‘Twas the night before Christmas – well, it was the last ESNG meeting of the year.  It was also surprisingly well attended, as we all tried to escape the Christmas preparations.  Ten members present, plus a couple of visitors from the church when rain and lack of numbers meant carol singing was abandoned.  We were missing the Cha(I)rman again, due to Christmas milk rounds and family visitors.  I shall have to post a picture in the newsletter – ‘Lost – ESNG chairman.  If found……’

There was plenty on the move, despite an initial Railtrack points failure in the fiddle yard meant that services were a bit like Southern – one train on the go if you were lucky.

Here we have Paul’s bullet trains and Santa special, Simon’s long Santa Fe passenger service, Phil’s Pullmans, and Martin’s Railtrack HST.

The mince pies were a little out of gauge, and the Christmas tree didn’t fit under the bridge, so had to be removed from the train!

Out on the main line, pulled by a couple of Japanese diesels.  I have often wondered why the Bo-Bo-Bo wheel arrangement is so popular in Japan, but rare elsewhere?

No doubt there were a few raised eyebrows in the Railtrack inspection train….

Neil came in later with a number of Stuttgart bargains, and a box of stock that he proceeded to test run and try to sell to Honest John.  He even succeeded with some of it.