Shane (Starlight Express) and Phil (Lord Darby) took the 4″ Burrells up to Waihi Beach about 40 mins north of Tauranga for a run around the streets. A number of club members took their smaller scale engines up there along with a couple of classic cars and bikes.
The weather was crisp but otherwise outstanding. I even saw the sunscreen being applied. The two engines were steamed up and off they went. You want to stop a town, just drive a couple of traction engines through the main street. Off to the next destination being a well known local coffee shop called the Flat White Cafe, a stop was made to re fuel. When Phil went to move off, lots of power from the engine but no motion. As he wasn’t sitting in a cloud of white tyre smoke, there had to be something wrong. Some bolts in the drive train had sheared. Thanks to a kind local who loaned us a tow rope, we headed for the cafe. Our arrival emptied it out in minutes and it was a mission to get enough space to take photos. Loaded Lord Darby into its trailer and back to base for a BBQ.
