Any punters living in Birmingham Area interested in a Pie, Pint and jaw, one evening in a pub in Birmingham area.
Personally interested in small time investing(gambling), developing an appetite for CFDs. Also developing an interest in Charting or TA.

I use Sharescope, Moneyam, Barclays, Comdirect and IC

Liang Rail still showing on John Liang website as being part of the group. However, a few months ago it was announced that John Laing is conducting a strategic review of its Laing Rail business, which could lead to the sale of the subsidiary that operates the Chiltern Trains and London Rail services. Don't know what progress on that is....

Have to have a ride on the new rail service when it opens as haven't travelled in a C3 carraige for ages and ages.....

As regards the loco's, I think they were built in Spain especially for use on high-speed mail trains including the Travelling Post Office services. So were redundant from about three years ago..... But a couple are / were in Royal Claret colour scheme for hauling the Royal Train.

Blimey just seen the Biffa news ( I missed the market closing ) up nearly 25% and other lot saying that they won't take no for an answer. Maybe some miles to go on BIFF now.

Back to the choo-choo's. Interesting route (& will be even more 'interesting when Virgin increase B'ham-London services to 20 minute intervals):

From Wrexham General, the proposed route runs to Shrewsbury, then to Wolverhampton. From Wolverhampton it will be routed via Tame Bridge Parkway, Birmingham International and Coventry, before joining the Chiltern Main Line at Leamington Spa. Under the terms of the Contract, trains will not be permitted to call at Coventry or Leamington Spa. However, the agreement does allow for WSMR trains to serve Birmingham International, but the company's proposed timetable does not include this.

WSMR plan to use the currently disused bay platforms (Wrexham General station) at the end of platform one and use empty offices as their train crew depot

Things looking up in this part of the country then?

Surprised they're not exercising the chance of stopping at Birmingham International. I thought it woukd be handy for people travelling from Shrops to Birmingham Airport.....
But quick look at timetable indicates it was faster in days of BR from S'bury to London - even though there was a change locos at Wolves whilst passengers remained aboard same carraiges.

Survived - by "C3" do you mean a MK3? If so did you know that there is a set of them deputising on the Euston - Birminghams just now. A real train for you! You could take a trip and sample that London Thai restaurant...........

The Wrexham proposal - power to weight ratio as stated will be quite respectable, but then go on to work out the weight per seat available. While I cannot speak for current hire charges, cost wise a unit should be cheaper. If it isn't then it arguably it should be.

Loading will be interesting, especially as to how evenly spread it is throughout the journey, and different days of the week. One station for the West Midlands is rather a poor do, and would not Sandwell & Dudley Parkway have been a better choice?

It is a shame though, that, there have been so few of these ventures, with nothing else on the drawing board.

Now if the roads wallahs could only open up the northbound M6/M5 junction by Cannock, that would saved a lot of wasted time. Care to put a value on that?

Yes, Mk3. Just done 'back of fag packet calculation'. In the 1980's I travelled about 300,000 miles in Mk3 coaches - usually hauled by a Class 86, sometimes by Class 87, and as far as my memory goes, very occasionally by Class 85 plus even a couple of times by a loco with a 'Made in Birmingham' plate on it - (can't remember which - think Class 82 or 83). Was always happy to see a Class 87 at the front - as those services always seemed to reach Euston early - although often then had to sit waiting just before Euston for the arrival platform to become vacant.

Plus about 100,000 miles in some varied elderly carraiges on the Liverpool / Manchester to Euston overnight sleeper service. Even sometimes they had (in the seating car part) the individual compartment carraige with the large drop down ('sash') windows designed for loading strechers thru. Think they used to cobble that service together with whatever odds and sods they had left in the sidings. Think BR kept trying to axe the service but could never overcome main supporters of the service (various MP's travelling between north west constituencies and London overnight).

The new Shrops service joining the main New Street to International line at Stechford should certainly be interesting. It's all they can do to keep the fast, semi-fast, and local services on time along that section without having regular timed services joining at Stechford to slot in. It'll be even more interesting when Virgin switch to a frequency of every 20 minutes for the New Street - Euston service - think that will be in 2009.

55- what's a set of Mk3's doing deputising on the Euston - Birminghams just now?

Think the main reason for the Wrexham line is to tap into the Cheshire, Mid wales Shropshire traffic. Also Shropshire is the only county in the country without a through service to London, so thats why not a lot of stopping in the West Midlands.

Further They were prevented from stopping at New Street (by Virgin I think) but agree it does seem crazy that they are not stopping at Bir. International for the Airport traffic (although I thought that they were originally going to do that).

I was concerned that they were going down on the Chiltern line (as far as time keeping is concerned) but even more so now that you tell about the amount of traffic to be used around Strechford.

Stan....Hope you found a suitable eatery ....

Along the B'ham - Coventry piece of track then it's a matter of combining the fast (Virgin), semi-fast (used to be Silverlink) and slow (all local stations - used to be Central) - all runing on same pair of rails. Then add the stechford junction in to it. Not too much of a problem fitting in freight trains or excursions that can wait at the junction for a while - but fitting in additional published timetable trains shold be interesting. Then they've got another junction near Coventry to get across to get down to linking up with Chiltern / Cross Country route (now Arriva, previously Virgin) at Leamington. Should work OK when everything is running exactly to schedule but ....

