PhilH

Morning all, bit of a gale here last night, doesn't appear to be any damage though. Off to Wales in a bit, just checked the Met Office website and it doesn't seem like a bad weekend there. However it remains to be seen how accurate this forecast is, so am going prepared for every eventuality - at least I've got an excuse to take my wellies......

Wrong. I've just had my biannual haircut, got to look nice for the trip to Wales. You never know I might meet a nice ewe.... (With apols to all our Welsh friends on here - not for the attempt at humour but for the fact that your fair land is about to be raided by the Mid Hants Bad Boys 2010 Give Me An Engine And I'll Drive It tour. )

I used to be married to one.....

Apparently not very good at slowing down from 100mph though!

I have to admit I would hate the idea of someone wandering around my garden - thankfully where I am it's curtain twitch country. When I am out on call and get in at 3 in the morning you can bet your life that someone has clocked me. Strangely reassuring I suppose but not so good if you're trying to smuggle a lady in. - the whole street seems to know. Some nice toys out and about on the Mid Hants today. I was driving 92212, 34007 was on the other service train and 60019 and 73096 were running up and down after piston valve repair (60019) and a new cylinder (73096).

This is SO going to end in tears.....

Morning all - looks like a scorcher again. Unfortunately the lateish consumption of a pizza and a few glasses of white wine kept me awake a lot of the night, must have kept the neighbours awake too with the associated farmyard sounds...... Still, feel better than I have all week, a day with the family and both grandsons today so should be good. Of course I never seem to go over my son's without the 'Oh, can you bring your toolbox over' mantra, so I don't know what he has in store for me.

Hallelujah! Pizza's on, cold white wine is uncorked. THAT'S MY LOT - well, till the next time anyway. We're going to have a scorcher this weekend so they say - just spare a thought for the poor s*ds trying to keep the water supply going. It ain't easy.

Listening to (and watching) Joe Bonamassa live at the Albert Hall - my new guitar hero.

Morning all, beautiful day again. This of course might be because I only have to be on call from 15-30 to 20-00 today. Then alcohol will be drunk, relaxation will occur. I've got a good weekend in store, seeing my two grandsons tomorrow then driving on the MHR on Sunday. It's Alresford end so it won't be 34007 which is a nightmare to be on in the hot weather. It could actually be 73096 if it has been released into traffic after it's cylinder replacement, if not 92212.

Morning / afternoon whatever it is, just surfaced. A little insight into how my job goes when on call (when I'm not being threatened that is) Time: 03-29 Regional Control Centre: 'Oh hello Phil, sorry to bother you' (liar) Me: 'Uh, what, uh - wassup?' RCC: 'We're worried about xxxx res. and booster, no indication that anything's failed, everything seems to be running but the trend is slightly off profile. Can you nip up and have a look?' Me: 'Grunt'. (nip up is 44 miles from my house) 90 minutes later I've checked a booster, tramped up a track and over a field to open up a res. cover, only to find it's at 90% plus. Me: 'Yep, all OK' RCC: 'Oh, we thought it would be. Thaanks.' Drive 44 miles back home. And that's the wonderful world of my water company. I thought there were some new modelling injuries!

Morning all, touch of the old insomnia. It usually gets like this towards the end of a callout week, basically I'm on edge just waiting for the phone to ring. At least I haven't got to go to work tomorrow so it doesn't matter if I sleep late (that's if I do get to sleep of course) Thanks for your wishes on the altercation, I've put it out of my mind deciding that I'm not going to let it bother me, it's my only option really as I've got to carry on doing callout. I wish I could find some enthusiasm to do some modelling, I look at Dave and Gordon's (amongst others) drive and what they've achieved and am really envious - it's been a long time since I did anything and to be honest I don't feel like doing anything anywhen soon. Terminal laziness? I don't know, we shall see.

Morning all, another night of call out has ground slowly by. Bit of a funny one last night, it's not every day that someone threatens to kill you in the course of your job. I won't go into all of the details but suffice to say my employers being my employers there were lots of forms to fill in. The unfortunate part is that you need to be quite strong minded to go tramping round the countryside on your own in the dead of night - episodes like this can shake that confidence that you're going to be alright. Still, go to be done I'm afraid, can't afford to retire yet.

I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy - although to me my guitar playing sounds better after beer.

Morning all, twilight zone time. Had one of my busiest weekends on call ever, only a few hours sleep since Thursday, feel really weird. Never mind, can only last till Friday. One of the perks of being a driver on the Mid Hants is the contacts you make with other railways. These often result in 'guest' appearances driving on these railways, so in a couple of weekends time six of us are off for a weekend on the Welshpool and LLanfair railway to try and coax their trains along. They are usually quite social occasions with barbeques and beer......lots of beer. We then reciprocate with a gang of their boys coming over to see what a proper steam railway runs like. Should be fun.

That is a really nice layout.

I've both driven it for a day on the MHR and fired it on the mainline - I was absolutely amazed to see that the driver had it pulled up to 7% cut off and it was still accelerating hard on the level with 12 on. This is an old profile pic of me on it - can't find the original size one.

Never mind Tornado, that is a tool!

I think that anyone left reading this thread will be asleep now - it's a shame that it has become a snoozefest of pedantic, theoretical proclamation. Why don't we just get back to practical tips and advice remembering that a lot of us have had, in one way or another years of experience in owning and using a lathe and allow these people to have an opinion too. .. which applies to every lathe under the sun.

I'll tell my mate that, who makes his living with Myford lathes - should make him smile. I'm sorry Stephen, that is just not a true statement.

Oh good - a day on 34007 today. I'll let you know if I survive!

Morning all, lovely day. Loads of aches and pains today after yesterdays battle with 92212's reverser on the MHR. Not sure what was up with it but it was really stiff, of course when we run round you have to go all the way from forward to reverse gear a couple of times, I felt like Popeye at the end of the day, muscles all pumped up. The other thing was that when you stop with a vac braked train you try and stop on a rising brake so that the train runs on to the loco, thus ensuring that the coupling is slack and can be uncoupled easily. Could I get it right yesterday - could I b*ggeree. Every time I had to ease up, which meant doing all the above with the reverser. Anyway, every cloud has a silver lining - convinced myself because of the aches and pains I'm just going to take it easy, catch up with Glastonbury on I-player, watch footy and drink beer. It's a tough life, I mean I've got to learn some more 'Hey Joe' on the guitar later..... Have a good one.

I'll get some more snags on!

That was a hot one - had 92212 for the day, thank goodness I wasn't on 34007, they looked ready to drop after the first trip. On my 3rd beer now, first two didn't touch the sides and went sssssssss on the way down....Sausage, beans and chips cooking, footy on the telly, beer in the fridge - I'm a man of simple pleasures!

Morning all - just off for a day on the footplate, a tad warm methinks. Just going to be thinking about the cold beers waiting in the fridge.... Have a good one everybody.