Annie

Yes very much so. I'm surprised that such an early design of point lever was still in place at the date when this photo was taken.

As a late era Broad Gauge locomotive No. 3508 gives a glimpse of what might have been if the Broad Gauge had been permitted to continue. And you are quite right, - it is a thing of beauty.

Of course if you make your railway to a proper gauge you don't have to worry about silly things like cylinders on the outside of the frames.

I was somewhat at a loss to decide which comment icon to use, but I can confess that I'm struggling not to smile. I would point out though that when the GER built their later single driver locomotives that they were all inside cylinder jobs.

He did a good job of it too.

Breakfast Time GER Cheer Up Picture: Rebuilt 'W' Class 4-2-2 designed by Robert Sinclair. 31 2-2-2 locomotives were built by various makers between 1862 and 1867. Two were rebuilt in 1873 as 4-2-2.

Twyford 1875 OS map 6 inch to the mile. 19th century 6 inch maps are much better quality than the 20th century 6 inch maps. The map shows a footbridge so that is more than likely where the Rev Malan was standing.

A slightly better photo from of all places a French website. The only other trackplan I know of for Twyford is a fragmentary one from 1845 which isn't a lot of use unfortunately. I am confused as well, - I shall go and ask questions of the elect of the Broad Gauge Society. EDIT: It is known that the Rev Malan was at Twyford on Saturday 14th of May 1892, but it's very likely that the photo I posted earlier was taken at an earlier time. As to what he was standing on it's anyone's guess without the add of a decent map.

Late Evening Broad Gauge Cheer Up Picture: Not really a cheer up picture in some ways as this photo of the 'Dutchman' express was taken at Twyford on Saturday 14th of May 1892. Though in other ways it is a cheer up picture because the Rev Malan put a good deal of his spare time into photographing the last days of the Broad Gauge until that fateful day on the 20th of May. The Rev Malan estimated that the 'Dutchman' was doing 60 mph when he took this photo. Photo courtesy of the Broad Gauge Society.

I've frowned over doing Watchet so many times. I've got a digital Minehead branch project I've been working on for ages, but Watchet just plain frightens me off every time I look at it.

Who are they?

GWR Steam Rail Motor No.45 at Penzance. No trailer. I had another photo of a SRM working into Penzance without a trailer, but I can't find it sorry.

I think you might have seen this MR engine before. A friend commissioned this Midland 2F last year and I was able to buy a copy of it from Paulz Trainz. It's had a wee bit of fettling and it's a really nice runner. I have LMS and BR rebuilt versions as well, but they don't come out of my digital trainset box quite so often.

After finding that photo and doing a little more research I was starting to come to the same conclusions Stephen. I've got an engine in as built condition and the tender needs some sorting out with its lining if it's at all possible to do it. As compared with Ed Heaps's beautiful Johnson-Smith Compound it's a very basic model, but with so few Midland engines having been created for Trainz I don't mind seeing if I can polish it up a bit.

I've had some days of being sleepy and not so well so I haven't been doing much. When I felt a bit better I had a rat around and found this fairly basic MR '1400' Class model that I'd got half way through fixing the textures on and perhaps over the next couple of days I'll get it finished off. (Public domain image)