DaveF

I've just had a close look at the Stirling photo, you are right it does have two trains. I'd never noticed before. David

A sunny morning with a fresh breeze, it feels quite cold. The usual Sunday e mails etc are in hand, then I will go to church, a bishop is taking the service today. After that it depends on the weather, there may be showers later. David

In Scotland for this morning. Some of the photos may of use to those who have model harbours on their layouts. The first of the Stranraer photos was taken while I was a student, we had arrived there in a coach from Manchester on the way to Northern Ireland for a Biology field trip very early in the morning so we all went for a walk, I took a few photos. I remember we were all hungry and it was too early for anywhere to be open, in the end we found a bakery (not a shop) which let us have some very freshly baked rolls. Stannergate Dundee Class 101 Arbroath to Dundee Aug 74 J3934 Stirling Class 27 up Aug 73 J3337 seen from the castle Stonehaven (nea)r Aug 74 J3926 Stranraer harbour Class 27 April 70 C211 Stranraer Harbour July 74 J3833 Stranraer Harbour July 74 J3834 David

They were straddling it on the dry bits - but their cars are soooo wide and big and posh. David

I needed to go out quite early this morning as I took the car to the garage at 08.30 for its 6 monthly check as part of the paint/alloys/tyres warranty. While it was there they valeted it inside and out for free which has saved me a job. All is well, there is a small bit of damage to the surface of a sidewall but nothing to worry about and some scuffing of a wheel which I knew about. I was parking and found a pothole right next to the kerb as I reversed into a space. It is purely cosmetic. The garage send a photo to the warranty people, they may decide it needs refinishing. If not I can touch it up myself. I remembered to take a book to read while I waited as I was there for about 90 minutes. They now have an automated check in system, I think it was as quick when you simply handed in the keys at service reception and checked they knew what to do. They did send a link to a video of my car being inspected so I know it has been done properly. The drive to the garage was pleasant, the floods have receded, there were only 2 places where the water was still halfway across the road and there wasn't much traffic. However a number of drivers think that you have to straddle a white line on narrower roads. Coming back I drove along the coast which is always a nice journey. I had a walk around a big Currys at Silverlink shopping centre (the garage is just across the road) and had a good look at some things I am considering buying in the fairly near future. I notice I have some discount vouchers I can use if I get something this month. Back home I looked at photos again, both old and new. After lunch I did some church things and then watched the Grand National. I didn't mind which horse won as I don't bet on them. Then Amazon delivered two orders which was a bit surprising as one item was originally scheduled for tomorrow - for some reason it came from Ireland which seems a bit odd for a book. I only know because in the tracking section there is a mention of Ireland and customs clearance. The garden is still towet to work in and the greenhouse now only 1" of water on the floor. David

Around the Southern for this afternoon together with a ship which provided passengers for boat trains. Graveney Class 411 Ramsgate to Victoria Feb 77 J5630 Hollingbourne Class 414 6077 Lenham to Maidstone30th April 78 C3812 Hollingbourne Class 414 6105 Maidstone to Lenham 30th April 78 C3813 Hollingbourne Class 414s 6077 and 6105 30th April 78 C3814 Swale Class 414 6159 Sheerness to Sittingbourne 25th July 78 C3918 going away Queen Mary approaching Southampton circa 1962 JV558 David

A batch of photos from Swayfield on Stoke Bank this morning. Swayfield Class 55 up 15.25 Leeds to Kings X June 73 J3213 55021 SwayfieldClass 47 47448 08.41 Halifax to Kings X Aug 74 J4000 Swayfield red flags on fast lines for engineering works Sept 74 J4030 Swayfield Class 47 up Dec 74 J4124 probably a special working Swayfield Class 56 up test train Sept 77 J5818 Swayfield Class 55 down Kings X to Edinburgh 30th May 78 C3874 55012 David

That sounds just like where I live. The railway is reopening to passengers so the main road has traffic lights where they are building a bridge to replace the level crossing. The level crossing also has part time temporary lights. On average it adds up to 15 minutes to each journey. The road avoiding all this also has a level crossing - which is about to close the road for 2 weeks so thay can build a footbridge. The same road has also 2 sets of temporary lights for the water company. The two roads meet just outside town to form one road, which also has roadworks. On the north side of town a third level crossing is still closed, this week the main road nearby flooded and was closed, it also has roadworks. The third road only has minor road works at the access to a housing estate. There are only three roads into town. It is easier to stay at home. David

I've been going through today's e mails. My gas and electricity bill is going down by £15/month and my mobile bill this month is £2-80. A good day. Even better - the sun has put in an appearance. David

