Well its been a few days since the last time Foster Street was out on Exhibition, at the Weston on Trent show, and even though it was only a 1 day show I think I have just about recovered.

Foster Street is back up in the spare room, ready to have a few minor repairs completed and to allow me to make a few repairs, mostly to scenic items which were the subject of the occasional prodding fingers.

Maybe it was just luck but the fleet seemed to run well and we did not suffer any failures, and it gave me the opportunity to give some of the newer additions to the fleet a good run.

Thanks co operator Phil, who kept refreshing the motive power on the trains, we managed to test the capabilities of quite a large number of locomotives. From this a few stars were identified, and a few of the locomotives acted like their real life counterparts (the 7F's started off a little lumpy but soon turned into "plodders")others like the ones assigned to the local freights and passengers performed just performed.

So as I sit here in Price towers, in my gold sequined jacket, cravat and best san tropez fake tan, like some dodgy 70's tv host its time to have the first annual Foster Street awards.

BEST PARALLEL PATRIOT

Yes the award goes to , the best and only Parallel Patriot in the fleet, part on a never ending build, it made its first few laps very cautiously around the layout, but soon proved to be the best Pat on the layout

She just needs her crew fitting, lamps and a little more weathering.

ATTENTION GRABBER - IVATT CLASS 4

Another one of my monumentally slow builds, my attempt to produce an Ivatt Class 4, certainly grabbed the attention of the visitors when assigned to the milk train. Especially with one visitor who wanted a better look, and quite happily lifted the locomotive from the rails, and must have like the loco that much as he was quite put out to return it to the rails.

Again she just needs a little more weathering and lamps, and she appears to have lost a window, I just have to decide on the duty to assign her to permanently.

MOST RELIABLE RUNNER

The most reliable performer for the second exhibition running was my old "Mintrix" Ivatt 2-6-0, which regardless of her lamp code handled anything from local passengers to 30+ wagon freight trains with equal aplomb. So impressed I was by this performance I managed to find another example (to replace the one that blew up weeks ago) at a very reasonable price.

However these three together are just mere runners up.

The clear star of the show was one of the operating team, not the Domestic Overlord, but PHIL, who without fail, or hesitation each and every time the empty coal train with the Elephants on board, justified its appearance by remaking "WELL IT IN A TRUNK LINE", so Phil as soon as I have the "old flannel" trophy back from the engravers the award goes to you.

THANKS MATE......... Until the next time as ever Happy Modelling