G3 AGM haul - and a near miss

 

Now, I really don't need any more model trains, but the law states that when going to a show, you have to buy something. So, I bought the cheapest thing on the second-hand stall - a brass bucket. 

It's a really nice brass bucket too. One I'm sure I can find a use for on a 16mm scale steam engine. 

However, it could have been so different. I mentioned that I deliberately arrived late. Had I been there when the doors opened, this would have given me a problem. 

A Gauge 3, coal-fired Garratt. The industrial one. And, I'm told it was a runner. 

For £1500

Fortunately, and unsurprisingly, it was sold before I saw it. This is a very good thing, as I would have mithered a lot about this model.  

Pros: 

• It's my favourite standard gauge prototype. 
• £1500 is not a lot of money, for a lot of loco.
  
• I'll never have the chance to own such a thing again, and you mainly regret the things you don't do, or so they say.
• While a little scruffy, it looked great. 
• Coal firing is fashionable, and I own a bag of suitable Welsh nuggets. 

Cons: 

1. £1500 is a lot of money, to me at least. An awful lot to lash out on a whim. It would more than cover my Isle of Man trip planned for later this year.
2. I have nowhere to run such a thing, and don't even know of a G3 line of any length. 
3. Coal firing is tricky. I struggled to get coal into the firebox of a real loco, scale the hole down, and I'm really going to struggle. 
4. If there is a problem with it, I don't really have the skills to fix anything serious. 
5. I have enough model trains. More than enough.  

I'm honestly not sure what I would have done. As it was, I was third in the queue behind the buyer, and someone else I know who has quite a collection already, so I was probably saved the pondering. But ponder I certainly would have...