Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71

Evenin' all, Smashing day at the SVR Autumn gala....Dad's birthday treat. Some lovely sunshine early on and loads of opportunities to ride behind the guest locos. A few stills here, I'll post the best of the camcorder stuff once I get 5mins.... Unfortunately, the timetable was uninspiring with a basic hourly service over the bulk of the line in each direction....just the Bewdley to Kidderminster auto trains to add to the interest. The freight wasn't diagrammed to appear until it was going dark either. Come on SVR planners you can do much better than this. Enjoy what you do Dave

Mornin' all, Overcast but dry in The Moorlands just now....should be light enough for the constitutional by 07.00. A day of chores beckons with the weekly shopping followed by an oil and filter change on the car and site meeting for our church roof grant application. Feathered ones provided for Enjoy what you do Dave

....fingers crossed for similar conditions to these for Friday at the SVR..... Dave

....if you wear a large badge saying Killybegs at the SVR on Friday John I'll get you a pint.....weather permitting I'll be there with my dad. Dave

Mornin' all, Mainly overcast but dry and warm in The Moorlands for the 07.30 constitutional.....would need lights to go out much earlier. Smashing outing in the sunshine to Anglesey yesterday....some useful information gathered, good fish & chips and a couple of pints in Conwy....great opportunity for a chinwag and general catch-up. A trip to the centre later for Is to have a PIC line flush....I'll take her out for lunch first if she is up for it. Now music by Boots Randolph....Yakety sax Enjoy what you do Feathered ones provided for Dave

Mornin' all, No constitutional today due to a boys day out....picking up a couple of friends en route and will be having fish & chips and a pint by the sea. Feathered ones provided for. Enjoy what you do Dave

.....some were blue John....see the Rail magazine article by Paul Bartlett....the hopper pictured in the thread corresponds with the one in his article. I have however since found various other images of these hoppers in blue. Dave

Evenin' all, Happy birthday to Mick & Simon. Poor day of weather in The Moorlands today....put paid to the constitutional earlier. Some modelling enjoyed instead...see TG thread. A small group of us are off to Anglesey tomorrow researching a future book....looking forward to fish & chips and a pint in Conwy. Feathered ones provided for Enjoy what you do Dave

Mornin' Chris, Originally yes but a third friend asked for Sunday so that they could join us but then failed to turn up....such as life. Rgds Dave

Afternoon all, Smashing outing to Expo EM North today at Partington, lovely clubroom type atmosphere with loads of opportunities to chat with exhibitors and demonstrators. Took a work colleague along with me who needed a day out after some health issues and made sure that we called at a decent pub for lunch and a pint on the way home. Thoroughly enjoyed a root through the various underframe gear etches on the Ambis stand and managed to bring home plenty for various wagon projects. Is has played cinders and stayed home, although hearing that the spare ribs and fries at the pub are still up to scratch caused some grumbling as she went to get scrambled egg on toast for herself. The next charity coach outing, this one for a ride on the extended Llangollen railway approaches. Feathered ones remembered Enjoy what you do Dave

Mornin' all, Perfect seasonal morn for the short anticlockwise....sunny and warm with scents of Autumn throughout. Seasonal pallette was the picture challenge for today.... Whilst,I felt that I could identify with the fish on the new local pub sign Off to school today to waterproof the new shed doors once the dew has risen. Felting one of the other shed rooves will complete my labours for them today. Feathered ones provided for Best wishes to all in any difficulty or phase of ailment Enjoy what you do Dave

.....the Pickering set is a replica of the 3 original wooden coaches which ran on the line Ed but they are too precious to use on daily work and appear mainly on special occasions or gala days. Here is a little camcorder footage from yesterday.... Dave

Evenin' all, Just in from a cracking day in the Welsh borders sunshine around Powis castle and the Welshpool & Llanfair railway. A few visuals.... ....and a smashing meal in The Royal Oak, Welshpool to round it off. Enjoy what you do Dave

Mornin' all, Best wishes to Stewart and to Jock....all in all a real challenge which you have to shoulder. Blue sky sunny in The Moorlands just now but no constitutional cos' we're off to Powis castle and the Welshpool & Llanfair railway today to meet some friends. Pre Is's condition we would have been in St Mawes this week but had to cancel. The same friends whom we would have been with then booked a chalet in Aberdovey and invited us to spend a couple of nights there with them but I don't want to take Is too far from the cancer centre, or subject her to such a long journey, therefore we've compromised with meeting them half way. Feathered ones provided for Enjoy what you do Dave

