This year we were positioned in the yard at Washford Station. Even though the yard surface was made of a mixture of ballast and scalpings, and criss-crossed with sidings, the tanks ran without fault and entertained passing train passengers and those who chose to join leave the train at this station.
In the evening, WSR hold a dance on the station at Minehead, and run special services along the line for those wishing to attend. As pretty much everyone else had made the effort to attend in Forties attire, we decided to just have a couple of pints in Watchett whilst waiting for the outbound train, then headed into Minehead for a slap up meal in town.
On our return, we posed by the Cobbaton Collection's T-34/85.
We did discover a problem with setting out in the glorious sunshine - it get's pretty cold at night in the middle of September
, hence the hands in pockets. Even David, who had had the sense to wear a hoodie, seems to be keeping his extremities warm.Fortunately, the WSR provided a 70 ton radiator for us on the platform, in the shape of GWR locomotive 7822 "Foxcote Manor":
More fun was had this morning at breakfast, when Denny spotted possible treasure 'lost' behind the radiator in the hotel:
It turned out to be a walking stick, but after watching Denny and the landlady struggling with it for what seemed like ages, it took a proper engineer (
) to work out how to extract it. Of course, he'll always swear blind that he loosened it first 
Plans are already afoot for a bigger and better display next year, as it seems the tanks have made quite an impression with the public and the organisers, so the hotel rooms are already booked.
Thanks to Denny for organising it all, and to Holger and David for the company and refreshments. Photos also generously provided by Holger.
Adrian.