On Easter Sunday I chose to visit the lovely Paddock Garden Railway and say hello to the group. It was a nervous day as my chosen engines were SWORDBREAKER- muchly chronicled in restoration, and having tweaked its regulator and other issues, today was the day to make or break the project.
In the other corner was STARSTRIDER, fresh from rebuild with Mike Chaney O-ring cylinders and a lubricator, having been left at the back of the shed for a long, long time. Two Mamods? Risky?
Maybe one, but not the other.
Some of the big trains...
Some of the beautiful little engines working the line Sunday...
This Pearse L&B Loco has been a number of time before and is a magnificent little loco...
There was quite a Penrhyn lineup too...
And room in the main shed, for once, for 'littler' engines but ones still able to prove themselves worthy and useful.
"The Evolution of Manmod..."
Almost a complete evolutionary line - from scratchbuilt's young lad's "Smokey" [blue SL2] in near original condition, to a burner and boiler-fittings-upgraded former SLK, to, well, what the hell does one class SWORDBREAKER now?
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ROYAL ARTHUR, a meths fired Dylan, was out in fine fettle
THE MOMENT OF TRUTH
After the big engines had had a run and it was starting to spit rain, it was decided to wake up 'the Beast from the East' and prep the train. I had chosen to bring the "Chickens" out of winter storage now that their engine had been rebuilt.
You may note that the Chickens have been tided up, given transfers and roof vents...
So...just how did 'Swordbreaker' do?
"PASSED WITH FLYING COLOURS!" to quote a certain 1953 railway film!
What may not be known is that Hampton Loade is a challenging track being on a slope. I chose to run clockwise which is also the harder direction to go in - most trains usually run anti clockwise on the two manual lines for an easier time. The extra gripping power and adhesion was proven profoundly with a medium-heavy train and somewhat heavy rain to boot on slippery rails. I was very very pleased with this, having earlier that morning ran SWORDBREAKER light engine - thus breaking tradition of 're-running in' Swordbreaker at Llechfan to run round the circuit by itself for a)test and b) 'waking up'.
A hot cup of cocoa for the Driver after a morning's work - two light engine and one passenger movements.
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Now it was the other loco's turn...
"Show a wheel, Starstrider!" the Manager said, "we came back for you in the old works after everyone else had left, we rebuilt you and gave you new cylinders which, we hope," the Manager held his hat in his hands before him, "will solve your problems." he added kindly. Starstrider blinked as heat began to rise. Manager smiled, "Did we mention that your firebox had been treated by a certain Welsh wizard who has forgot more about little engines than many ever know?"
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Not final or certifiable results but very encouraging news indeed knowing there were no steam leaks as such!
Next up was a session pottering up and down the yard to prove the reversing and changing direction was all in order :-
[CLICK FOR VIDEO]
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After this, even more Mamods appeared - I had the pleasure of meeting scratchbuilt who brought his young lad Stanley with him. Young Stanley, it turned out, was a devout follower of all things Mamod and had already massed four of the little bobbin' locos!
He'd brought not one but TWO Mamods with him...a New Mamod Loco MK 1 to be precise. It was a pleasure to meet both and especially another GRF member off the usual beaten track too. It allowed me to finally see one in the steel and also to compare with the SL range.
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You know it's bad when the 20+year old engine dwarfs what is meant to be its modern replacement...
It did allow me to examine the newer loco once and for all mind and it was an interesting comparison, seeing the simplified specification of the New range.
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STARSTRIDER was, after its successful light engine run, given a small goods train to try.
After the initial sprint, it started to become asthmatic again, which suggests it will need work looking at its cylinders and trunions for stiffness at least. Today's demonstrations proved that with Tony Bird's nichrome upgrade to the burner, and Mat Towell's Chaney cylinders, there is the potential for a great little engine here.
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This beautifully customised MILLIE was a little cracker - it ran round slowly, elegantly and overcame the steep gradients with some grace, while pootling about for about half an hour, maybe more non stop. An excellent advert for the quality of Roundhouse's products indeed.
After the goods was an afternoon express, though in the increasing rain which had surprised us...
"THE STORMCHASER"
And finally, some video of what was a belting run. I need to work out how to fine tune the locomotive when driving- the gas is so fine that between 'off' and 'boiling well' is a very, very fine amount and the regulator is odd: being a PPS Janet regulator, it is known for requiring a heavy opening to get going - this isn';t the locomotive in particular but a PPS Janet trait in general, especially noted in GARDEN RAIL When they reviewed the Janet [article available on request].
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I was very happy about this run as it proved that my engine, now having had its wheels, spacer,regulator and cylinders tweaked after Peterborough, was infact a good working little engine indeed. To me, this says "Mission Accomplished" more than any mere photo pose could.
Time to pack up and say 'cheerio, see you soon!' and leave Hampton Loade range. Of course, I travel by the SVR to get home. I wonder if I am the only person who uses a steam train for transport as opposed to leisure purposes?
On the train home, a celebratory pint of Batham's, while cleaning SB.
"MISSION: ACCOMPLISHED"
