chrisf

The power cars branded for RailAir were 51137 and 51150. Several other 116 power cars were stripped of their seats and put to parcels work, either in pairs or as one plus a 128. Chris

The view of a Class 103 at Windsor is interesting. I looked up details of their brief presence on the WR for someone a while back. There were four sets at Reading circa 1971, sets RDG111-4, working diagrams which took them to Marlow, Windsor, Greenford and, on Sundays, Paddington. One set failed on the Henley branch in January 1971 and was replaced by taxis until a Class 123 set could be found. I'm not sure how long they lasted in this part of the world. Chris

Good morning one and all In Stevenage yesterday. Poorly Pal enjoyed his lunch, and I did some m*d*ll*ng which was not an unqualified success but then it never is. Today the fodder run needs doing and the process of rounding up serviceable clobber for a fortnight away initiated without further delay. This may need to some clothes shopping, which I hate. In addition to the usual warm thoughts I wish ACAS luck in banging heads together today. They will need it. Chris

Good morning one and all and condolences to John Killybegs. Thameslink did not have a very good day yesterday. Amid cancellations which stopped me taking my preferred route I found a train which was running. We sat at West Hampstead waiting the road because there was a failed train at City Thameslink. Arrival at St Pancras was 20+ minutes late. The disruption lasted all day and my homeward train from West Hampstead was more than 15 late when it finally put in an appearance. Others, it seems, faired even worse. On the plus side the CD that I ordered from Belgium has arrived already. Today I will be visiting Poorly Pal but have to set off much earlier to collect a third member of the merry band. Oh good, a chance to watch stationary traffic on the M1. Lots more to read so warm thoughts to the lonely and depressed, to all travellers and to the many who are ailing, recovering, supporting, grieving and missing. As I type a man from the communications union is telling the world that they don't want to go on strike. Yeah, right. Chris

See post #13317 above for the 1961 formation! Chris

For many years it did not open until 2 pm. Chris

Good morning one and all I'm off to London today for a meeting at the Ace Cafe. On the way I need to call at the office of the local rag, for once again the delivery brat has defaulted. You would think that a kid could do with every penny at this time of year and I cannot help feeling that the little scrote is not earning his pittance. On impulse I toddled over to the multiplex yesterday lunchtime and watched Sully, a film starring Tom Hanks as the pilot who put his crippled plane down in the Hudson River in 2009 with no loss of life. Apart from some confusing out-of-sequence bits it is very good indeed. For late lunch I enjoyed a large dollop of beef stew. The remains will last me one more day so some thought as to future menu items must be given before the rescheduled fodder run on Wednesday. There being no other burning issues, I shall conclude with the beattitude. Warm thoughts to the lonely and depressed, to all travellers [that includes me today] and to the many who are ailing, recovering, supporting, grieving and missing. Chris

Ah, the Empty Diners, truly a legend. During the summer timetable it would leave Paddington at 12.5 pm for Truro. It had left Old Oak Cpommon at 10.5 am and spent the rest of the morning in Platform 4 being loaded with provisions, though it stopped at Exeter for the restaurant cars to be gassed. In 1961 it was booked to be formed as follows: BSK with gangway adaptors, lavatory accommodation specified [which shows how the WR tended to live in the past since it must have been a long time since a BSK did not have a bog]. Destination Truro, no booked return working though I expect it came in handy for something Mk 1 Kitchen First for St Ives. One of W301-5, formed with a Second Dining Saloon [which had spent the week in the West Country] in the 9.20 am St Ives - Paddington Mk 1 Kitchen First and Second Dining Saloon for Newquay, formed in the 10.0 am Newquay - Paddington Mk 1 Kitchen First and Second Dining Saloon for Newquay, formed in the 12.30 pm Newquay - Paddington Ex-GWR dining car and brake second for Newquay, formed in the 11.15 am Newquay - Wolverhampton Ex-GWR dining car for Plymouth, where it was added to the 8.15 am Perranporth - Paddington I'm not sure when this working ended but I somehow think that Dr Beeching would have queried it. Chris

