Big in Japan?

It's that time of the year again - the time so beloved of our friends in Japan - the season of Cherry Blossom. At the Ness Garden Railway it's a vital time of the year for generating tourist revenue - the famous pink snow specials are a huge draw and not surprising really when you look at this dusk-tide picture, with the line barely visible under the layer of pink snow....



















This however the Directors are up in arms - the lack of foresight on behalf of the operating department has led to a severe shortage of motive power - in fact the only locomotive even vaguely serviceable to handle this important traffic was little "Palmer" - the Ruston!
Lucrative tourist trains were canceled and many customers went home feeling disgruntled.




















The staff weren't too impressed at this either - this is the underside of "Palmer" after only afew minutes running.... That pink snow gets everywhere.





















Much overtime (unpaid) has resulted in "Jack Tawes" being made ready for tomorrow's services (Blocked gas jet and stuck regulator!) - The Directors are anxiously checking the seaweed for signs of rain.....