Even better weather today at the park.

Some of Jason's great pictures from today at Urmston. Let's hope this weather bodes well for summer:

(Click on any picture for a larger image)

Start of a glorious day

Keith with The Beast, ready for passengers 

Alfred stops for water 

This is lovely; BR standard 9F 'Evening Star', Jim Moyle's 5" gauge model of the last steam locomotive built (in 1960) for British Railways, commemorated by the plaque beneath the nameplate.  

Fellow Manchester Locomotive Society member and ex-BR steam loco driver Eddie (left) with his green Black five. Note the compressed air driven 'blower' in the chimney to raise steam. 

Joe Nixon with his lovely model of another 5" gauge BR 'standard'; 7P Britannia class 'Tennyson' 

Tennyson's flight deck 

Eddie's green Black Five. But Black Fives are black? Well, yes, except for a few which, at nationalisation in 1948, were experimentally painted various shades of green. This one is in LNER green and was based at Crewe North, and driven by Eddie, hence his modelling of this unusual prototype. 

Allan disappears behind a blast of steam from his blowing-off  5" gauge Bagnall industrial loco 

Malc stops 'Alfred' so I can check those cylinder oilers are doing their job 

Me and my loco! 

During a stop to top up the tender water tank the right hand injector initially fails to pick up, blasting steam from the water overflow. It picked up OK on the second attempt. 

So with the injector having topped up the boiler water level, I can top up the tender water tank 

'Tennyson' blows off in the station 

The pleasant weather has attracted plenty of passengers  

The track at Urmston is dual gauge, 3.5" and 5", hence three rails 

The lovely 9F 'Evening Star', Dave driving and about to fire the loco, the owner, Jim Moyle, standing by in the light blue boiler suit 

Spring has come to the park 

Plenty of visitors to our railway 

Another loco whose RH injector hasn't picked up; 'Evening Star' issuing steam from the injector water overflow 

Passengers queue for the trains 

'Evening Star' with a fairly full train, including, second from the back, James from whom I bought 'Alfred' 

Ah! The whiff of steam! Me on Alfred.

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