SDJR 7F No88 (2011)
The second glimpse of steam this week is a couple of pictures taken at Crowcombe of the West Somerset Railway. This is S&DJR 7F 2-8-0 number 88 a beautiful locomotive, soon
Bodmin General Station – 2010
Another addition to the Steam Diary is a brief visit to Bodmin General, early on 17th July 2010, when Beattie Well-Tank 30587 was
Bachmann GWR Collett Goods Class 2251 Review
One of the defining models of modern times, Bachmann’s 00 scale version of GWR Collett Goods class 2251 was one of the first of a new breed of high-fidelity models. Much time has passed since it’s first release, so today we review the model and see whether
Bachmann Collett Goods Class 2251 DCC Fitting Guide (DCC Ready Version)
The latest addition to the Locoyard fleet is likely to be used as donor locomotive for the SER 01 project. In the meantime it will be DCC chipped and reviewed, so today we start with fitting the DCC decoder. Fitting a DCC chip to
Epilogue – A New Hope
Most of the readers of the Locoyard blog must be very confused that the final part of “my journey in becoming a steam enthusiast” involved me giving up being an enthusiast and finishing the final part in an overly melodramatic fashion! How could that possibly be the end of the journey? Well, in short, it…
Bachmann GWR City Class Review – A Tale of Two Cities, Part 2
Steadily over the past few weeks, I’ve been reviewing locomotives in my collection, with the general aim of providing a free resource for 00 scale steam modellers. Seeing as it is 100 days until Christmas (a scary thought!), hopefully these reviews are becoming available at just the right time! Following from the Review of …
Ex-GWR 43xx 5322 on the Watercress Line
After the cancellation of 30777 Sir Lamiel, 43xx 5322 provided a last-minute fill-in at the Watercress Line’s Autumn Steam Spectacular 2012. 5322 is usually based at the Didcot Railway Centre and although it did not quite fit in with the steam Gala’s Southern theme, it none-the-less was an interesting addition to the loco line-up. 5322…
Bachmann BR Standard 5MT Class Review
After updating the review of Bachmann’s N class, I took a look at the model reviewing poll conducted in July. The poll lead to both the N class review taking place and also the review of the Hornby A4 class and since then a review of Hornby’s unrebuilt West country pacific has also been completed. …
West Somerset Railway 21st Gala March 1997; My Journey in becoming a Steam Enthusiast, Part 7 Chapter 2
Continuing from last Saturday’s post is the final chapter of part 7 in my journey in becoming a steam enthusiast. I hope all locoyard followers will enjoy these photographs! Todays post begins in Minehead and then follows 43xx Class 7325 and Castle Class 7029 Clun Castle double-heading to Bishops Lydeard. Post thread continues – click…
The Real Hogwarts Express – 5972 Olton Hall
Having already written a blog post about the official Thomas the Tank engine, I thought it was about time I put together a blog post about another famous steam engine from fiction. This is of course, no other than Harry Potter’s Hogwarts Express! Although named Hogwart’s Castle in the books and films, the locomotive that…
Loco Yard 