. The Thrall all door fleet one needs decals and trucks ordering with all requiring kadees to be purchased and added alongside the white boxcar which will receive maybe a repaint and new decals adding. The Grain fleet is progressing nicely on the lookout for one or 2 more a slab sided and another cylindrical in the future alongside some weathering on the trucks when the weathering powders come out to play for the British lot. 
     
    I still need to sort out the noisy loco within the fleet and fix the running and detail the  F7A & F7B units to pull the coaching stock. Alongside this the rear of the layout will finally receive attention this year to move it along and allow for more storage for the fleet. I have created a spreadsheet to keep track of the actual fleet and non fleet stock i have gathered over the years and is a good way of deciding what items are left to add to complete the fleet and have decided the sort of industries the layout will serve using boxcars, tank cars and thrall all door alongside a flatcar and a gondola plus an extra shunter type locomotive to complete.
     
    Pics will be posted from time to time as progress is made in either my projects topic or the 1970s Canadian Pacific topic and will keep you updated on the layout
  3. jamessolomon
    Got the bus from home to the train station at Crewe and was greeted with a 2 quid optional bus ride to the depot no mention of this on the site so i decided to walk there. The weather held out all day and i really enjoyed it especially the turnout of locomotive types i had never experienced before. The trade was decent and picked up 3 items from the class 40 stand and enjoyed the atmosphere especially when they fired up the locos and blew the horns also revving them up was a treat to hear the sounds, I noted the following locos i took pics of and some rolling stock also noted on some locos and equipment the replacements brake disks on the 68s the models received the new release of the snow plough set was there in the flesh
     
    9575025 - no idea what this was it confused me no end trying to figure it out
    37558 Avro Vulcan XH558 - this was coupled to the above coach
    68021 Tireless - splended in its TPE livery
    68014 - I assume this was in the wessex connect livery if i have this right
    Nuclear flask wagon
    37069
    88002 Prometheus
    37403 Isle of Mull
    57007 - nameplate on this was covered up any ideas what it was named
    68019 - splended in the TPE livery
    37606
    37407
    68019 Brutus - splended in its TPE livery also had headboards on the front
    20302
    20303 - had a name plate on the cab rear Max Joule 1958 -1999
    37218
    57303 Pride of Carlisle
    Twin snowplough set
    behind the fence was 66425, 66424, 37422 & 57323 Solway Princess looking smart in its Northern Belle livery
    In the shed was 37259, 57301 Goliath, 68020 Reliance, 68029
     
    The only nitpick id have was traffic flow you'd move a bit then someone would stop for photos then others would the you get stuck trying to fight to go around them and a few lads in youtube shirts and there attitudes when you tried walking in front as you couldn't go around the back getting irate and nasty but overall the event scores 10/10 for my first ever event of this type and would do it again if it was that easy to get to.
     
    On a side note anyone know what the rake of BR blue coaches was that was thundered past the depot and on my walk into town spotted DRS coaches on the move
  4. jamessolomon

    Volunteering

    By jamessolomon,

    So during Churnet Valley Railways volunteer open day we went along to check it out and signed up. The weekend after we went along and was sanding abd painting one side of the back of Brightside in the shed having fun. We expect to be down there on the easter weekend doing something on the railway but this has spurred on several projects I happened to post about on the forums mainly the class 33 project. The 33 has been reborn and has become 2 locos 33102 "Captain Charles" and 33021 "Sophie" having access to the real things kinda helps with the project.
     
