DIRTY DIESEL

Mine had the vibration, more so when steam heat sound was activated, so I dropped the sound volume down from default max to around 140 and it disappeared.

Thanks McC, the loco has been on the track a lot longer than the 30 seconds, sometimes 10 to 20 minutes. I'll double check next time I'm in the loft. Stu

I'm DCC Andy, I'll take a look at the lights to see if they stay on (as per reply above), I know my Baccy 40 (without the wiper pick ups) does that with my other stay alive. As my track doesn't seem 😲 get that dirty I've not noticed any poor running, but it would be nice to have it just in case. Thanks Stu

Hi, Just a question on the stay alive, I've seen AC videos where the loco was picked up off the track and the sound and wheels continued to run for a few seconds. My Ballymoss runs fine bar dirty wheels straight out of the box (can happen with new locos ) which caused a few issues until I cleaned wheels with IPA & cotton bud. But I've noticed that if I take the loco off the track the sound & wheels stop straight away, unlike the video, does stay alive need enabling via any CVs or is already enabled and doesn't run on for a few second as per earlier videos? Thanks Stu

Did you get rid of your class 40s to…..😉

I worked Talacre SB from 1991 to 1997, we used to ring the loading point to get permission to let the trains in. The footbridge was a public one I seem to remember and the crossing under it was an access road from one side of the pit to the other, gates would be closed prior to the wagons propelling back into the pit. From November 1991 the class 60s took over from the pairs of 20s, and from this date trains were increased to the standard 35 wagons length train (if my memory is correct), as the headshunt on the the other side of the loading point was too short we had to split the train and load each half separately before putting them back together and running round, the whole process took 3 hours from start to finish. Around this time we had two trains a night Sunday to Friday which took the loaded wagons to Fiddlers Ferry Power Station.

When I first started as a box lad in 1982 I’d input train times into the NTN (I think) machine & would do an E3 1 enquiry for where all the 40s might be on the North Wales coast. Earlier today I was reporting every train that arrived & departed into TRUST, plus if I wanted to I could have done an E3 1 enquiry for where the mainline registered 40s may be. Having roughly used the same system for the passed 39 years, does anyone know why we still use this system to report trains and why BR/RT & now NR have never renewed to a completely new system? We also use Tiger Rail to mirror CIS, and when earlier this year Tiger changed servers we weren’t able to to receive Tiger Rail until 4Cs sorted the problem, in those few weeks some of my colleagues went into meltdown...

I’ll offering & sectioning in about 6 hours time, it saves the next boxes getting his head out of his rule book twice...

Back in 1985 I put in for Rhyl class B GP relief which covered Prestatyn, Rhyl 1&2, Abergele & Colwyn Bay. My old block inspector turn up with permissive working regs while I was at my first box at Penmeanmawr, he said “you might need these...”. I said (confused) “where for....?” he said “you’ve got Rhyl GP relief...” little did I know at the time it wasn’t going to be, due to an admin error the person who got the job had been reduced under the old clause 9. The person who got the job is the owner of the Lada car in the above photo, so if things had turned out differently there might have been either a Honda MTX125 or Ford Cortina Crusader 2.0 in that photo above....

Ha, so I’m not the only one who needs to memorise the whole GBTT and have an answer straight away... There was a time under Railtrack you wouldn’t wear anything with Railtrack on it (when going for briefings etc) as we would get abuse. I was told many times to “Get under the wires if you want to keep your job...”, but I’m still here in the same box (via a few others) 39 years later. I now work next to people who can do the Times crossword in 2 minutes flat with daft amount of qualifications and memories the rule book backwards while in Signaling School but then lack common sense when the job goes pairshaped, although there are one or two exceptions every so often thankfully...

21/2/81 40086 Cardiff/Holyhead Ruggex. My source can name four of the the assembled motley crew, but I will keep it confidential due to ‘Crimes to fashion..’ oh by the way Wales beat Ireland 9-8.. Stu

I was on the LDC meeting that put the old IB in when No2 box went in 1990 to reduce the headway, and we informed the powers that be that this was likely to happen if they took it away in 2018, but no one listened, I was even sent on a meeting to explained what might happen after my concerns were brought up with the planners. I have a wry smile when I see follow late on TRUST when they loose 1/2 minutes at busy times... Stu

No doubt, I was on duty the night the old boxes shut & the ROC came on line... Any chance you could reinstate Rhyl’s old IB to stop trains being OB and standing in Rhyl platform when late running... Five or six years should just about right if you want to come for the Junction...

