And Then There Was Four

The latest edition to our locomotive fleet is the Bachmann BR Standard Class 4MT 2-6-4 Tank Nº 80120, Catalogue Nº 32-354A, seen in the two photographs above. She is a late crested version and has been factory weathered and I think she looks very nice!

I picked her up, second-hand, at a recent toy and train fair and, although she is not sound fitted, she has already been fitted with a DCC decoder so that we can run her - and she does run extremely well!

In the first photograph she is seen at Carswater, at the head of a local train, while, in the second photograph, we see her standing below the long footbridge at at Manxton.

This now brings to four the number of steam locomotives that we have in our fleet - all of which are members of classes that were regular performers on the Somerset and Dorset Railway.

A Hoppy Event

Here we see Class 56, 56082, at the head of a rake of empty seacow hopper wagons, after departing Gunnmere and heading north towards the ballast yard at Carswater.

We now see the train passing Mankston, with the branch line to Anchwood running above, and in parallel with, the main line.

Having reached Carswater, the train reverses around the curve, through the cutting ....

.... over a level crossing and into the ballast yard.

The train brings traffic to a standstill while it shunts its rake of hoppers into the yard.

Now for a view from the rear of the train as the hoppers are squeezed into the yard between rock face and buildings.

A close-up of the Grid as she stands at the head of her train.

Next we see 56082 passing through Carswater with her hoppers now fully loaded.

Before she then passes through the high-sided cutting, just beyond the station, in this final view of the train.