....the thought of paying for the regular refilling of the various feeders to keep all feathered wellwishers nourished is actually speeding her recovery BoD. Dave

Evenin' all, Caring for the better half has resulted in much more opportunity to observe the avian life in the garden recently. Here are a few visitors of the last fortnight.....the bullfinch family are hourly guests.... Enjoy what you do Dave

Evenin' all, Spending more time at home recently has meant more enjoyment of the avian life in the garden. Here are a few visitors of the last fortnight.... Enjoy what you do Dave

Mornin' all, Drizzly, cool and overcast in The Moorlands for the short anticlockwise this morning....straightforward head down calorie burn throughout. I'll be taking Is's car in for 2 new tyres at 9am....MOT to follow. Feathered ones provided for....a family of bullfinches, siskin, chaffinch, greenfinch, blue tits and sparrows are currently doing their best to eat us out of house and home Will be at Expo North on Sunday morning if anyone else is going. Enjoy what you do Dave

....travel safely Sherry. Dave

Evenin' all, We normally ask for afternoon chemo appointments so that I can take Is out for lunch first. Here is the run up to chemo 2 with lunch by the River Dee courtesy of The Boat at Erbistock.... Enjoy what you do Dave

Once again I sought 'Old Autumn' in the early morn.... .....hints and clues lay all around.... ....do the waterside fields or the sunrise keep the secret..... ....is it in the layers of morning mist.... ....is it hiding in the meadow thistles.... ....possibly in the fluffy windblown seeds of the rosebay.... ....or amongst the stately trees along the route.... .....could be near the cattle grazing unaware.... .....maybe in the rays of the rising sun.... ....or in the bunting marking the twilight years of our monarch. Condolences to Ian and Sherry Yesterdays handiwork....making and hanging new storage shed doors in school Enjoy what you do Dave

....the reason for the different routes on particular days BoD, e.g. the weekend, is due to the heavy quarry tipper lorry traffic on the main roads around Leek on weekday mornings compared with Sat or Sun. Dave

....I got the impression that it was simply the last that he had to say on that particular issue. Dave

.....a few recent images inc. this mornings calorie burn around the short anticlockwise..... The recent work to upgrade the towpaths of the Caldon canal to cycle/walking routes has been followed by the appearance of Staffordshire Moorlands link signposts to point the way for any new cyclists.... The wettest stretches of towpath needed submerged gabions to stabilise the cycleway The cycleway at the Barnfields end of the Leek arm is still being finished off....numerous workboats are in attendance along the Caldon Flowers in the lounge are particularly important for Is just now. Here a sunflower catches the rays of the early morning sun through the window.... Yesterday's weekend short clockwise circuit was a joy...here the view towards Morridge from Apesford.... ....the vapours of creeping Autumn above the Caldon canal at Wall Grange.... Today at Tittesworth....the water level keeps dropping and flora starts to grow in the mud.... The nature reserve side of the causeway has been dry for weeks....the stream is the infant River Churnet which flows through the reservoir. A minimum flow rate is observed continuously downstream/through the reservoir. Towards Tittesworth and Morridge from the Gun hill side.... Enjoy what you do Dave

Evenin' all, Laptop arrived back this afternoon....no hope of reading a months worth of posts so best wishes and commiserations as appropriate to all. Is had chemo 3 of 6 on Wednesday, spent 3 days dozing in a darkened room with doors and windows closed togged in a thick tracksuit and ski hat. She came out of that yesterday and is now much brighter...doors and windows open and ski hat swapped for bandana....we should be going to Powis castle on Thursday to meet friends for (timetable to be checked) a trip on the Welshpool & Llanfair....subject to Is being up to it. I've spent the day making a pair of doors for a storage shed in school....old ones rotted away....no half measures, thick tanalised tongue & groove from a preferred agricultural merchant used to replace the original untreated softwood. A former farming chap and friend of my dad whom I helped with haymaking as a youngster has been found dead in his flat having lain undiscovered for 10-12 wks. Will have to go to his funeral but a terribly sad way to remember him. Enjoy what you do Dave