    On a side note was fishing around the web about there 47 in RES livery namely 47524 which I kinda itching to get stuck in on and return it to service but my trawlings on the net foudn it was named RES Gestae which spurred me on to try and find the plates removed from it in 1996 to reunite with it bu thatt may take a long time and alot of emails to find if they still exist but projects come and go although got my pair of IC 47s out of the loft to buy detailing kits for since i think that class is kinda cool
     
    But anyway lets see what easter brings for volunteering on the railway and hopefuilly get my hands on the beast to return it to service althogh Tamworth Castle stored behind it looks tasty too being a class 25 but one day
  5. jamessolomon
    So Today i lernt that Captain Charles one of the 33 was in to finish off the tedious project of replacing the cab rot to think these are all wooden cabs is amazing considering things like 25s and 27s are metal construction. They spend the day stripping out the cab ready for the replacement and fixes to go into to return it to service. I didnt go as work beconed but dad dis and was telling me about things and how the project was going all i kow is one end has been done previously and the other end is being worked on. Brightside I helped on the first time there was outside along with the american loco that was behind it in the shed.
     
    33s kinda impress me and it kind of makes me want to tailor my layout upstairs to a preserved railway with a name yet to be decided if i go ahead with one. Fleet would be BR Black LNER V2 Jinty and J50 alongside 2 Intercity 47s BR Blue 27 31 35 and 04 shunter whti a mix of BR liveried coaching stock plus the single Pullman. It impresses me how preserved railways such as the CVR operate the equipment they have to a set standard and such tight schedules kinda make me want to set up my own timetables for more running sessions to become more active than posting project after project idea on here and never doing anything with it.
     
    As i progress more with volunteering with the group the idea of the preserved model railway may grow on me and get to a point where i say yeah lets do it and come up with a suitable name. It may also spur me on to go out and purchase the point work to complete the TMD or MPD if there is a difference between them and get the yard work done before scenic installation can begin and allow me to get back into enjoying model railways. A weekend cleanup of the mess on and around the railway resulted in british away american out which i hadnt run in ages but sill got my CSX issue which i was trying to convert to dummy if anyone has any help. So for now we shall see what happens in the future for the layout and volunteering
  6. jamessolomon
    Not alot is happening spent last night with a running session upstairs with the american stock out on the tracks had loads of fun now my CSX is not powered anymore doing double headers with my CP maroon GP7 looking for an action red machine thats cheap to complete the set but also had the F7 out towing my baggage car around in a shunting move also the ATSF Plymouth switcher made an appearance on engineering services. Dtill need a few more pieces of rolling stock to complete the set and fill the yard nicely round the back of the scenics. The 47 project has stalled as i try and find bits n bobs and time to start it also the 33 project has stalled yet again trying to locate suitable locos to do basic livery changes on.
     
    In other new back to volunteering at CVR tomorrow which im always excited about mostly because its fun and gets me out of the house and is a way to find new or exiting project to look at for future things on the model railway such as the pair of 33s and trying to find a cheap RES bodyshell to replace un named IC 47 into RES Gestae like the one CVR has in storage if anyone can help. I kinda get drawn to steam on the railway but am sort of a diehard diesel fan tbh steam dosnt exite me enough like the roar of an engine throbbing away under the body. Learnt last time dad was there he got to drive a class 33 Sophie around i am well jelous about it i mean id like to do tht sometime or get my hands on the 47 and do something with it to progress it without being told what to do. Maybe even a project for the railway to keep me occupied and use my IT skills such as scanning the 2 boxes of photos i saw on the side of brightside when i was last there then putting them into a gallery or something online linked to the railway as an archive or such that could be used as a donation thing if you wanted to buy prints like some sites iv seen offer it.
     
    Anyway theres loads to do lots to play with stuff to do on the model railway and the big scale one too but I am hoping we can get involved in an event such as like the bus event would be nice to volunteer for as i also like collecting bus & coach models as another hobby of mine have lots of them out in a depot on the scenic board in my room i take pics of occasionally for a facebook group sometime mix the preserved traffic in with it since it was a railway diorama to start with and has track. A note to CVR if members are on the forums couldnt you get like 2nd hand concrete slabs and put them in the yard to have an even surface and hard standing to do work on locos outside when the shed is full such as Sophies fuel tank job or the transmission in the 04 and would fix the muddy boggy issued in the yard im sure somewhere like Cheshire Demolition might have cheap stock to do something like this
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