Our visit to Llechfan in early July was followed by another quiet period for the MVR. Sadly, work commitments meant that I had very few opportunities to run trains during the glorious weather we enjoyed this summer. Fortunately, during September I had more free time, so my engines have seen a flurry of activity.
Russell has made a couple more visits to Guildford; I made the most of the last long evenings to give her some outings on the outdoor tracks. Since she was still set to 32mm gauge following her trip to Llechfan, I was able to enjoy more operational flexibility; she was able to make her first trip on the lower circuit, for example. (Only one of Guildford's three circuits is 32mm/45mm dual gauge.)
Russell has made a couple more visits to Guildford; I made the most of the last long evenings to give her some outings on the outdoor tracks. Since she was still set to 32mm gauge following her trip to Llechfan, I was able to enjoy more operational flexibility; she was able to make her first trip on the lower circuit, for example. (Only one of Guildford's three circuits is 32mm/45mm dual gauge.)
In the middle of the month, Russell was regauged back to 45mm for another trip to the Vale of White Horse Railway. As an experiment, our host decided to try a Friday evening steam-up; starting at about 5pm, we managed to enjoy about two-and-a-quarter hours of running before the light faded. Several other visiting engines were also present, including the Roundhouse Stanley Parrot which has visited the MVR in the past. However, the show was stolen by the VWHR's resident DHR D class Garratt, Highland Chief!
I also took the opportunity to display our W&L flat wagon, V2, in the bay platform at Wantage. Yes - after two years, this project is finally complete! The wagon made its first runs on the MVR the following day, behind Auric.