Jim’s “out and about with GBRf” thread

corneliuslundie · July 31, 2022

So will it now be returned to a capital stock number, presumably 08600? And it is no longer red, though I imagine that it may not stay in NSE colours in its new role. I hope the graffiti artists don't get there first.

Jonathan

adb968008 · July 31, 2022

1 hour ago, corneliuslundie said:

So will it now be returned to a capital stock number, presumably 08600? And it is no longer red, though I imagine that it may not stay in NSE colours in its new role. I hope the graffiti artists don't get there first.

Jonathan

Its been 08600 since c1990. It was returned to regular service, went to Eastleigh, painted Departmental Grey.

Withdrawn and sold to AV Dawson painted red.

i think that image is 97808 (08825), at Chinnor perhaps ?

(flickr url not mine)

seen at Bescot earlier this week…, looks like it has different numbers eitherside

Edited July 31, 2022 by adb968008

big jim · July 31, 2022

It’s a privately owned loco so I should imagine it’ll stay as it is, hope so

July 31, 2022

It is 08825, I saw it being dropped off the low loader as I drove past on the M6 last Monday afternoon.

big jim · July 31, 2022

The shunter was saying it’s got a manual fuel and oil pump and a few other quirky little foibles!

Ben B · July 31, 2022

It's rather nice, I like an eye-catching livery on an 08!

Is the Railfreight Red-Stripe 08 still at Soho Depot, near Smethwick? I never could get a decent photograph of it from the train a few years ago (it was going too dark whenever I was passing to and from Brum, and there were too many gantries and bits of electric-knitting in the way)

big jim · July 31, 2022

9 hours ago, Ben B said:

Is the Railfreight Red-Stripe 08 still at Soho Depot, near Smethwick?

no, it’s at tyseley now without its coupling rods

Ben B · August 1, 2022

17 hours ago, big jim said:

no, it’s at tyseley now without its coupling rods

Cheers for that! I do hope it isn't at risk, I rather like that loco.

nightstar.train · August 1, 2022

On 31/07/2022 at 10:11, big jim said:

The shunter was saying it’s got a manual fuel and oil pump and a few other quirky little foibles!

How does that work then? Is there a header tank you pump up with fuel and then you're good for x minutes? Or do you have to keep pedalling it like a pump organ?

big jim · August 1, 2022

It’s a wooden handled hand pump next to the driving desk that you pump up and down to send the fuel from the main tank to a header, it doesn’t have to be done that often but the general rule of thumb is to keep it over 2/3 full, you still have to too the header up on an electric pump one but it’s just a switch

big jim · August 2, 2022

Popped into Carlisle to go to the cinema this afternoon, this was sat in the yard, about to turn its support coach, not great pics from the bridge

and on the way back from the cinema 66731 was having a crew swap on the hams hall to mossend service

CazRail · August 4, 2022

Thought I'd show a snap I got of 66773 reversing it's train into Llandudno Junction yard yesterday afternoon, conveniently had my PICOP course at the depot so had a chance to get a pic. Great to see two GBRf operated trains down the coast now. Will you be involved in these workings, Jim?

big jim · August 4, 2022

22 minutes ago, CazRail said:

Will you be involved in these workings, Jim?

Hopefully, I’ve reminded the planners I sign the north wales coast as I refreshed penmaenmawr for that job a few months back but wasn’t needed in the end, I just need to go and see the yard at the jn and have a look through the MOW then sign it off and I can work it right through from the midlands

there may be more than 2 GB trains on the coast soon if what I’m reading on other forums comes off

Edited August 4, 2022 by big jim

Gilbert · August 4, 2022

24 minutes ago, CazRail said:

Thought I'd show a snap I got of 66773 reversing it's train into Llandudno Junction yard yesterday afternoon, conveniently had my PICOP course at the depot so had a chance to get a pic. Great to see two GBRf operated trains down the coast now. Will you be involved in these workings, Jim?

Some one said this was slate waste - any more gen on origin and use?

