Deltic's GTi Blog

[panky]

I'm glad the BX came away OK(ish) and not really surprised at the damage to the other car. A while back a Nissan Juke pulled out in front of me when I was driving in my Morris Minor Traveller and hit the nearside front wing and door, causing big dents, and after exchanging details I carried on to the local tip to get rid of the the old bathroom suite I had on board. On my way back I noticed the Juke was still there at the side of the road so being a good (if not pi==ed off citizen) I stopped to see what the problem was. Turned out the car was undriveable as the steering had been damaged and I later found out the guy had fractured his wrist as the steering wheel bucked. Modern cars eh

[deltic]

Had a rare trip out in the BX on Saturday to meet some friends for coffee. Indeed it was the first time I'd driven it since the GS/A /Ami rally and I always forget how nice the BX is to drive.

Unfortunately I made the mistake of using the windscreen washers, or rather trying to. Aesthetically the single wiper may look good, but in my opinion the rest of it is rubbish... Pump OK, pipes not blocked, but still not working. Opened the essential toolkit, i.e. the pin in the ashtray and gently prodded all the holes which must have simultaneously blocked perhaps by some crud.

Made me wonder apart from a pin what essential tools do you keep handy? I have 10 and 13 spanners, pliers, screwdrivers and insulating tape all in the glovebox close to hand.

[white exec]

Nice to drive - second that!

Re: the screen wash, I did my own full-wiper-length spray bar a good few months back, fed from the existing spindle snout, to a tee-piece half way along the wiper. Six holes, 0.9mm.
viewtopic.php?p=268964#p268964

Still working really well.
Did find the hole in the mild steel wiper spindle tube was rusted up. Easily cleared with a small drill bit.

[deltic]

That's a good mod, Chris!

[deltic]

For me a slight bit of deja vu, as I've just discovered a thread back in 2015 that was about my latest GTi: https://www.bxclub.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=20587

What goes around comes around!

Shame there's no photos of what the car was like back in 2015 for comparison.

[deltic]

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On Saturday had a pleasant run out to the Hoo Peninsula and Isle of Grain in the BX. For those who don't know it, it is an area of contrast in north Kent with the Thames to the north and the Medway to the south: pylons and power stations; creeks and orchards; an Amazon warehouse and the home of Jools Holland... And just after I'd parked along came a blue, A-reg, Talbot Solara! Slightly less of a shock since I'd already seen the Chrysler Alpine at the GS/A rally, but I guess it'll be decades before I see another...

[deltic]

The real purpose of my trip to the Isle of Grain was to photograph the "Dr Syn" railtour from Derby, a rare passenger excursion down the freight only branchlines to Grain and Dungeness, the latter only kept open to remove nuclear waste from Dungeness Power Station.

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Rather appropriately for a trip taking in the sites of power stations and fuel storage tanks as well COP26 one of the rostered locos was 66004 which has been converted to run on vegetable oil. A word of caution, as a keen photographer the industrial and natural landscapes, the railway and dramatic skies are a big attraction, however this is also a site of national security so expect a visit from a security patrol even if you are in a public place. Fair enough give current protests, although you should have seen his face when I said that 400 camera-wielding trainspotters were about to arrive by train!

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BX just getting in on the action. Thankfully by the time the train departed Grain the weather was transformed from dull to sunny.

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[white exec]

Brilliant blog-day - something rather special!

[Fumbler]

The real purpose of my trip to the Isle of Grain was to photograph the "Dr Syn" railtour from Derby, a rare passenger excursion down the freight only branchlines to Grain and Dungeness, the latter only kept open to remove nuclear waste from Dungeness Power Station.



Rather appropriately for a trip taking in the sites of power stations and fuel storage tanks as well COP26 one of the rostered locos was 66004 which has been converted to run on vegetable oil. A word of caution, as a keen photographer the industrial and natural landscapes, the railway and dramatic skies are a big attraction, however this is also a site of national security so expect a visit from a security patrol even if you are in a public place. Fair enough give current protests, although you should have seen his face when I said that 400 camera-wielding trainspotters were about to arrive by train!



BX just getting in on the action. Thankfully by the time the train departed Grain the weather was transformed from dull to sunny.

