Hi all.

Exam revision has put paid to a large amount of the model engineering, that and lack of laser cut components, but that hasnt stopped me going out and playing trains!

The greystones railway is a private railway near bath, built into a hillside. its featured on here before but not this year. The owner has alarge collection of engine and wagons but they were hardly needed because we were so full!

The roster,

2 metrovicks, which we bought because we had given the other an overhaul (nightmare that was!), No 18 Michael faraday (spent most of the time on yard pilot duty) and no 17 Florence Nightingale (friends who we overhauled)

2 LSWR 02s in BR black, i know three people with one in that livery. These two are numbers 17 and 27 i think, seaview and Merstone.

1 GWR manor, that had come from kent, with a large amount of wagons

1 Highland railway loch class, a beautiful model, little light on its feet, but when put on our teak coaxhes, looked stunning

1 LNER K1 mogul, in black, a regular engine but the owner had come from lincolneshire and bough 20 wagons with him, including 6 oil tankers

A rather burbly BR green western

A rather worn black five which had not been run in something like 30 years, but in its worn livery and Kempenfelts chalk markings, looked rather 1968esque

Over two days, other engines visited.

Galloping gertie, the GWR ex M&SWJR mogul, also known as galloping alice.

A very nice, but a little shiny Adams Radial tank in SR green

A 1361 GWR saddletank,

unusually, because we dont allow these in GL5, a German railways Harz railway system mallet tank, again an engine that hadne been run in a while.

Two metrovicks in our boot, an unusual site indeed.

We arrived to see the railway up and running on saturday, so unloaded just the car, the usual 8 wagons but this time two locos. having got both running, and found the track was really swamped, the coaches remained away till later in the day. We spent a day mostly running freight turns, and taking a shunting turn in the yard. We got the coaches out about 3 and they had a few runs round, before we packed up about 5. All the engines staying overnight and wagons and coaches packed into the garage and after more railway talk, we went down the puba and 14 of us whiled away the evening talking of all things railway!

The black five complete with 1968 style chalk messages of Dont let me die, the end and a drawn BR logo, carefully copied on by Kempenfelt

Second day dawned and i having received a rude 6 am wake up call from this little ######,

(yes the monty python sketch did spring to mind, it'll be an ex parrot, it will cease to be!)

breakfast duly eaten all the stock was pulled out the garage, with the metrovick acting as pilot, wagons taken to the yard and coaches inot the station. Our loco spent most of the day in the yard that day, a more prototypical operation was run, pick up feeights organised, local passenger turns organise, including one with a milk portion of two tankers, mineral trains and an oils train.

I spent most of the morning working the box. the aforementioned loch, being light on its feet presented an operation difficulty considering the gradient on the line. The manor took charge of the minerals, with one 02 on the local passenger. the Black 5 and K1 took a back seat until the lunch, when we reversed running direction and the K1 took over from the manor, with the Loch running tender first. We packed up and left about 4 pm, but I understand that they ran into the evening, not packing up till late, and ran the monday as well, though the weather was nowhere near as good.

A request was put in by the owner, and depsite being a riding truck, our milk van was coupled into the train, their feeling was that it looked appropriately victorian!

I'm surprised the owner let me shoot this one, he would never suffer the indignity of being rescued buy an electric!

The harz tank, another shelf rescue i think. Made a wonderful sound though!

That was two weeks ago, bit of a delay, last weekend went to the Mid hants to watch the ful size 02 which was over from IoW, and had a good chat to the owner of the third 5 inch 02.

Right, cheers

Mark