Thanks
Chris

big jim · August 4, 2022

It is slate waste from Blaenau but not sure if it’s use, it’s going to Wellingborough I think but there is also another destination coming up too

CazRail · August 4, 2022

The slate waste here is from Bethesda rather than Blaenau, road hauled to Llandudno Junction. Destination I've heard is Hope Cement. Not too sure why this went to Wellingborough mind.

It's a shame the possible DCR flow from Rhyl (carrying limestone from Llysfaen Quarry) has been canned. I haven't heard about other potential flows mind apart from mootings a loading terminal at Blaenau is being mooted again.

big jim · August 8, 2022

Didn’t realise until late this evening that it’s 5 years today that I started with GBRf, done a fair bit in that time really, added new traction in the shape of 69s and 196s as well as keeping things like class 37, 47, 56 and 60s on my card from colas on top of the usual 66s

last day of my annual leave today, drive back from silloth via Keswick for a change as there were a couple of places I wanted to stop that I knew my family wouldn’t be interested in

first up brassenthwate lake station

all is not what it seems!

So why is there a German engine and orient express coaches deep in the Lake District?

they are in fact movie props from the Kenneth Branagh remake of ‘Murder on the Orient Express’!

the loco appears time be sat on small wheels that have a chain drive between them and the big driving wheels are sat a couple of inches above the rail and are in face made of fibreglass with the motion being wooden!

The main shell appears to be metal with all the add on bit being wooden or fibreglass too

It’s certainly very realistic, the coaches look to have BR MK1? bogies under them, not sure if they are reskinned British coaches but they are beautifully finished and now in use as a restaurant and bar

next up I stopped at Threlkeld Quarry Museum, what a great little find, didn’t really have a proper look at the museum bit or walk up to have a look at the various excavators they had on site as I just fancied a go on the train

inside the museum

And outside, 2ft gauge Bagnall ‘Sir Tom’ originally a 3ft something loco regauged in about 2010 according to the guard

Nice selection of coaches

Station area

Hunslet loco

And away we went into the quarry

I’ll be honest I was expecting a short out and back around the corner or something, I really didn’t expect the climb we had away from the base, 1 in 20 at one point so the driver said

video warning: squealing flanges!!

And into the quarry

Running round

And off we went back down the hill

Selection of excavators

and back to the bottom station

Running round

And that was that, back home, typically in the sunniest day we’ve had in the 10 days I was in cumbria and back to work tomorrow, crewe to hams hall and back, small Heath Wednesday, class 69 to didcot on Thursday, then a couple of jobs I can’t remember what they were on Friday and Saturday!

big jim · August 9, 2022

Intermodal this morning crewe to hams hall, due to a burst water main in walsall that line was shut so I had to go via rugby to run round and head back via nuneaton

freightliner

My train

Running round in rugby

it was about then i discovered the loco didn’t have a spare tail lamp so I had to walk all the way to the back with the one off the other end!

Hot air balloon floating by

Into hams hall for unloading and fuel

and back to rugby again to run round, still no spare tail light so had to have a walk again, from there it was back to crewe and home

thanks to the water main problem my stone train is in the wrong place tomorrow which has totally messed my day up as I’ve got to go and collect it from small heath to take back to crewe then get another from bescot to take back to small heath too

big jim · August 10, 2022

Not too bad a job today, was expecting chaos but it all worked out good

first up, small Heath to crewe, should have been out of hams hall but rhe knock on from yesterday meant it was in small heath

and into crewe

had to wait for some shunting to be carried out

I was supposed to work one from crewe to small heath but again it was in the wrong place, so it was passenger to bescot to collect that one

66799 on that train

And into small heath where we had to split a wagon off before I headed off to Acocks green thanks to a tip off in the bargain hunters thread!

Acocks green to Smethwick Galton bridge where I changed for the train home

170 into passing through

something a bit different tomorrow, 69006 longport to didcot, I believe it’s off to Eastleigh for painting, from there I’ve got to try and get back to Carlisle to lodge, on paper it’s easily doable (didcot-Oxford, Oxford-Birmingham, Birmingham-Carlisle) but given the heat warning and a reduced avanti service I’m not holding out much hope of it running smoothly!

big jim · August 11, 2022

Not many pics today as I was rushing about a bit to get back north!

