Dyfrdwy Tramway: Autumnal steam...

After a busy weekend full of children, I was happy to wake on Monday to find some glorious blue sky, and I had the yearning to take my live steam engine out for a run after the modifications and addition of the sand dome...

We repainted the end of the house this summer, a much brighter off white, which means that at the slab quarry, on a bright day, you get a lot of side lighting (shown above) which is slightly odd and incongruous to the shadows, but it does mean that photos like this are possible. It will be less of a problem in the summer months. The glaring error of no glazing in this photo has spurred me on to tackle this next...

The steam effects were lovely with the cold air and low sun, but you try driving and taking photos at the same time! It's not easy! Here a pair of slate wagons are propelled up the line to the mill.

The wharf is beginning to get mossy which is a lovely touch, but it doesn't need a clean up of the bush behind the railway here to get it a little more space, as well as a few more miniature human touches, so ideas for the winter include some sort of shed or garage - and longer term a crane.

Finally, a shot of the gunpowder and fuel oil being taken up to the quarry, as well as coal to the mill. It's the odd hour playing trains like this that makes the effort of creating the railway all worth while. I do hope to add some more scenery to the line in the next 12 months, and over the winter have a few projects to complete. It might even see me finishing the VW van and Bedford lorry I started last winter! For now though, I hope you've enjoyed the photos. More soon...