The ‘Ginny’ is based on one of the two G(23) Stock cars (Nos 4167 and 4176) converted in 1938/9 to allow driving from both ends.
These operated the District Railway shuttle service between Acton Town and South Acton until the closure of the latter in 1959, when both cars were scrapped. (The series was introduced in 1923 as ‘G’ class, but became ‘Q23’ class upon modification. The two single cars were not classified ‘Q…,’ but as G(23) instead.)
This service was known as the ‘Ginny’, the ‘Tea Run’ or ‘There and back while the kettle boils’. The short journey time and tight turnaround at South Acton meant you could put a kettle on the fire when leaving Acton Town and be back just as it came to the boil.
The Model
Also built by Fred Blois, the 7¼” gauge single car ‘Ginny’ was bought by Daniel and Adrian at the same time as the Little Red Train.
Fred only got as far as the body, chassis and bogie frames, and work to fit wheels, motors and control equipment has subsequently been completed.
Like the LRT, it uses 12V leisure batteries for power, with 4 axle-hung motors, a 4QD motor controller and plug-in hand unit.
In 2018, Adrian’s share was also sold to Daniel and Andrea and it is now permanently resident at the Phoenix Hill Railway.
Additional work is required to the wheelsets before it can run regularly