69006 from longport to banbury, I was booked to take it to didcot but the other driver said he’d come to banbury which worked out great for me as I needed to get back to Carlisle at rhe end of the job!

Longport

castle Bromwich jn

banbury

a quick scooch over the bridge, for the train north

southbound voyager

and my train back to Stafford

I could have changed at coventry but there was a person hit by a train in stetchford so my voyager went direct to new st via dorridge missing coventry and international, due to the incident the Edinburgh train I was going to get avoided those stops too so I stayed in the voyager to Stafford and quickly went over the bridge onto a train to crewe, there was also a lineside fire north of Stafford which meant everything was running on the fast lines

as the Edinburgh train had missed the West Midlands it apparently went to Stafford, arriving 50 mins early, then turned back to Wolverhampton to drop passengers and picked up it’s booked path back north from there, a quick look at the signalling maps showed it was in fact 2 trains behind the one I was on to crewe so when I got to crewe it was another quick leap across the platform and straight onto it, delayed a bit more but made it into Carlisle some 2 hours earlier than I was expecting to!

nice job tomorrow, MOD Carlisle to Landor st via the settle and Carlisle and Blackburn, but not before a look in C+M models in town!

Edited August 11, 2022 by big jim

newbryford · August 12, 2022

And here he is, working south on the MOD job.

Edited August 12, 2022 by newbryford

big jim · August 12, 2022

‘‘Twas a long day!

Actually shorter than most turns I normally do but some of it is just so slow such as between hellifield and Blackburn, 30mph all the way!

rode to kingmoor from the middle of Carlisle passing under the old Waverley route bridge

it’s not actually a cycle path but a public footpath with lots of steps but it was a nice ) mile ride to try out a new bike

my train

Got cautioned at ais gil and asked to inspect the line after a train in opposite direction had hit some sheep and they weren’t sure if there were still some in the line, I found 5 dead sheep in moorcock tunnel so had to stop at Garsdale to let the signaller know, I could have done it on the phone but I saw it as a photo op!

ruswarp statue

Before passing mick I got stopped at whalley

as soon as my feet touched the platform the signal pulled off!

As I was covering 2 job today there was no break showing in the schedule so I asked to be stopped in crewe for a PNB as i was reaching my driving time limit and the next bit of trip would have taken me over it so I got off for a leg stretch, toilet break and a drink

I was booked to take it to landor st but a buckled rail meant it couldn’t go over Sutton park so I went via bescot to Birmingham international where I got off

a really enjoyable day, the s+c in glorious sunshine is lovely, got a trip back to Carlisle via the WCML one day next week too, possession in Birmingham tomorrow though

big jim · August 13, 2022

Another last minute change, drive to bescot to leave my car for the end of my booked possession job only to find out it had been cancelled!

There was another driver there who was booked to work a train to crewe then taxi back from there so I said I’d take it for him, meant my car is in the right place for the end of my job on Monday night!

Ready to depart

very strange to get greens all the way from bescot as there were no avanti or West Midlands trains running today

into crewe

before I left bescot I was asked if I could do another bit of a job, so in a taxi I went and ended up in……

hindlow!

Waiting to get the token

Once I had it, onto the branch and away to Buxton (once the shunter had closed the ground frame and given me the token back)

That train needed to get to Wellingborough, I don’t sign there so it was suggested I take it via hazel grove and crewe to nuneaton or South wigston for the forward driver to take off me, control didn’t realise I sign the hope valley and midland mainline so we got it routed that way and I got off at toton

A few shots while waiting for a taxi home

back out of toton tomorrow afternoon. Back to crewe, they did organise me a hotel for tonight but I only have the clothes on my back and no bike otherwise I’d have stayed over there and gone for a ride around the area tomorrow had I known

An enjoyable day considering my original job was sat in a tunnel in the middle of Birmingham, it’s actually been quite an enjoyable week this week with lots of variety and unusual routes covered