Dorkingian

That's a lovely video. Great atmosphere. I could almost hear the driver singing to himself...

Green and Black: 8F and 9F on a coal train Just that:

Mineral Wagons aplenty The first half dozen are Hornby Dublo, and then some of the others further along, mixed in with Bachmann, Tri-ang, allsorts:

Hornby Dublo 2-6-4 Standard Tank out in the fresh air on the Dorking Garden Railway that day in early April. Just one short clip - a fuller video may follow later (but talk is cheap): https://youtu.be/RnqAQVqlod8

A quickly edited short video of the Black 5 selected from last week's running session: https://youtu.be/pgrsnHZuGSE and a still:

A bluebell railway Pictures from Wednesday's running session. First, the Black 5 on Foxdale Bank: The same stretch of track, here with a Jubilee and 10 bogies: Scene at Throstlebeck (note Powercab): and Sycamore Curve in late sunshine:

A few pictures from yesterday's running session Black 5 on Foxdale Bank

A Bulleid Pacific in action There's a 2-minute video here: https://youtu.be/80omXIR9zSs

Great comment, thanks, Great Central. Such authenticity doesn't come without effort! Anyway, one of the joys of digital is that you can always take several shots to reduce the risk of such problems (or else digitally remove the offending item). BTW, the parcels van is a converter vehicle, with an HD coupling on one end and a tension lock on the other.

Another running day Yesterday's weather was fine with cloudy intervals although I managed to capture some sunshine shots in between. Here is the Hornby Dublo 2-6-4T on a stopping train. There are more, and sunnier, photos here: https://www.oogardenrailway.co.uk/index.php?/topic/354-the-dorking-garden-railway/&do=findComment&comment=20296 and a linked video here: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/136029-Hornby-dublo/&do=findComment&comment=3948748

My HD 2-6-4 tank was fortunately converted to 2-rail about 50 years ago by a commercial concern. Yesterday she was out enjoying the sunshine on the Dorking Garden Railway: There are a few more photos here: https://www.oogardenrailway.co.uk/index.php?/topic/354-the-dorking-garden-railway/&do=findComment&comment=20296

One more

2-railing the Duchess of Montrose Many thanks for that, David. Sadly beyond my capabilities. Half a century ago there were commercial offerings available for that process, but I guess demand has disappeared, understandably. She'll have to be just for the display case - and the rather more limited 3-rail track. Thanks again.

2-railing the Duchess of Montrose Despite the sharp intakes of breath to be heard from some colleagues, I want to 2-rail the Duchess recently given to me by a close friend. At the risk of repeating earlier material, what are my main options please (assuming normal conditions will eventually apply once more)? I'm not able to do sophisticated drilling or quartering myself, so any solution will require outsourcing, or buying-in bits. This is what she looks like, posed on the Dorking Garden Railway:

Yes, excellent pictures once again. Wonderfully evocative. Thanks for sharing.

and further on the train rumbles past Sycamore Manor: Meanwhile, the N Class reappeared on a local passenger train, seen here at Northdown Sidings before finally heading past ECS in the sidings and along Bamboo Curtain Straight

Continuing on her way The West Country runs onto Foxdale Bank Passing the commemorative platelayers hut There was just time to grab a threequarter rear shot as she went by...

Then, a West Country appeared with a passenger train, seen here running past the goods train at Northdown Sidings: Running across the Northern Viaduct and past Foxdale Carr Hall: and heading past the new footbridge on towards Foxdale Bank:

First train of the year About time too, some may say. Well, up till now the weather hasn't been great, and there's always real life which conspires to get in the way of running trains. But with this recent spell of fine weather - and no social obligations intervening - I was able to make the most of yesterday. It was a Southern day in honour of the sunshine, and the first train past was a coal train hauled by an N Class 2-6-0:

Just to keep things ticking over... while not much has happened in the garden recently, here are a couple of photos from 2017. Looks like I had black and white film in the camera that day!

Later that same day After the uncooperative Caley loco, it was on with the trusty BR Standard 4MT which is always reliable. Here, it is passing Throstlebeck signalbox with a few vans. Coming off Foxdale Bank, with Sycamore Cottage in the background and, with a couple more vans added on, bowling along Bamboo Curtain Straight Despite the previous night's frost, everywhere was still very wet from the recent rain, and fortunately this trespasser was spotted and ejected before any damage was done:

Seeing the year out It had been a long wait for a day of good weather that was also convenient for a running session, but the penultimate day of December was a good opportunity to test run the Caledonian Single locomotive and coaches acquired a couple of months ago. I knew I should have tested the Single indoors first! In fact she wouldn't turn a wheel that day, so these photos were just posed. Will have to try some indoor TLC.

I've only just come across this fascinating thread, but I have some Thomas photos over in the Garden Railways section:

Catching up As I've not managed to post any new photos here for a while, here are some older ones (well, 2018 anyway) which haven't been shown before, of the Black 5 in sunny weather.

Those are all superb pics, James. You've been really successful in capturing the atmosphere, which is partly down to your excellent rolling stock building and weathering skills, but also to your eye for the nearby backdrop - and the more distant one. The way you somehow bridge the scale differences between the models and the real scenery is magical.