Puffa

## Owner

Mike Whitehouse

Puffa is a small battery powered tank engine that operates the station yards and the old mine display at the Model Engineers Society. It is owned by Mike Whitehouse.

## Bio

A commercial made item, Puffa arrived at the railway in March 2010 and was put through its paces as a shunter. While it is not essential to have a shunter on a miniature railway, the MES find Puffa's role to be quite charming and somewhat prototypical. Although the engine is smaller than the rest of the loco stock, Puffa carries out it's work without issue, arranging coach stock and demonstration trains for the public to board or view.

To ensure it fitted in with the rest of the loco fleet, Whitehouse installed a sound box that plays authentic steam sounds as well as a loud whistle. There were times when the engine was seen as a bit of a joke and for a while was known to some members of staff as the 'Mite of the Yards', however these jokes are often said in hush tones for word easily spreads and it wouldn't be long before Whitehouse gets wind of it.

It wasn't until 2011 that Puffa would be part of the passenger runs. With it being a quick to get ready engine, it is the first to take the first set of passenger trains before the main locos can take over. This allows Whitehouse to do a full track inspection of the line and to ensure that all coach stock is running well before being handed over for the regular steam operations.

In 2014, Whitehouse and Puffa were assigned to work the Old Mine display line near Bog Halt. It is here where the society keeps most of its rolling stock whenever room is unavailable in the carriage sheds, in a series of hidden sidings underneath the grounds of the railway. Because of the small clearance within the tunnels, and no vents for smoke to escape, only Puffa is allowed to travel in these tunnels.

Puffa is one of the few engines on the railway to have several accidents. These accidents are mostly down to the loco's build while others are down to the carelessness of young drivers.

Puffa still operates the railway to this day and although it may look small compared to the other engines, it is welcomed as a member of the fleet by all the hard work it undergoes.

## Livery

Puffa is painted in Plasticote Nut Brown with yellow lining. It also has the number 100 and has the letters LBSC on its tanks. Its side rods are are painted signal red.

## Trivia

* Puffa is one of the 0-4-0 battery powered steam engines from the miniature railway firm, Compass House Models.
* It is named after a character in the TV series TUGS.
* In the series, Puffa's whistle is a Desert 5 Chime Whistle powered by compressed air. But in real life the whistle is an electronic whistle from a sound box. A new one is being looked at to be fitted.
* In the stories, Puffa is referred to as a 'He'
* Puffa makes it's debut into the stories in 'On the Railways'
* The livery is based off that of the London Brighton and South Coast Railway. But it's also based off a Hornby model of a Billington Class E2 Tank Engine. While discussing the livery, the manufacture stated that the choice of colour was different to the choice of colour they usually paint these engines, which was blue.
* In the very early days of planning the series, Puffa was originally going to be painted in early BR Black livery.
* Although Puffa is stated to have arrived at the railway in 2010, the Real Puffa didn't arrive until 2012. For a while it operated at Drumawhey Junction before being transferred to the MES in 2014. This was due to the track at Drumawhey to be more corse which resulted in some derailments to occur. Once running on MES rails, the engine had no issues.