However I had brought 2 locos on the off chance of some running, and I managed to clear enough snow & ice off the track to at least run them light engine. The river was frozen over which made a good backdrop, so we just managed to clear enough ice off the bridge to get some nice shots.
My latest acquisition. A 2nd hand kit built Katie with a kit built William tender (wood burner)
Peter tutoring Dave on the technique for controlling a Roundhouse loco using Radio Control (I have the reverser control on the sprung Elevator channel, rather than the Roundhouse standard of the Aileron channel)
Having suffered from steam oil in the sight glass on its last run, I was keen to adopt the advice I received from Tag Gorton, which was a success. We had 2 technical problems 'on shed' first but these were corrected so I got Dave to drive this whilst I took the photos
Dave enjoying himself having mastered the Radio Control (with the John Turner style valve gear you only need to set the direction once then you can release the Elevator channel control until you need to change direction)
Whilst Dave had a break I managed a solo shot by starting the loco from round the bend (top left) and just setting the throttle control so it passed me here
After 30 mins running we were getting cold, so turned the gas off, used up the last of the steam, and retired to the Clubhouse for some warmth & a welcome hot drink.
The road out of Methven was icing in places, temp -2C, and the snow arrived somewhat earlier than forecast. Nonetheless a very enjoyable day out.
Chris Cairns