THE (SOGGY) 2006 OPEN DAY - 21^st MAY

The weather for the 2006 Open Day was bloomin' awful - it rained from first thing until everybody had left! Nevertheless, a few East Midlands stalwarts (or madmen, depending on your point of view) turned up and ran. Andrew Latham kicked off with his Mamod, which christened the new track at Haddon...................

 

Then he steamed up one of his newly-acquired vintage locos, a Steamcraft "Linda", seen here in Alport Junction station................

 

............. and here approaching Lathkill Dale.

Selwyn had brought his Lady Anne, seen passing Draper's Platform......................

 

........... approaching Lathkill Dale.....................

 

............. and passing Roger Coleman's Diesel and wagons at Haddon - the first use of the loop in this way.

 

A better view of Haddon (photo Andrew Latham)

 

Roger's Diesel at Latkill Dale (photo Andrew Latham)

 

The sole attendees: (L to R) Roger Coleman, Selwyn, his lad, Terry Pearce and Andrew Latham.

 

Waiting for Andrew's Archangel "Brick" to raise steam, which it did with great difficutly - Andrew suspects burner problems. I am told it DID get up to 50 PSI eventually (as against a working pressure of 70 PSI) and ran, but I'd given up and gone indoors by then!

 

.......... and here's the photographic evidence! (photo Andrew Latham)

 

Terry ran his Plasticard Quarry Hunslet, which isn't QUITE what it seems. (Clue - the van's got coupling rods.............)

 

This is one section of lawn that isn't going to recover in a hurry.......... and will probably get replaced by a path of some sort.
After everybody had gone and just before I started to clear away, the sun came out and I ran a milk train - loco, two vans and a brake van - a perfect ending to a fairly soggy Open Day!