The Wildfowler at Urmston today

The Jubilee is off down south again tomorrow to the supplier for more attention to hopefully get it performing as it should, so today it was The Wildfowler's turn for a run at Urmston track. The weather was fine, the locomotive was steaming like a witch, the passengers were waiting for rides.... so a great day was had by all.

These excellent pictures are, as usual, by Jason Lau. Please click on any picture for a larger image.

Billy enjoying my loco, The Wildfowler. This is a five inch gauge model of a 2 foot gauge industrial locomotive, so it's more than 1/5 full size. That makes for a big model in this gauge.

Dave driving his Venezuelan Beyer Peacock tank loco  

Malc on Jim's Venezuelan tank. These two locos were built as a pair by Dave and Jim, as were their Black Fives. They are delightful to drive; very similar to The Wildfowler., being free steaming and powerful.

A young passenger (with his mum) exchanges smiles with Billy, his driver for their trip around the park behind The Wildfowler 

Stuart with Keith's Polly tank loco. 

 Billy picks up his next batch of passengers with The Wildfowler

 I run The Wildfowler with the entire back of the cab removed, which allows easy access to the controls and the fire. The pink tin (an M&S shortbread tin) carries the coal. Water is, of course, carried in the loco's side tanks and topped up after each run. The Wildfowler has an axle-driven pump to put water into the boiler, and an injector which has to be used occasionally as well, as the pump's capacity is insufficient. For emergency use, there is a hand pump in the right hand side tank the detachable handle for which lives on the left hand side of the cab floor.

Malc on Jim's Beyer Peacock waits his turn to enter the station to pick up passengers

Rogue's gallery outside the clubhouse; L to R Tony, Eddie, Bob, George 

Billy ducking down for a clear view of  The Wildfowler's pressure gauge, while I look on 

Bob's turn on Jim's Beyer Peacock 

Malc has a drive of my loco, with Tony as passenger 

Many's the time I've had a drive of Keith's Polly or 'Beast. Now it's his turn to drive my engine. 

A budding steam enthusiast watches with interest as I top up The Wildfowler's left hand tank after a run around the park 

Here he is again. definitely a future potential member of Urmston club  

...And he's far from alone. These miniature steam locomotives, alive with hissing steam, incandescent fire, and gurgling dripping hot water fascinate youngsters of all ages.   

Billy tops up the right hand tank. The engine must be close to blowing off, as he has left the fire-hole door open to allow cool air to be drawn into the boiler tubes to keep the steam pressure below that which will lift the safety valves. 

Malc on The Wildfowler, which is blowing off vigorously through the safety valves as the maximum allowable boiler pressure is reached

Stuart on Dave's tank loco, with yet another fascinated young enthusiast 

Me on my engine! 

Keith driving his own Polly tank loco

But we don't take ourselves too seriously. There's nothing better than Super Trouper by ABBA for keeping warm on a frosty Sunday at Abbotsfield Park. Driver Frank Gibson with his fabulous dance moves.:

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A sad day in aviation

My thoughts tonight are with the families of the four people who died in a mid air collision between a light aircraft and a helicopter, near Aylesbury.

Both aircraft had originated their flights at Wycombe Air Park near High Wycomb, the Cessna 152 on a local pilot training detail, and the Cabri G2 light helicopter on a flight to an as yet unannounced destination, the crash taking place some 15 miles north of the airfield. Both aircraft were 2-seat, and all 4 occupants died in the accident.

Weather conditions are reported to have been 'perfect', a superb flying day with excellent visibility. Unfortunately excellent visibility makes aircraft crews less likely to see each other in the air as ground features stand out clearly and the aircraft blend into this cluttered background. On less clear days other aeroplanes are more easily seen against the misty sky.

The crash took place in uncontrolled airspace where most small aeroplanes fly, on a see-and-be-seen basis. Commercial traffic flies in controlled airspace under radar surveillance by air traffic control who keep them safely separated.

There is nothing inherently dangerous about uncontrolled airspace. I flew mostly in that environment for well over 30 years. The sky is a big place and the chance of two aircraft being in the same place at the same height at precisely the same time is infinitesimally small.

But very occasionally it does happen. And today, sadly, it did.