All set for tomorrow now - well as well as I am going to be. Have spent last couple of days getting really frustrated with locos that ran perfectly last time out but are now displaying all manor of faults from out rough running to derailing to out right refusal to work. The most common problem appears to be pick ups not working properly and as these are one of my least favorite parts of loco construction (couplings are a close second!), you can probably tell that I am wishing I had checked them all earlier. Anyway, I have eventually got four steamers and four petrols up and running and here they are;

The sharp eyed amongst you might have spotted the new Baldwin which is now running after a fashion but still needs some attention, detailing and weathering - I will finish a write up of this one soon.

One unfortunate absence from the line up is the Lawton 20hp Simplex, the one which looked pretty but refused to work last time out. Tracked the problem down to a dry joint to the motor and it then successfully if noisily completed several lengths of the layout only to stop dead again. I suspect the rather thin wire to the motor has fractured where it enters the casing. have never been too happy with this motor so suspect the way forward is to try to fit a decent Mashima in there somehow.

With an eye on the weather forecast, I have loaded all the big bits into the car as a wonderful design feature of the (old) Freelander is that if it is icy, the back door won't open! Yes the window gets stuck and you have to drive for at least ten minutes before it thaws out enough to open - something to be avoided at 6.30 in the morning!