West Bridgford Christmas Market

West Bridgford is hard by a well-known cricket ground in Nottingham. This year, there was a Christmas Market to co-incide with the switching-on of the Christmas Lights (thank goodness, they still celebrate Christmas and not some strange 'Winterval').

It had been arranged that the 2-foot gauge steam locomotive 'Sam' would make an appearance although not, sadly, in steam. Well, it took a lot of effort by a lot of people (thanks to all of them) but it happened. As the day wore on, more and more children came to visit 'Sam' and climb into the cab. 'Sam' had a big working headlight and a cheery face but the best part was being able to ring the bell! British steam engines didn't normally carry a bell but it's still mandatory even with modern diesels in some countries.

Malcolm and Anne Sales of Buttercross Photography were on hand to produce souvenir photographs - more details at Buttercross Photography.< /p>

There was a large Craft Fair organised by Alan Woolley. Alan revealed some details of Sam's Secret Fudge Mine. It appears that fudge is mined at a secret location and Sam is sometimes employed in drawing out the freshly-mined fudge. To prove the point, he had a model of the actual fudge mine (although its precise location remains a closely-guarded secret). On demand, a 'G' scale model of Sam would emerge from the mine entrance hauling a single wagon loaded with fudge. I tried the fudge, which was available in various flavours (presumably according to the strata it was extracted from) and confirm it was good. I'm sorry I couldn't photograph the model but Alan is anxious that the details of the mine remain secret.

More photographs of Sam's Big Day Out at West Bridgford.

Sam

'Phoenix' is a 2-foot gauge live steam locomotive built by Keith Watson and Keith Tingle in Australia in 2001. It has recently been imported into the U.K. and is currently undergoing engineering acceptance with a view to visiting suitable railways here.

I've been involved in standard gauge preservation for over twenty years but a few years ago I also joined the 2-foot gauge Derbyshire Dales Railway and these smaller gauges are starting to grow on me. I'm old enough to remember when most trains were steam trains and I think myself fortunate for that experience. But, as time goes on, people who remember these steam days become fewer. If the preservation movement is to continue, we need to bring in younger people with no direct experience of steam trains. Miniature railways and narrow-gauge lines are a good way of introducing younger children to the excitement of railways because, being smaller, the locomotives are less intimidating.

'Phoenix' is a locomotive with great character which appeals to adults and children alike. It's based on the small H.K. Porter design of contractors and mining locomotives built in large numbers in the United States in various sizes and various gauges. To make life easier for our younger friends, 'Phoenix' has been informally called 'Sam the Steam Engine', or simply 'Sam'.

You can find more photgraphs of 'Sam' at 'Phoenix'.