As with any railway, some of the loco fleet at Apedale are the stars, whereas some lurk in the corners, waiting with hope that one day their moment in the limelight will come. Just briefly this weekend, two of the lurkers thought that Simon Cowell had finally discovered them (on the new "Britain's Got Narrow Gauge Diesels" talent show). As part of a site shift around, one of the storage containers had to be emptied of its residents. One of these was the very unusual Motor Rail 5821. The vast majority of Motor Rails are fitted with Dorman engines - but 5821 is a little different. It has a mighty 16hp Ailsa Craig RFS2 engine at its heart. Despite which, it actually runs quite well. The cab is a little aesthetically challenged, and would provoke panic attacks amongst the claustrophobically inclined. Somewhat predictably, a certain steam loco just HAD to sneak into the background of the photo - just like an annoying sibling, really.Meanwhile, Lister Blackstone 52610 also had an outing; it has been sulking since a minor accident damaged its sandpipes, but a very kind donation of some very nice original replacements meant it could be made a Happy Lister again. The ones which were damaged were home made, so the loco has also climbed a little up the Authenticity Ratings. A big thank you to Pete and Andrew Briddon for their assistance with this. As ever, get in touch with us here.