I decided to go to a garden centre this morning. Leaving town I found only one set of lights by the new roundabout works, the ones at the level crossing/station site were turned off so only 10 minutes was added to my journey. Just north of Morpeth I leave the A1 where it changes from dual to single carriageway, there was a traffic tailback as sometimes happens, fortunately there was just enough room for me to get onto the slip road without having to stop. I had my free cup of coffee and a nice cheese scone and found the thing I was looking for - a long handled trowel as bending is not easy yet. The handle is a bit longer than a normal spade so I can easily remove small weeds and plants, it also enables me to reach across the very wet soil without standing on it. I also had a look at The Works outlet and found a few books I couldn't live without. I managed not to buy anything else at the other outlets and left just before noon. It is a large place, it takes about 5 minutes to walk from the door to the restaurant at the far end of the site. I came a different way home into the north side of town to avoid the roadworks by using the newish northern Morpeth by pass which worked well. But why do some people drive at 10 mph under the speed limits and then stop at roundabouts when there is no other traffic? On the way into town I stopped at little Asda which is about half a mile from big Asda. It is useful as it often has things in stock which big Asda doesn't have, that proved to be true today - and I ended up with a 25% discount as things I wanted were on offer. I had a ready meal for lunch - a shepherd's pie which was vacuum packed and keeps for over 6 months without refrigeration or freezing and then heats up in a microwave. I looked at the ingredients, there didn't seem to be anything "man made" except for the Worcestershire sauce. It was very tasty. This afternoon I've tried out the trowel and done some church things. David

Some WCML photos around Hademore and Harow and Wealdstone. Hademore Class 87 Euston to Carlisle Jan 76 J5028 Hademore Class 310 Nuneaton to Stafford Jan 76 J5029 Harrow and Wealdstone Clas 86 Liverpool to Euston June 76 J5291 Harrow and Wealdstone Class 501 Watford to London June 76 J5292 going away Harrow and Wealdstone Class 501 down June 76 J5293 Harrow and Wealdstone Class 310 down June 76 J5294 David

A dry morning with a small patch of blue sky to the north. Last night's forecast suggested rain later, this morning says a bit of drizzle then dry but cloudy and still mild. I woke at 06.30 and decided to have 5 minutes more, the next thing I knew it was 08.15 so I quickly got moving and have just about caught up. The next task is to look at the roadworks map to see which roads are open and do not have long delays before deciding what to do. David

Thanks for the information about the J20 photo so I now know it is at March. I've updated the caption. Now for today's photos. These are again from Switzerland at Zweissimmen, an end on Junction between the MOB (Montreux Oberland Bernois) metre gauge line from Montrues and a branch of the BLS, standard gauge, from Spiez. Very recently trains have been developed to allow through running from Montreux to Interlaken with aoutomatic gauge changing at Zweisimmen. The photos are from August 1991. Zweisimmen BLS Re4/4 175 Interlaken Ost to Zweisimmen 16th Aug 91 C16450 The loco is in the middle of the train. Zweisimmen MOB ABDe8/8 4003 Zweisimmen to Montreux 16th Aug 91 C16451 Zweisimmen MOB BDe4/4 5004 Zweisimmen to Lenk 16th Aug 91 C16452 Zweisimmen MOB BDe4/4 37 16th Aug 91 C16454 Zweisimmen MOB BDe4/4 3002 16th Aug 91 C16455 Zweisimmen MOB GDe4/4 6003 16th Aug 91 C16457 Zweisimmen MOB GDe4/4 6002 16th Aug 91 C16458 David

I'll have to be honest and admit I don't know, I didn't look at the railway in Cambridge until the 1970s. All I can say is that it was one of a small batch for which there was no catalogue entry but was in Album No1. When I scanned it I took the caption details off the notes he had written on the back of the print. If it isn't Cambridge it will be in the area, I know he visited March from time to time and sometimes travelled to Liverpool Street. Does anyone know? David

After church this morning I had a meeting to discuss both writing and actually doing intercessions to make sure I am up to speed. It turns out I have the right books, a couple more have been suggested and duly ordered. It was also decided that I don't need training on speaking clearly as no one has complained when I do readings - it must be from my teaching days and speaking in school halls. So "all" I have to do now is write the prayers, starting with next Thursday's and then the ones for Ascension Day in May, then about once a month. I went into town to collect my prescription, unusually the pharmacy was very quiet, then I had a walk round the shops but didn't find anything I wanted or needed. Not that there are many shops any more. This afternoon I removed a few weeds from the garden but it is still much too wet to do any serious work. Apparently it will rain again tonight. A few days ago I found some old cassettes including one of John Betjeman reading his poetry. Today I came across a USB cassette converter. Perhaps one day I will actually digitise them so I can listen to them. David

Black and white late 1940s photos at Cambridge from Dad come next. One is at March Cambridge B1 up Yarmouth to Liverpool St c1948 JVol1202 Cambridge B17 1624 up pass c1948 JVol7270 Cambridge J15 ecs 1947 JVol1438 March J20 1947 JVol1429 Cambridge K3 ord pass 1947 JVol1430 David

Just a very quick visit having eventually go the page to load. It's cloudy, dry and quite mild. It should be a normal Thursday with church, sometime I need to call at the pharmacy to collect a prescription. After that there are a lot of choices depending in part on whether it stays dry. David

