This is No5 Weirdie, being driven by its builder, Phil Haynes, at Harrow Model Engineers Wembley track c.1985.

My acquaintance with this loco is a little strange! I became the owner of it after seeing it for sale on a friends stand at a local model event. The event had been organised to raise funds for a preserved steam pumping station and its 1851 Easton & Amos drainage engine, at Westonzoyland on the Somerset Levels.

This was my first experience of 5" gauge, I returned home, proud to have realised a childhood dream of owning a 'real' steam engine. At this stage, I had no idea how to fire or drive this loco, and had nowhere to run it! My friend who sold me the loco, ran through the basics of firing and running the next time I saw him, and arranged to give me some tuition on a length of portable track at the Westonzoyland pumping station site.

Here's yours truly unable to wait for track to run on! I used ordinary house coal! The carrying cradle has supports that the Loco's de-railing beams rest on thereby lifting the wheels clear.

Weirdie has four wheels mounted in outside frames. these are linked together by roller chain (bicycle chain) and are driven by chain via a lay shaft, by a Stuart double ten marine engine mounted on its side between the frames. (cylinders forward)

A mechanical lubricator fed steam oil into the cylinders and a gravity oil box fed the main crankshaft bearings.

Here is a view of the back head. On the manifold across the top of the boiler, from left to right, there is the pressure gauge, a spare wheel valve, a push valve (the white knob) for the whistle, Blower valve, and injector valve. On the back head there is the water level sight gauge and the regulator and fire hole door below. The coal bunker chute is on the left and the reversing lever and water tank on the right.

The spindle half way along is the drive to the mechanical lubricator and is driven by a crank on the end of the front axle.

The middle 'axle box' is the lay shaft bearing.

Here is my son, Ian, 'pretending' to drive Weirdie on a short length of track laid on the lawn.

This side of the loco has the emergency hand water pump, an axle driven water pump, and just out of sight behind Ian's foot, the injector.

Here is a closer view, all those pipes! a nightmare to keep clean!

One of the problems I had with Weirdie, was the Steel boiler. Not that the boiler itself gave any trouble, it was trying to get my local MES to supply a test certificate. When they did reluctantly agree, it was for one year at a time, and I had to strip all of the boiler cladding off for the test.

So the dream ended! After much thinking, I decided that it would be less hassle if I were to sell Weirdie and perhaps look for a loco with a copper boiler. As it turned out, a buyer turned up out of the blue. I took Weirdie to his garden line and showed her(?) off. He liked what he saw and, as I had told him I would be looking for something else, he offered Alice in part exchange.

Although I had some fun with Weirdie, I have had a lot more fun with Alice (that sounds naughty, doesn't it?!) I hope to have a steam loco again, some day, but for now, Battery power rules!