Hello Big Boy

Stood on the platform, former lettuce plant fancier Dizzy Lizzie accompanied by the darling of the butter blending department at the local dairy, Deidre Dinkle, have heard there’s a ‘Big Boy’ passing through, so have popped down to the station expecting to find a tanned muscular chap showing off his well toned body and 7 pack pushing wagons around the goods yard single handed. 

However, they are surprised to learn it’s the trial run of the new BR Standard ‘Big Boy’ Class 11 mixed traffic  2-8-4-6-4-2-8-6-9-4-4-4-6-8-10-12-14-0-2-2-2-6-8-4-9 wheel arrangement  locomotive - not quite the ‘big boy’ they were expecting. But even though the girls are not really in to railways, they look suitably impressed at magnificent hot sweaty pulsating beast pushing past them. 

Based on a design from the USA, the almost gargantuan locomotive has been adapted for Little Britain and shrunk to around 7/8th of the original locomotive size - so rather than being gargantuan, is simply ‘rather big’. This is to allow it to fit within the Little British Railways loading gauge, because those Victorians like today, went for the cheaper option - smaller basically. 

Celebrated photographer, Ivan Locksmith has arrived with his trusty camera to record the event accompanied by Terry Tuttle-Thomas-Smythe. They’ve both been for a race having chased the beast all the way from Bournemouth West through the narrow lanes of Dorset & Somerset. 

Thank you Kernow Model Rail Centre for allowing me to be a temporary custodian of the loco. 

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