Another Little Tank Engine

Won on ebay for a very reasonable price mainly because it is an unboxed hybrid. It consists of a Wrenn 0-6-0T body in Southern Railways livery on a HD chassis. This HD model was one of the early two rail engines and was never made as a three rail version. The HD versions came in black and Green, Wrenn added many more liveries including Southern and LMS. The prototype was a Southern engine and was used extensively. They ended their days pulling and pushing coaches down to and up from Folkestone Harbour. Sometimes triple headed and with a banker behind to get up the steep gradient from the harbour. Very hard to duplicate in HD.
The conversion to three rail uses a Marklin skid which is shorter than the normal engine ones and probably comes from a carriage lighting kit. This lack of length does mean a little faltering at some points but not a problem. It has been treated with the magic blob so that all 6 wheels return the current to earth.

I think that this is the same problem that the Gaiety 0-6-0PT exhibits as this stutters at exactly the same points and this also has a pick up which is shorter than the HD standard ones. I will continue to look for more interesting little engines as they were the backbone of Britains rail network. Although it is nice to have the large express locos but in reality most of the network consisted of these little engines pulling a couple of carriages or small freight workings, wandering leisurely through the countryside or on the commuter runs into the larger towns outside of London.

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