Ryton: A Battery Box Sunday...

Hi all. Today in the persistent and miserable drizzle I was rostered as part of the crew at the Ryton Pools Miniature Railway, home of Coventry MES and its impressive 3.5"/5" gauge raised track. I arrived at midday along with the rest of the booked crew and as usual both trains and their traction were already on the track raring to go. I think we began running for the public slightly early at around 12:45pm and had a steady stream of customers throughout the afternoon. The rain was determined to carry on - heavy enough to be an annoyance but not heavy enough to call the job off. I had a mixture of guarding and driving spells on both trains and found the new guards trucks in particular a lot nicer to ride on than their predecessors. In service today were the two electric locomotives or 'flying battery boxes' as some know them. The Class 37 lookalike has received a new body in recent times and now wears an EWS-style livery. Its looks are much improved over its BR green incarnation...

I have nothing against these battery models but they just do nothing for me...give me a steam engine that is proving hard work any day! Despite this nobody can argue that they aren't useful, powerful and reliable for this sort of passenger work. By 4pm I think all of us were pretty soaked and ready for a cuppa' at home. We'd carried just over 100 passengers during the session which was a real surprise considering the dreary conditions. Until next time, Sam...