A "neighbour" of mine (well, a couple of miles away, but it counts) is a fascinating man called Bob Symes (real name: Robert Alexander Baron Schutzmann von Schutzmansdorff).
To have a quick summary of the man, check
his Wikipedia page.
As you can perhaps tell from that, he's passionate about trains (and engineering in general). A few times a year he hosts an event in the grounds of his beautiful house, nestled among the forests of the Surrey hills, where he runs his 1 Gauge railway to raise funds for Children in Need: tea, coffee and home-made cakes can be had while enjoying a ride around the garden on a steam train.
He also has a smaller gauge layout where people can bring their own trains, and enjoy shunting up and down the tracks all day.
All in all, they're great days, and next time I know one is being held I'll post details here.
He's also selling his amazing house (trains and track not included!) to move to Wales. If you're interested (and it's a truly beautiful three bedroom traditional Surrey house with outbuildings and woodland) then let me know and I'll forward on details.
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| The diesel One Gauge. |
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| Signals! |
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| Some of the small trains are real steam engines. I was very impressed by that. |
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| Most are built from scratch by their owners. |
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| Bob Symes. |
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| Bob at the controls, with passengers (including his wife at the back). |
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| With his "Fat Controller" hat. |
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| Coming around the bend.. |
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| Tea and cake. |
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| Everybody gets a turn at driving! |
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| Fun for all. |
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| Can you outrun the trains? |
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| So glad those dogs have safety jackets on.. |
