SCRATCHBUILDING AT TWELVE INCHES TO THE FOOT.

Great Britain is observing the bicentennial of the railways, and how better to celebrate than to roll out a stable of steam locomotives all built in the 21^st century?

That lineup entertained visitors at Bluebell Railway as the summer tourist season wound down.  Left to right, Southern Region Atlantic 32424 Beachy Head, built 1911, extensive restorations completed in August 2024; Northeastern Region Pacific 60163 Tornado, numbered one higher than any of the original Peppercorn Pacifics, completed in 2008; Great Western or Western Region 4-6-0 6880 Betton Grange, numbered one higher than any of the original Granges, assembled out of Swindon standard parts and first steamed in April 2024; Great Western or Western Region 4-6-0 2999 Lady of Legend, numbered one higher than any of the original Saints or Courts, reverse-kitbashed out of 4973 Maindy Hall (another of the Hall series, 5972 Olton Hall, stars as Hogwarts Castle in the movies, to the annoyance of Great Western enthusiasts) and in steam from 2020.  The whistle on Lady of Legend is off 2910 Lady of Shalott.

There's something about a steamer, even one without cowcatcher, bell, or Mars light, that continues to entertain children of all ages, including seventyish children.  Yes, the British have a few of their unusual diesels still operating in preservation, as do we Stateside, and yes, a pair of Alco PA-1 passenger cab units might be returning to excursion service, and we're still awaiting the Mark Twain Zephyr.  But a scratch build of a Baldwin Centipede or a Fairbanks-Morse Erie-Built seems unlikely.