Garden Railway Forum

The coal burners were out in force today with 6 coal burners present, along with various other steam locos including a Peter Angus traction engine type loco and a scratch built shay.
Offler & Ivy are overtaken by a proper electric loco!

3 coal fired Jacks.

A Pearse(?) SLR Hunslet

For a geared loco, this Shay can really shift!

2 Gloriously grimy Jacks

Ivy in a rare burst of sunlight.


I then went beserk and started panning anything that could be panned!

Ivy rattles past.

Offler and a Regner Lumberjack.

A beautiful Peter Angus traction engine type loco.

The WLLR Hunslet.

I attempted to double head Ivy and Offler, however I couldn't get the speeds to match and after Offler started to make some worrying noises I found brass shavings on the frame. Following some oiling I sent Offler out again and fortunately the gears haven't got worse, but I might get a spare set just in case.

Didn't even know there was a running day today

Still wouldn't have been able to get there mind, being at work weekdays...

I didn't know there were weekday running days, but at the end of Sunday's I was asked if I was going to be running on Thursday. They're not full scale running days, I believe that there is no action on the raised level line or on the ground level line, although today a loco was on test as it had failed on Sunday. I can't go every week as I have lectures on some Thursdays, besides I'd stop looking forward to Sunday running so much!

It must be a recent thing with the garden railway.

I know there are people down on Wednesdays, but that's usually for maintenance and testing locos etc, never heard of anyone being there on Thursdays!

Thanks for the pictures.

Why, oh why, oh WHY do owners of coal-fired locos let them get so grimy?I knoe that they get dirtier than gas fired ones when they are running, but those 3 Jacks looked to be thoroughly filthy - more so than if they'd just done one run...............

I quite like the grimy look, although I imagine that it isn't too good for the bearings!

But Brian, we all know that narrow gauge locos are supposed to be dirty...right?

MDLR:66997 wrote:Why, oh why, oh WHY do owners of coal-fired locos let them get so grimy?

Not all of us do -- this is after several hours running:

I think the Jacks look ace. Very "end of steam". One would hope they keep the running gear rather cleaner however, or replacing valve gear and axle bearings will be a regular ritual.

Pretoria's Lawley backhead is a thing of beauty though. Even I would want to keep that spotless!

It is a Pearse Hunslet by the way- unless it's a very well detailed Merlin one anyway!

I really should join up there one day but it was probably a good thing I wasn't there anyway, I'd probably end up drooling over the 3 grubby Jacks all day