"(Un) Happy Knight"

While researching and writing new stories for my books, I came across on an internet forum an absolutely beautiful photograph from the late 1940s. For copyright reasons and with respect to the owner of the photograph, I won't reproduce it here, but the photograph was screaming out to be developed as children's story (and indeed, on the forum one user commented rather favourably in this vein).

The photograph concerned showed British Railways A2 Pacific Happy Knight on a train going through Grantham station. There on the bufferbeam, in small Gill Sans lettering under its number are the immortal words "Copley Hill", for it was allocated to Leeds Copley Hill in the late 40s. The Peppercorn A2s left in 1949 and 1950 and were allocated further up north, mostly in the Scottish region, thereafter.

The idea of Happy Knight being an unhappy knight - and as to why - perhaps tying into, as suggested, "why that name" (it was named after a racehorse in reality), and perhaps playing on it somewhat to induce a moralistic story, appeals greatly.

Plus, it's another excuse to add one of those fabulous single chimney Peppercorn A2 Bachmann models to my ever growing collection, one day!

Until next time.