Some photos at Butterley , The Midland Railway Trust in 1978 and 1982. Once again a reminder that in those days people were allowed to walk almost anywhere they liked. Butterley 6203 27th May 78 C3845 Butterley 4F 44027 27th May 78 C3848 Butterley 673 27th May 78 C3851 Butterley 27th May 78 C3858 Butterley 16440 Aug 82 C5841 Butterley 16440 Aug 82 C5847 David

Today I've been continuing to get things back to normal now I can start to do things again. So the rug is back in the living room, the bins are back in the garage and so on. In the late morning the postman brought me a parcel from Rails of Sheffield with 2 n gauge locos, one German, one Swiss. The prices were very good, the German one, in mint condition cost me less than a third of the price of a new one, the Swiss one was about half the price of new. They are both in mint condition, the wheels look as though they have hardly been run and they are spotless. Now I really must get the rest of the buildings built and do some more scenic work on the layout. As I've mentioned elsewhere I am sorting out the family photos, a lot are in the bin, a very few of sentimental value have been kept. However the rest need more thought as they may be of use to some of my relatives who have an interest in family history so when I have made a space on my computer bench for the proper scanner I will scan them and send copies to interested reltives. If I didn't have computer stuff I'd have another 7' of wall space for model railways! David

I went for a walk on the prom this morning. Having left the house wearing a fleece I quickly went back to get a sweater and windproof jacket before I even got to the car. At the beach it was cold, even young people were wearing jackets. When I got home I found the window cleaner working next door fixing a gutter problem. Mine had overflowed yesterday so he gave mine a good clean as well. He will do the ones at the back next time he cleans the windows and will also do some pointing for me when we get a dry spell. It rained again for a while. While I was outside talking to him another neighbour arrived wheeling her very elderly dog in his pushchair, he can't walk much but likes to sit and be taken out. The postman came with a magazine, a few minutes later he came back with his van and brought me a large parcel which contained some small things from a shop in Sheffield which I am very pleased with. As planned more stuff has gone away, the bins are back in the garage, the rug is back down in the living room and so on. It's good to be about back to normal. I have weighed myself and need to eat a little bit less over the next few weeks and walk more. Throwing out photos has continued, the next photo album needs scanning as they are mainly "important" photos and news cuttings, useful for anyone working on family trees. So I need to make space on the computer bench for the proper scanner. Now I am ready for tea and a relaxing evening of reading and TV. David

The ECML around Little Bytham in 1971 and 1973 once again this evening. Little Bytham Class 40 down March 71 J2528 Little Bytham Class 47 poss 1515 down 14.20 Kings X to York May 71 J2652 Little Bytham Class 55 9018 11.30 Kings X to Leeds and Harrogate May 71 J2654 Little Bytham Class 47 1973 12.00 Kings X to Aberdeen May 71 J2657 Little Bytham Class 47 1101 14.10 Newcastle to Kings X May 73 J3193 David

The morning started sunny but once again cloud is arriving, doubtless it will rain by teatime. Yesterday evening I sorted out more photos from albums to go in the bin. I also finished copying files so now I have at leat 4 electronic copies of everything (more if you count older hard drives which are full and safely stored, they still work). I also tried looking at the some of the photos on the PC screen, they are a lot better than postcard size prints. So the thinning out process will continue over the coming days/weeks/months* (*pick which you think is most likely as a time scale). A few prints which have sentimental value will be kept in a nice album as well. Later today more things I moved before surgery will go back into their proper places, it is nice having a less cluttered house. The wheelie bins will go back in the garage which means I can put the car further down the drive which I prefer. It is odd, my house has two bedrooms and a drive long enough for two big cars, the three bedroomed houses along the road have a drive just long enough for one car. It is now almost 8 weeks since surgery, so it should be OK. Shortly I shall go for a quick walk then I am expecting Royal Mail to deliver a parcel. After more than 10 attempts to track it on the Royal Mail website it finally stopped saying there was a problem and told me it should be delivered today, but no time specified - usually it gives a time slot. I no longer trust Royal Mail at all....now I wonder why?... Apart from that not much is planned. I've had another think about the garden and have decided simple to cut back the heathers rather than pay someone to dig them out. After all in the wild heathers regenerate well after cutting or burning, so why not in a garden? I am not sure gardening books always give good advice. Many say lavenders do not regenerate from old wood, in fact they often do. David

It's June 1972, probably the 10th this morning and we are at Fenny Comptom watching trains while waiting to see Clun Castle on a special working. Fenny Compton Class 33 6513 down oil June 72 J2936 Fenny Compton Class 47 1758 June 72 J2937 Fenny Compton 7029 Clun Castle Birmingham to Didcot Celebration Steam Run June 72 J2938 Fenny Compton 7029 Clun Castle Birmingham to Didcot Celebration Steam Run June 72 J2940 Fenny Compton Class 47 1753 Birmingham to Paddington June 72 J2944 Fenny Compton Class 117 Reading to Birmingham June 72 J2945 dmu class corrected David

It might be a set which was transferred to Heaton when they were very short of dmus and were using 47s with 3 coaches on the Carlisle trains. David

That is appalling. I hope you manage to get a scan before Thursday but it just seems so disorganised. David