Dungeness site is where I work! Funnily enough, I saw 4 flasks being loaded onto a train last Thursday- the first I've seen in a year or two. I'm impressed that you can do a railtour down the freight only lines. Were you speed restricted or could you go full bore?

[deltic]

Brilliant blog-day - something rather special!

Downside is the the car needs washing!!!!

[deltic]

Dungeness site is where I work! Funnily enough, I saw 4 flasks being loaded onto a train last Thursday- the first I've seen in a year or two. I'm impressed that you can do a railtour down the freight only lines. Were you speed restricted or could you go full bore?

Dungeness is a surreal place and again worth a visit. And of course there's the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway.

Yes, the first flask trains for some time have been running again this summer and autumn, indeed I think that there was one yesterday. Some of the trains have been hauled by Direct Rail Services newish Class 88 bi-mode (or electro-diesel) locos. These are AC overhead electric locos fitted with a 950hp diesel engine, but odd to see them working on diesel power on DC third rail electrified lines in the south east.

If I recall correctly the Dungeness branch has a number of open level crossings, so I think line speed will be quite low, probably 25mph maximum. The Grain branch has several much heavier freight trains every day, so might be a bit higher. I have asked on a railway forum what the restrictions are.

[white exec]

Lots of interesting stuff down that way, not least the Hythe acoustic mirrors - predecessor to WW2 radar.

[Fumbler]

Dungeness site is where I work! Funnily enough, I saw 4 flasks being loaded onto a train last Thursday- the first I've seen in a year or two. I'm impressed that you can do a railtour down the freight only lines. Were you speed restricted or could you go full bore?

Dungeness is a surreal place and again worth a visit. And of course there's the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway.

Yes, the first flask trains for some time have been running again this summer and autumn, indeed I think that there was one yesterday. Some of the trains have been hauled by Direct Rail Services newish Class 88 bi-mode (or electro-diesel) locos. These are AC overhead electric locos fitted with a 950hp diesel engine, but odd to see them working on diesel power on DC third rail electrified lines in the south east.

If I recall correctly the Dungeness branch has a number of open level crossings, so I think line speed will be quite low, probably 25mph maximum. The Grain branch has several much heavier freight trains every day, so might be a bit higher. I have asked on a railway forum what the restrictions are.

I thought the locomotives I saw looked fairly new. I wonder if the trains only run of diesel down here because all the other freight stock I've seen does- the GBRf and EWS freight trains in Tonbridge yard are also diesel only.

[Jaba]

Wow this is turning into trainspotters thread. I have no photos but I saw a Stanier Black 5 at Fort William in September but I am sure that is not a rare sight there.
Were the Deltics run from Euston Jonathon? If so then I saw them in regular use on the Glasgow trains.

Where I live we have recently lost our 125s in favour of some modern Hitachi tin and plastic with hard uncomfortable seats. Effing progress. The 125 still has the speed record for a diesel train and for me it is sorely missed.
Mind you I love my frequent train trips from London to Oulx using both Eurostar and TGV.
Over and out 4472.

[deltic]

Dungeness site is where I work! Funnily enough, I saw 4 flasks being loaded onto a train last Thursday- the first I've seen in a year or two. I'm impressed that you can do a railtour down the freight only lines. Were you speed restricted or could you go full bore?

Dungeness is a surreal place and again worth a visit. And of course there's the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway.

Yes, the first flask trains for some time have been running again this summer and autumn, indeed I think that there was one yesterday. Some of the trains have been hauled by Direct Rail Services newish Class 88 bi-mode (or electro-diesel) locos. These are AC overhead electric locos fitted with a 950hp diesel engine, but odd to see them working on diesel power on DC third rail electrified lines in the south east.

If I recall correctly the Dungeness branch has a number of open level crossings, so I think line speed will be quite low, probably 25mph maximum. The Grain branch has several much heavier freight trains every day, so might be a bit higher. I have asked on a railway forum what the restrictions are.

I thought the locomotives I saw looked fairly new. I wonder if the trains only run of diesel down here because all the other freight stock I've seen does- the GBRf and EWS freight trains in Tonbridge yard are also diesel only.

You also will see a number of the venerable GBRf 73s at Tonbridge which were the original 1960s bi-mode locos able to run on diesel power or the third rail. They have proved to be very useful locos and a number have been rebuilt with more powerful engines, some of which are used to power sleeper trains in Scotland.