I realized that I needed to get some better photographs of the engine of the Ruston LAT that I'm trying to build and, as the one which was at the Threlkeld quarry museum had moved, I decided a trip to the North Ings Farm Museum http://www.northingsfarmmuseum.co.uk/museum/ was required. My family refer to this particular organization, very unfairly, as 'The chicken sh*t farm' because the line was originally installed to move 'waste product' from poultry sheds. Don't be put off by the sound of it, the line goes around a landscaped field with an amazing selection of narrow gauge and industrial equipment to see.

I arrived this afternoon and on inquiring if they still had a Ruston LAT was immediately welcomed in and told that they would get it out of the shed for me and take the side panels of the engine so I could take some pictures. The locomotive was started up and brought out into the sunshine. I'd taken general photos a few years back so this was about getting all those details I'd missed.

I've now got no excuses for not getting things right!

I had a couple of runs around the line behind the Hudson Hunslet which was on duty. Then we were dropped at the far end of the field while the train ran as a 'photographic charter' so I could get some more pictures.

There are a couple of Simplexes in the shed, including one owned by the Talyllyn railway who use North Ings as a location to let their young volunteers drive with out getting in the way of service trains.

The other simplex is in a slightly more 'work worn' condition.

As I said North Ings has an amazing collection of bits of industrial railway to see. I was particularly taken by this pressed steel turnplate which was used to divert wagons from a running line onto a temporary siding.

Also I rather likes the tank wagon which I think will need modelling at some point.

So, there you have it, a great afternoon out, a friendly welcome, a decent cup of tea all for £3 (Tea extra!). I thoroughly recommend making the trip to darkest Lincolnshire.

The North Ings Farm Museum - No Chicken Sh*t in sight!

David