Good morning one and all The new meds have been retrieved successfully and joined by some tiny Vitamin D tablets. I now need to repack my travelling medicine chest prior to beginning the packing process for my seasonal holiday. A new suitcase awaits its first contents and the battering that being loaded on and off a Eurostar will bring. Despite there being over a week before departure the final ramming and squeezing is bound to be rushed because it always is. Today should be relatively tranquil. I need to do a bit of prepping for Tuesday's lunch but apart from that the major event of the day will be boiling up the beef stew again for there is plenty left. Tomorrow I have a meeting at the Ace Cafe near Stonebridge Park. It is a small gathering of railway photographers so what, one might ask, am I doing there? Well, I have been invited and I prefer not to decline invitations. Let us hope that Thameslink and London Overground behave long enough for me to get there and back. Warm thoughts to the lonely and depressed, to all travellers, to Kelly and Richard on their engagement and to the ailing, recovering, supporting, grieving and missing. Chris

Good morning one and all. Apologies for slightly late rising following a remarkably deep sleep and for giving AndyRam more to worry about than he needs. I saw the Prof, as booked. The PSA reading is up a bit, from 1.7 to 2.1, but although this worried me he is not unduly concerned. He has prescribed additional medication which is apparently designed to deposit more calcium on the bones to which the cancer had already spread before it was first diagnosed a year and a half ago. Additional Vitamin D is recommended, by supplement as well as by oily fish, and the next consultation has been arranged for June. That was the easy bit. Ever vigilant, the hospital pharmacy queried the dosage of the new medication but could not get hold of the Prof to clarify his wishes. Including a brief trip to the hospital cafeteria for lunch - lamb shank with extra grease, yum - I was there for two and a quarter hours. At 3.30 pm they sent me home. By this time Bedford's road network is like a congealing thrombosis and the three stops on the bus into the town centre took an age. By the time I got home the pharmacist had telephoned to let me know that all has been resolved so I must go back this morning to collect the next bit of chemical warfare and then explore sources of Vitamin D supplements. It is a good job that I did the fodder run after all. An evening trip to The Stables provided just the entertainment required. One never knows quite what the Demon Barbers will do next. This time they combined pantomime with traditional dancing and break-dance. Gosh, some of those young people are so agile. I have also booked tickets for two more concerts at the venue, cussing as I did so that other commitments prevent attendance at still more. Oh well, rather that than sit at home bored and rotting. Felicitations and warm thoughts to [deep breath]: lonely, depressed, travellers, ailing, recovering, supporting, grieving and missing. Plus, come to think of it, loved ones. Chris

Good morning one and all Oh dear, another member of the 69 Club. To Bowie and Rickman we must now add Greg Lake. I cannot help remembering that my 69th birthday is two and a bit months away. The Prof is due to see me at 12 noon today and I am trying to convince myself that my appointment was brought forward a week for administrative reasons as opposed to anything more sinister. First thing today I thought I was hallucinating when I saw an empty space outside the house. When I got home, a bit early, from Stevenage I had to squeeze the Polo into a space a few doors along for none more convenient was available. As usual I fell asleep before the end of Question Time, aided by reading a review in fRoots magazine of one of the CDs I have just ordered which made me glad that I have ordered it. I heard nothing until about 4 am when I reached for the on switch of the bedside clock-radio and heard first the by-election result and then parts of an interview with Pete Sinfield who wrote Greg Lake's hit. Anyhow, the car is now outside the house but I thought it only right and proper to have a bath first before moving it. The fodder run can wait till tomorrow. Today I will try and find a magazine in the newly reorganised branch of WHSmith. For some reason the books are now all at the front and the magazines at the back. I rather fear that the space devoted to periodicals is reduced and that allotted to Jamie Oliver's cook books massively increased. With our Jamie's kind comment very much in mind, best wishes to all travellers, especially to all those who would bang heads together in Southern territory until splinters fly. Fond thoughts also to the lonely and depressed, prominent at C*****mas but less so at other times, and to the ever present ailing, supporting, recovering, grieving and missing. Except how can the missing be present? Oh dear. Chris