Ha yes, but they have longevity, I’ve often wondered as I shunt the morning Blaenau unit into platform 4 at the Junction if theses are the same units I pulled off for 34 years ago!! Unfortunately unless it whistles & has 16 wheels I don’t take much notice of the numbers.

Sorry yes your right, I remember a six car set of 150/2s taking up one of the diagrams, which didn’t have yellow ends. See link here (if it works) http://www.penmorfa.com/Archive/sixteen.htm from Dave Sallery page. The 6 car set stayed together for the driver training then split into single units for the start of the timetable, which at the time was deemed progress!! That said I’ve seen a ‘Nodding Donkey’ on the Holyhead to Hull service in future years, now I bet that was fun.... Stu

The diagram went Trans Pennine from summer timetable change in 1983, when I was box lad in Llandudno Junction SB I use to catch the morning ‘Bangor ‘ to work. I remember it changing from MK1s to MK2s and Duffs with 16 wheels replacing the no heat 40s from the previous summer of 82.... The 13xx Llandudno to Scarborough use to run parallel down the newly laid Up Passenger Loop as the Holyhead to Euston Boat train used to fly past. This wasn’t always the case if the ‘flyer’ was a bit down the pan & a 40 was on the Trans Pennine, an indication to the driver and more importantly the bashers that you’ve got the ‘back un’ was always appreciated!! . The Peaks lasted till the Summer of 85 when the 150s started to take over the LHCS diagrams. Stu

What a woman!!! Takes me back to the days of going to the Bistro in Rhyl (on a Saturday night) in the early 80s the place was full of Siouxsie look a likes... Would catch the last train home to Colwyn Bay which I think was 1D77 22XX Manchester Victoria to Holyhead which was a 40 if you were lucky or duff/Rat or peak if you weren’t. Might be a bit before your time Martyn... Stu

When I worked at Colwyn Bay, those fire escapes were a bit of a pain when Abergele closed switch (on lates), and the more enthusiastic of management tried to catch us working slack....

Ha no, we were the North Wales anti anything that strummed, didn’t whistle & didn’t have the number 555 on it... My 45040 on my layout seems to have taken root on The Bangor instead of a no heat 40, I’m hoping it doesn’t get ‘butterflied’ as (I know) 40141 is sitting in Junction yard on the Amlwch Tanks....

Being a 40 Basher back in the day, it was one of our ‘sworn enemies’, but it looks like a Peak and sounds like one, it even thrashes (for a Peak ha) like one. I’ve never had drivelock or coast function on any of my sound locos but enjoyed playing around with that. Not worked out yet how to dim the lights or turn the sound down (F19 doesn’t seem to work using my NCE handheld controller). I did need to trim accelerating & deceleration as it would seem to take an age to stop. This was before I worked out that F2 is (brake) so might re assign original values to see what happens. All in all very happy with it. Stu

thanks

I received my sound 45040 version today, and to my untrained eyes & ears looks like a peak and sounds like one. After half an hour each way on the rolling road plus a good wheel clean (always amazes me how much crud comes off), it’s happily running around my layout. It’s also nice to see the wipers on the wheel backs unlike a few years ago with the 40, just a shame it’s only the four wheel pick up not the six. Just a few questions please, Does it have cab lights as I can’t seem to find it on the function sheet? Does anyone have the CVs numbers for headlight brightness & sound volume please? It’s my first sound loco for a good number of years & it doesn’t seem to come with the normal CV sheet with all CV values. I had to tweak the deceleration rate as it seemed to take a age to slow down. thanks Stu

Have you cleaned the pick ups? My Peak runs fine then has it’s moments, I find dismantling the bogie and popping out the wheels and cleaning the pick ups (mine are the the ones that touch the back of the wheels) made a big difference. I used a fibreglass pen to clean the pick ups, be careful not to bend them, although they will bend back. I also tend to clean the backs of the wheels too. Once reassembled check that pick ups still make contact with the back of the wheel, push the wheels side to side. good luck. Stu

No loco hauled stock on 1D34, I believe the stock went back into storage a few months ago. Mk4 stock went down to Holyhead last Tuesday and is stabled next to wash plant opposite platform 1. It would be nice to now what the plans are for this train.

The two buckets that we have in our box (Llandudno Junction) both have the BR emblem embossed on the rim. We also have the Ambulance Book that dates back to the the early 50s in the first aid box, its an interesting read to see the old names and what cuts & bruises they reported. It’s said that your not a Signalman/Signaller (in the Junction) unless your names in the book....