A whilel back my own society's round-robin system made vague mentions of a loco on a garden in Weymouth, but no-one was sure what, why and where. I think I found it again this morning – at Weymouth Community Hospital.
Emerging duly boosted from the Pestilence Prick clinic there I found myself in a small, rather charmingly eccentric garden I'd never previously known existed.
In the centre was this – and I apologise for the rather poor photo, as I had only a low-cost portable 'phone with nondescript internal camera, in my wobbly hands.
I'm no expert on loco classes but I recognised the resin-cast model as generically LNER (A-series?) even before seeing the letters LNER embossed on the tender sides. Long way from King's Cross though, on Southern Railway metals as the route board proclaims… well, in this case wood on garden-slate ballast, amid 'Astroturf' .
Scale? Well, very roughly 4" gauge, estimated by eye.
I have no idea of its history, including why it model happens to be here, but the hospital is rich in donated artwork.
At least it won't need a boiler test!