Before you commission etches for the B set talk to Paul Willis [Flymo] with his 5522 Models hat on. The previous owner of 5522 issued an etch for the E140/E145 ... Chris

Good morning one and all Lunch yesterday was very good. My friend and I both enjoyed fish and chips at the Blue Bell, Helpston, a pub not unknown to at least one RMwebber who I don't think is an ER. Just before I left home I grabbed a handful of CDs from the hessian bag to aid the road trip. The one that made it to the CD player was a lucky choice, being the first by the Flemish band Trio Dhoore. At this precise moment I cannot recall the title and forgive me but I'm not going outside in just a dressing gown to check. One of the tracks is a jaunty little polka and it became an instant earworm. I played it four times. Last evening I ordered the band's latest, a snip at 18 euros for sadly it is not released in the UK yet. I then ordered a signed EP by Jack Carty to be sent from Oz and cannot help wishing that he had announced his Christmas sale complete with discount code just a bit earlier, ie before I placed the order! Oh well. A third order will be placed before I leave for Stevenage this morning. This involves sending a cheque to an address in Stourbridge so that the excellent youth choir Stream of Sound can send me their new seasonal CD. Today I will cook prawns in Szechuan sauce for Poorly Pal, do a bit of m*d*ll*ng and attend the Stevenage Locomotive Society. My forgettery is on top form today for I cannot recall who is giving the talk. Tomorrow night I will be seeing the Demon Barbers at The Stables. My appointment with Professor Oncologist is nominally at 12 noon tomorrow. Until a few days ago I was quite relaxed about it but now I'm not, despite the kind thoughts and wishes from several in the ER community which I appreciate greatly. That said, there are others in trouble a lot worse than me. Warm thoughts to them all. Chris

Good morning one and all AndyRam, good luck with the job application! Lunch today with a friend near Peterborough. It will be my third visit to the Blue Bell in Helpston. The route there and back includes the level crossing so I had better allow plenty of time. Before hitting that particular road I need to whip into town to collect my Swiss francs and to drop some surplus books into Oxfam now that a carrier bag large and strong enough to accommodate them has become available. Thry include that most unwelcome of raffle prizes, a railway coffee table book, lavishly illustrated but with tosh where the text should be. Good riddance. Meanwhile the car is loaded ready for tomorrow's visit to Poorly Pal, except for the food which of necessity is still in the fridge. The beef stew or rather what is left of it is in a Le Creuset pan on the cooker because there is no way of fitting it into the fridge. I can think of no better incentive to eat the rest of it. My oat cuisine calls. Best wishes, then, to all travellers, to the lonely and depressed and to the ailing, supporting, recovering, grieving and missing. Of all of these bar the travellers there are too many. Chris

I was on a railtour to Inverness with a pair of 33s. 31st March/1st April 1995. Chris.

Good morning one and all The list for the fodder run is suspiciously short this morning. Time will tell what I have forgotten to include. Whatever it is, I need to remember it PDQ as another chore awaits. Yes, folks, it's the ironing. This afternoon I need to load the car for Thursday's visit because it is in the best place for being loaded. Tonight there is a talk on engine sheds. It is the seventh in the series and we are about halfway through the alphabet. I will write my report of it tomorrow once I have returned from lunch near Peterborough. Much of this guff is to try and take my mind off an appointment on Friday. At or after 12 noon on said day Professor Oncologist will tell me whether I am well. He has the results of blood tests to guide his opinion. I have no reason apart from fear to suppose that anything is amiss. In any case there are some Swiss francs at the bank awaiting collection before then and a gig to enjoy on Friday night. Too many of our inmates are affected by maladies in themselves and their loved ones. Kind thoughts to them all. Chris

