It Works!!!!

I got some more time on track laying today and also wired up a controller for test purposes. I gingerly got a loco and some 4 wheel coaches out and turned the regulator... 'Puffer' strolled away with five coaches so I backed it down the hill and added another five. Off it went, starting away with no real problems, where the gradient eases for the tight curve the train sped up slightly and then slowed down again on the long drag to the top. With a bit of slipping 'Puffer' got the set to the summit. Next I tried bogie coaches and adding them two at a time I got up to ten short bogie coaches up the hill.

Later on I tried a couple of different locos, 'Puffer'is a 4 wheel Fleischmann chassis and handled more than I thought would be possible so I tried one of the new KATO shorty powered double Fairlies. I started with six carrs... the train set off backwards with the coaches dragging the static loco down the grade, hopeless. Next I tried 'Doris' which is a hefty whitemetal 0-6-0 on a modern Minitrix chassis, no problem with all ten and at a realistic scale speed. The Fairlies need a load more weight in them to be any use on the main line, they look lovely and will be great on the Underhill branch but I'd like to use them from Port Lucy to St Ruth too.

After playing trains for a bit I started work laying the track for the station loop but ran out of time. I'm very pleased the trains can drag themselves up the gradient and this means I can now crack on with scenery and finishing off the station throat at St Ruth.