Out in the backwoods
 

OK Second attempt, not sure where the first went to so apologies if it should turn up unexpectedly.
This all started after I joined a French model railway group since I am building a Decauville steam loco for 45 mm gauge. One member is also a member of the 7/8 society and has posted some interesting photos of models (http://album.club-internet.fr/album/...ren&cid=678673)
hope that works. In conversation with Trev we have often joked about there being models of sheds, bus shelters and privvy on wheels and the models having been a bit of fun and as such appealed to rather warped senses of humour so imagine my surprise at finding photos of original 2 foot gauge locos (?) Some text was include and which I'll add more or less here.

The images can be found on pages 18 and 19 of "Logging Railroads of the West" by Kramer Adams. Obviously, the Basic Project Engine is not a scale model of either of these engines. However, the Basic Project Engine is faithful to the engineering intent of its full size predecessors. In other words, it is a flatcar converted to a locomotive utilizing blacksmith skills and any available power source (typically a vertical boiler and stationary engine). The project engine mentioned is very similar to those that hopefully can be seen at the earlier address. Now I'll attempt to attach the pictures which is where things went wrong earlier.
Think that is enough for now.
John (G)

I remember reading a while ago about a bloke who built a garden railway out of the oddest materials. For example, he used plastic curtain track as rails, pinned to home made sleepers. The loco's were all home made, using parts from Mamod steam engines, battery powered motor cars etc etc. None of the stock was in any way prototypical,but it all bore some resemblance to stock which just 'might' have run, possibly, at some time, maybe, in the past. And it was really interesting. He ran the system as a proper railway (a bit like the Sherwood Section of popular fame), but it was so slow he could actually walk alongside the trains and control them as he went along. I think that the article was in 'Model Railway Enthusiast'.

I like the idea of modelling something (such as a flatcar converted to a locomotive) for which there is no discernible prototype, but it's something that might have been possible. And something resembling a mobile privvy?...well, you never know!