Mineries Halt

At last the platform is starting to look its part, now that the fencing is complete and the whole thing undercoated. As always, the photograph highlights the shortcomings; the posts are far from vertical, there's still a lot of detail painting and weathering to do, the track is still not ballasted and fish-plated, and the engine's weathering has some missed bits. I'm pleased with the general effect though, if not the rate of progress!

W.R. 0-6-0 no. 3210 coasts to a halt at Mineries with the 13.22 Priddy -
Masbury Junction, on an Autumn day in 1964.

... and the next day, the fencing and platform edge have been painted. I still haven't steeled myself to have another go at fitting the fishplates so that I can get on with the ballasting and then the rest of the scenery. I have however printed a more appropriate backdrop!

The DMU in the next picture is an old Lima unit from my son's train set. He bought it second-hand at a swapmeet about 15 years ago, with his own saved-up money. The headboard, fixed temporarily in place with Blutack, was made with the help of Paint Shop Pro from a picture of a Birmingham suburban "special" I helped organise many years ago.

Following the success of their 1968 excursion around Birmingham, the BUTS's
 next project was to run a similar train over some closed and freight-only routes
in Somerset. The train is seen returning along the branch from Priddy, which at
 that time still served the quarries at the St. Cuthberts and Waldegrave Mineries.

In the Spring of 1964, a "borrowed" 8F returns from the Mineries quarry sidings with a ballast train.

The quarry shunter "Penelope Jane" ventures out onto BR metals.

Out of interest, here is the original headboard on the 1968 Birmingham University Transport Society's train in the closed station at Redditch.

The 1968 BUTS special at Redditch.