esngblog

We had a special club outing today.  The Kent & East Sussex Railway had put a plaque up on their wall of remembrance for our late friend Miles Saggers.  So a group of club members and friends, and Mile’s mum, Sue, went to pay our respects.  We met up at Tenterden, took the train to Northiam and the plaque, then caught the train back.  We had lunch together before going our separate ways.

Our loco arrives at Tenterden, hauled by a Class 33 diesel.  These were the two locos for the day’s trains, but it is easier for them to run to the end of the line together.

The usual, and unusual, suspects….

Andy and Linz were able to join us, as we booked the KESR’s excellent disabled access coach ‘Petros’.  Nice too, to travel seated on a chair, rather then the usual coach seats.

To the real business of the day, to visit Miles’ memorial.

Northiam station….

The Class 33 waiting to take the next train out of Tenterden.  The eagle-eyed will spot that it’s a ‘Slim Jim’, one of the straight sided, narrow bodied locos for the Hastings line (and tunnel)….

Thanks to Cha(i)rman Allan for organising the day, and keeping us in order (cat-herder extraordinaire!)

Maxine and I took the opportunity to spend a couple of days in Hastings beforehand, seeing an old friend, and enjoyed the fine weather and lovely countryside and seaside.

We close with a picture of Miles in his other natural habitat – Biggin Hill aerodrome.

A busy Wednesday evening.  Eight members, one small son, and two visitors from the West Sussex group.  The West Sussex lads came to continue our Stuttgart planning.  I think that was successful, and the planned layout might even work!  We spent too long talking about the trip, so photos are a bit limited.  Still, the usual suspects captured….

The DCC track was busy with Martin’s trains, including this very noisy Deltic…

Containers…..

And Neil’s sound 4F…

Keeping the recent bus theme, here are three shots of ‘real’ buses in Redhill and Reigate.  I like the 430 pictures, as that’s my local route – although currently run by Metrobus with blue single deckers that rattle far more than these RT’s – but they do have air conditioning and internet!

As a bonus, Martin Stace posted this childhood picture on Facebook.  A real train set!  I started with one like this, but it was all British Railways, rather than LMS.  I must have been a bit younger…

A good turn out of seven members, plus a couple of visitors (one a fascinated three-year old) dropping in to see the trains.  And a very pleasant afternoon with the usual high standard of trains and low standard of conversation…..

The long and the short of it from Allan.  Looks like the PW gang have left some odds and ends in the camp site….

Richard’s old Swiss stock….

A work in progress by Derek, plus another train…

European trains from Brian….

Dave was testing a whole range of locos – from the ridiculously large to the improbably small!

My J50 on an unfitted goods. 

Of course, we finished with an excellent curry.  And thank you Brian for the video!