Also, no room for not following rules exactly as there have been a couple of mishaps at Stechford junction:
February 28th 1967 at the Birmingham end of Stechford station, at the junction of the loop line. The 13.15 Manchester - Coventry traveling at about 70mph ran into the side of D5002 running light, coming off the down line of the Aston loop. The locomotive escaped major damage but the two leading coaches were seriously damaged, the driver was killed in the wreck along with eight other passengers.
Stechford had seen a similar collision on March 4th 1962 when 46150 on a Holyhead - Broad Street meat train had a sidelong collision with the 16.35 Birmingham - Coventry dmu at Stechford No 2 box, the line being closed for eighteen hours.

(Note that London Midland is the new company that brings together the former Silverlink County and most of Central Trains, in particular the West Midland regional services including the Snow Hill Lines and the Birmingham to Liverpool route. It also includes the Bedford to Bletchley and Watford Junction to St Albans Abbey branch lines.)

And, after digging around a bit more, then seems Freightliner aren't too happy.
Here's the link for the 'Consultation on a proposed track access contract between Network Rail Infrastructure Limited (Network Rail) and Wrexham, Shropshire and Marylebone Railway Company Limited (WSMR)':

http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/s17-WSMR-new-frgtlnr-resp-300307.pdf

Also, Centro, don't seem overjoyed. "The WSMR services then layover at International (not picking up passengers) for 12 minutes while they are then overtaken by both the xx00 New St Euston and the xx03 New St Bournemouth services. Any delay to these services will knock onto the WSMR services."

http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/s17-WSMR-new-centro-resp-020407.pdf

Although, on 3rd September 2007, the Office of Rail Regulation announced approval for the new direct rail services between North Wales, Shropshire and London Marylebone. Therefore assume Freightliners and Centro objections have been sorted.

http://www.rmtbristol.org.uk/2007/09/wrexham_to_london_rail_link_ge.html

Seems decorating and gardening are good for your stock market trading.

"Psychologist Paul Andreasen found that investors who received frequent updates on their holdings earned half the returns of those who got no news at all."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml;?xml=/money/2007/11/25/ccneuro125.xml

" Just as a recovering alcoholic knows better than to trust his self-control and walk into a tavern, you should minimise your contact with anything that can fixate your attention on falling market values. Break your obsession with the market by going for a long walk, playing with your children or sneaking out to the cinema. "

Re Post 725,
One of the good things about today's information tech. is that there is a lot of information out there..one of the Bad things about today's information.... -):

Re 723 and 724,
The more I'm hearing about this service the less I like -):

We went to the Ochid in the end.

Findings

1.Service VG. 9/10.
2.Location VG. 10/10.
3.Ambiance and Decoration VG 10/10. especially Noise pollution, mind you we had an early sitting at 5.30pm.
4. Taste of meal, we switched to local organic food about 3 years ago and by doing so seemed to have developed quite high standards of taste appreciation now, result is that eating out usually disappoints as was the case here 5/10.

Pity about the taste rating. Can't think of any Thai outlets that source organic foods.

The good thing is that there are a lot more people becoming aware which must filter down to the more intelligent of food outlet owners in the future one would hope.

The best I know in Birmingham is the Cafe/Restaurant in New Canal Street (Friends of The Earth are in the same building) only draw back is that they are vegetarian...but prices are very reasonable for a city as well.

There called The Warehouse.

Stan ..... noted ...... as long as it isn't called The Whorehouse.

I tell a lie all details are here www.thewarehousecafe.com/

Noted.... I see they've got a Christmas Menu from next week.
Don't suppose they've got the contract for catering on the Wrexham, Shropshire and Marylebone Railway Company services... ;-)
GNER have moved a little in that direction: GNER LAUNCHES NEW LEANER AND GREENER MENUS
http://www.gner.co.uk/GNER/PressCentre/PressReleases07/GNER+LAUNCHES+NEW+LEANER+AND+GREENER+MENUS.htm

Anyone live in Wrexham?.... The Shrewsbury-Chester Rail Users Association is staging a public meeting to promote a new service between Wrexham and London. The meeting, on Monday 26th November, is at St Marys Social Club, Regent Street, Wrexham. Doors open 7pm for 7.30pm start.

Interesting comment from one of the respondents to WSMR application: "The Birmingham Aberystwyth service is renowned for its poor performance and would represent a significant risk for the WSMR service." Don't suppose it (Birmingham Aberystwyth service) starting off late from New Street helps with its 'poor performance'.

"Anyone live in Wrexham?.... The Shrewsbury-Chester Rail Users Association is staging a public meeting to promote a new service between Wrexham and London. The meeting, on Monday 26th November, is at St Marys Social Club, Regent Street, Wrexham. Doors open 7pm for 7.30pm start."

Out tomorrow night otherwise might have attended that.

>Out tomorrow night otherwise might have attended that.

You seem to lead a 'jet set' life style. I presume the founder of this thread (Fred) will be leading such a lifestyle soon (to make up lost time of last couple of months)?

Perhaps sometime next year (during summer) then Pie & Pint meeting can be scheduled at a railway venue.... (a licensed one of course)....

Look no further... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codsall_railway_station

They put on a brilliant Beer Festival in September each year although I have missed it for the last 2 years unfortunately