Thankyou to all of you who came to the open afternoon and made it such a great success. Special thanks to Peter, who helped enormously with the setting up and operating, and to Lesley for the delicious cake.

Firstly, I had to make sure that everyone could find their way to the trains:

Then I had to make sure I looked the part (thanks, Sam & Annika, for the cap):

Peter had made several new items using a laser cutter, which adorned both stations:

Not forgetting proper safety precautions:

Twenty-five people attended the open afternoon; the garden was all set up to accommodate them:

The paper trail shows the long term track plan:

Once the guests arrived, the trains started running:

As you can see, some of the rolling stock was eminently edible and drinkable.

As well as watching the train go by, visitors could also sign up to be a engine driver:

There was a quiz on British Railway trivia:

There was also a competition to make the most appropriate or amusing anagram of AUERBACH AND DISTRICT LIGHT RAILWAY. Here are a couple of entries:

and the following poem:

The train also provided a drinks service. Orders were placed via small cards which were placed in the trucks:

The order was assembled by the load master, and then delivered to the guest:

Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, and we also managed to raise €60 for charity.

The open afternoon will definitely be repeated next year – and that will also be a big incentive to further track building around the garden.