With the circuit set up and running we were looking at our latest acquisitions. Among these were John P’s GWR 14xx and my SECR C Class 0-6-0 and O1 Class 0-6-0. Both of my locos are now fitted with DCC and sound although the O1, having worked perfectly the day before, probably has a wire loose somewhere as it failed to run at all until Barry had a few strong words with it. Page 1 of 4 David G had brought in his very impressive BR Standard 5MT 4-6-0 and had it pulling a BR 3-coach set around the circuit. Turning then from the sublime to the ridiculous, we had John D’s horse drawn open charabanc complete with characters on a jolly boy’s day out. Not sure what scale it was but it ran round the circuit without any trouble at all.
Geoff brought along two tank engines: a Beattie Well Tank 2-4-0WT and an Austerity 0-60ST United Steel Companies No. 22 in maroon livery. John B brought along his little 0-40T tank engine which I think is a Connoisseur kit and had it pulling a short train. Ross brought along and ran his Ruston Hornsby 4DS 0-4-0DM in a fetching green livery. This diminutive engine probably has the largest buffer size to engine size ratio known to man. Paul W visited us for the first time since leaving the Group and was warmly welcomed by all. Hopefully we will see him again soon. David L and Barry continued refining the point work on the lower level of Queen Charlotte Dock while I started to fit mounting plates for sockets for the upper-level wiring.
The usual crowd were assembled around the big table where the main activity seemed to be reading magazines, although I think Roger may have been doing some modelling. Over lunch we decided that our planned celebration of 200 hundred years of railways with a display of 200 locomotives was a bit too ambitious and was scaled back to a display of coaches (so perhaps 200 passengers instead!) thus saving some £350 insurance costs for the original display. Page 2 of 4 Guildex was reported by those who went to have been good show this year with several interesting layouts. Geoff had bought a very nice tank engine that he was very pleased with only to have had it stolen when he put his bag down for a minute. A cautionary tale and a sad reflection of the times we live in. In his usual inestimable fashion David Ho kept us all provided with teas and coffees until we packed everything up and headed off home. Chris