Good morning one and all and apologies for tardiness on parade. Much of the delay can be booked to trying to find a favourite sweater which I am now sporting. As many good souls do, it proclaims "Bah Humbug". I rather enjoyed the beef stew that I made yesterday, especially the dumplings. Fortunately there is plenty left despite my succumbing to the desire for seconds. Today some sausage casserole awaits my pleasure. The sauce is out of a jar but very tasty. The real haute cuisine comes on Thursday when I will be cooking prawns in kung po sauce for Poorly Pal and myself. Today I need to venture out to post a couple of letters - payment of bills, how nice - and once again collect yesterday's local rag as the delivery brat has defaulted again. Tomorrow sees the fodder run and the purchase of the double edition of the Radio Times so I can reassure myself that I am doing the right thing by leaving the country over the festive season. Dom's gorgeous pics of trams at night make me even keener to ride on such things in Bern, Basel and Zurich in just a few weeks' time. On Wednesday I am to have lunch with a friend at a gastro pub near Peterborough. It's all go and so it should be. Before I go for my oat cuisine, porridge, it is time for the benedictine. Best wishes to all travellers, including those RMwebbers on seasonal migration, to the lonely and depressed and to the ailing, recovering, supporting, grieving and missing. I should have singled out BBC weather presenter Tomasz Schafernaker for good wishes yesterday. He was clearly in some distress reading the shipping forecast just before 5.30 yesterday morning. Fortunately newsreader Chris Aldridge had a copy of the script and was able to step in. How fortunate that the BBC leaves nothing to chance. Chris

Good morning one and all Yesterday was not the finest hour of Virgin Trains. The 8.50 am from MK came in full and standing, with reservations not honoured, first class declassified and two train loads of punters spread unevenly through 11 coaches. It seems that the preceding Euston - Manchester had been cancelled for "operational reasons", which could cover a multitude of sins. Fortunately, as it turned out, I did not have to stand, or slump, the whole way to Manchester. Two kind young people, on their way to Huddersfield to visit friends, took it in turns to give up their seats for this ageing crock and I cannot thank them enough. The return journey on the 18.15 out of Piccadilly managed to squander five minutes by ill-timed trundling somewhere so my five minute bus connection dematerialised. For once the eastbound X5 had been punctual. When I did get home it was straight to bed, pausing only to whip up a large mug of Horlicks. This morning my inbox contained a request from Virgin Trains for feedback. Gentle reader, you will not be surprised to learn that the link to the VT webshite did not work. Between these troughs was the peak of a good show. TheSignalEngineer introduced himself to me. Later CorneliusLundie and I took afternoon tea together. I know that other notables were present but our paths did not knowingly cross. 'Twas ever thus. Today I plan to make a good old-fashioned beef stew, with dumplings and myriad vegetables. This is why I had chicken and mushroom pie for lunch yesterday instead of - er - beef stew. The filled rolls that I had prepared were duly munched on the concourse of Man Picc while I trained one eye on the departures board. Best wishes today to everyone except Virgin Trains Chris

Good morning one and all This is a flying visit before I have breakfast and set off for Manchester. Wish you what you wish yourselves. Chris

I think you mean Harrow and Wealdstone! Chris

Good morning one and all Another fodder run today, including rolls and cold meat to see me through tomorrow's expedition to Manchester for the show. Getting there will entail being on quite an early bus from Bedford to Milton Keynes, preceded by a brisk walk from the hovel to the bus station at an hour when few souls of right mind will be abroad. In turn this means a relatively early night tonight. What is that old saying? Ah, I have it: Late to bed, early to rise leads to bags under the eyes. The travel documents for Switzerland duly arrived yesterday. If everyone listed turns up there will be 33 of us, which is the most for some time. We have a new [to me] tour leader so I hope the period of induction will not be too prolonged. Also delivered yesterday was my first C*****mas card. Like any others that I may receive, it will be affixed to the wall with blu tack in lieu of dangly decorations. Oh dear, I just remembered. There is a pile of ironing to do. Deep joy. Best wishes to all travellers, to the lonely and depressed and to the ailing, recovering, supporting, grieving and missing Chris

