"The Märklin start set" in the hills of Limburg

 Today we had the first invitation for a steam meeting in this Corona year.
The Netherlands is easing a bit on the Covid-19 lockdown rules. 

Not a real steam event as normal at Stoomgroep Limburg, but a small-scale version of the event.
Some people were invited to come and run their locomotives.
The atmosphere was as usual very friendly and  the weather was lovely. 

We visited this track many times before, with my  3½" 'Mona' and 5" 'Didcot', this was the first time with T3 alias Märklin start set 😊

 2013                                                     2017  

The beer wagon for the first time in use as intended. All the stuff for a day at the track could be nicely stored.  Even our home packed lunch and a few cans of cooled beer found space in the wagon.

The complete train set is too long to stand in one of the steaming bays. 

At the station some interest in the black stuff: Coal.  The track of Stoomgroep Limburg in Brunssum is situated in the former mining area of Limburg, and a lot members of the public know their history or are former mine workers themselves. 

Ready for the first lap.

It's a lovey track with some steep gradients....

.... and even a real tunnel.

Click here for a video at the bridge (By Boudewijn Dingemans)

Even for 5" locos this is a very fine track.

27th June 2021 the real Württembergische T3 made its first appearance in the new black-grey livery.

In Germany (Münsingen) the locomotive is now painted in the same RAL 7021 Schwartz-Grau colour as my model. 

The Schwäbische Alb Bahn contacted me about the livery of my model and which sources

 I used to determine the colour. I pointed them to the websites and books I've found and they

 decided to use the black-grey livery as well. 

So in this case the model of the loco is the example for the real one. The extra windows in the cab front are now also incorporated on the real loco. 

With the kind permission of  Manuel Walker, I  hereby publish the photos of the T3.