A childhood dream comes true...

For as long as I can remember I've always wanted to be a train driver, and own my own steam engine. Day dreaming, model making, garden railways, narrow gauge and now a professional career all centred around the subject, it seemed it may never happen, especially with my chosen scale of 7/8ths, I'd even thought about getting one in 16mm and running only at friends houses...

As the Dyfrdwy Tramway is relatively short, yet uphill, I wasn't certain a steam engine was sensible, but Paul, my neighbour kindly let me drive his locomotive a few weeks ago and I got a feel for what might be possible. Then David Mees invited me to his railway as Peter Bakke (a fellow 7/8ths modeller) was popping along to collect some wagons. Peter offered to bring down his Simply Seven Eights steam engine, as I'd been asking about it as I was wondering about building my own... Anyway one thing led to another and I ended up travelling to Dave's on Saturday with a heavy wallet and returning with my very own steam engine. It's based on a reliable Roundhouse Billy chassis and boiler and is RC. I am in love, although the lettering will be removed soon, and I'll tidy it up a little, I'm keeping the lovely Land Rover green colour. It is a lovely runner, very smooth to drive, quite powerful and well behaved.

Back on the tramway, the ballast was dry on the extension so I got out the stock for a play with my son, and we drove trains and shunted for an hour or so on Sunday morning. It was good fun and the stock behaved itself on the most part, being propelled up the gradient (for safety reasons, the locomotive must always be on the downhill end of the train on the tramway).

The stock looks good together, and the finish is fairly consistent despite me completing them separately over the past 6 months. I can't wait to get the stuff to steam my new engine at home. Most of the stuff should arrive this week, but I still need to get a syringe for the water and some gas.

Finally a shot of the Simplex and the engine, that will be sporting Andrew Barclay plates soon, as it's similar to a quad of locos exported to North Africa in 1909. More soon...