Good morning one and all I felt like a cuckoo in the nest last night. The model I took to the show and tell night - a Scammell Scarab maade form a kit purchased on Sunday at Warley - was the only one not set in pre-grouping times, or, as I sometimes think of them, prehistoric. It provoked much discussion, unlike two rakes of coaches built for railways lost in the dawn of time and more 7mm Terriers than one could imagine. It made a pleasant change from my normal stunt of bringing a box of bits from which one day will emerge a coach. The mince pies were nice too. Oh heavens, that's two taboos broken in one paragraph. I just went outside to move the car, which had been partly fouling Mrs E-C's gate again. Had the driver of the vehicle outside my house used a few more brain cells he would have moved further forward when parking instead of leaving a space equivalent to seven eighths of a Polo. This is both wasteful and cretinous but having lived in this street for close on 37 years I would expect no different. Today I am confined to the hovel until postie has been. Then will follow a merry few minutes checking the eagerly anticipated paperwork for my Swiss holiday, noting with a mixture of delight and resignation who will be in the party. If the name of the moaning old cow from Altrincham appears I will have mixed feelings, which may or may not include peace and goodwill. Best wishes to all travellers, to the lonely and depressed and to the ailing, supporting, recovering, grieving and missing. Early Risers is an equal opportunity thread. Chris

Good morning one and all I crept out around 7.30 yesterday morning with a carrier bag containing the C-----mas cards to be consigned to the mail. Some remain to be handed to the lucky recipients when I see them. That's one important job jobbed. Well, I think it's important and that is what matters in this context. Then, fortified by the porridge, toast and marmalade, I did the fodder run. At this time of year one had to be wary of new editions of the Radio Times as they come thick and fast. Another is due tomorrow but, boldly perhaps,I will not set out to buy it until Friday. When the festive season double issue arrives I will be certain that going to Switzerland for two weeks is a good idea. Tonight sees the m*d*ll*ng evening at the Bletchley area group of the HMRS. Yes, Barry O, what I show the assembled masses [!] will be what I have made from the kit that you saw on Sunday when I had just bought it. Little remains to be done save to repaint one part in a more accurate shade. Some of those who attend the group may be expecting a box of bits and a brave statement of intent because that is what they usually get. Life is full of surprises. Best wishes to all who deserve them Chris

Good morning one and all The fodder run awaits but must be preceded by a trip to the pillar box for there is a large bag full of outgoing mail to place therein. A last collection of 9 am does rather concentrate the mind. Yesterday I spent part of the day with a tray on my lap and did some m*d*ll*ng. A 50+ year old plastic kit is taking shape into a familiar object for those of a certain age. Whether the deadline for completion of tomorrow afternoon that I have set myself will be met is a good question. Why Wednesday, you ask? Because I need to take an example of my prowess to the HMRS area group meeting and both I and the other members are beginning to tire of an endless succession of boxes of bits. Wish me luck. On Thursday I must stay in until postie arrives. A packet is being consigned to me by special delivery and will contain the travel documents for my Swiss holiday, possibly gold plated given the cost. What the heck: it gets me out of the UK for C-----mas, which becomes an ever better idea as time goes by. Before I do anything strenuous today there will be porridge followed by toast and marmalade. Try getting that at Harry Ramsdens. Best wishes, comme d'habitude, to all travellers [on Saturday coming that includes me], to the lonely and depressed and to the ailing, supporting, recovering, grieving and missing. Chris

I got one in BR livery [possibly the one] from Hereford Model Centre at opening time yesterday. It looks to be good enough to warrant a little gilding of the lily. Chris