A creepy mannequin of a child has been discovered on a train carriage holding a can of cider. The dummy, representing a World War II evacuee named Annie, disappeared from her usual spot beside her mother at Blue Anchor station during a railway gala in Somerset. She was later located in a carriage at Minehead station, clutching a can of Thatchers Haze.
Station Master's Reaction
Blue Anchor's station master, Robin Whichard, commented: 'She seems absolutely unfazed by her condition and mum doesn't seem to have noticed, so no harm done.' The mannequins were previously displayed at the STEAM museum in Swindon, Wiltshire, but were 'evacuated' to the station last year.
The Disappearance
The museum believes Annie was taken by a 'group of lads' on a stag do, who managed to sneak her out without being spotted during the railway's 'very busy' Diesel Gala. Although Annie is a beloved fixture at the station, staff hadn't noticed she was missing until she reappeared five miles away with a cider can in hand.
'We didn't know anything about it until we got a call from staff at Minehead station asking if we'd mislaid Annie,' said Whichard. 'Because she'd turned up in a carriage with a can of cider in her hand.'
Shock and Return
Seeing Annie in that state gave staff a shock. 'Given her inebriated state, they put her in a wheelchair and delivered her back on the next train,' Whichard added. 'We're glad to have her back even if we didn't realise she had gone.'
About the Diesel Gala
The Diesel Gala sees the station run a busy schedule featuring several steam locomotives every summer, and this year ran from June 4 to 7. The trains cover a 20-mile route, taking in museums and model railway displays along the way.
