Sold April 2003 Back to Archive

1 1/2 inch scale Allchin "Royal Chester" - stock code 1977

A well-made Allchin traction engine to the W.J.Hughes design for "Royal Chester". Widely-regarded as the first close-to-scale drawings produced for a model traction engine, Hughes had access to the full-size engine in the 1950s (an engine now in preservation) and produced a highly detailed design which remains extremely faithful to the original. Written up in the "Model Engineer", Hughes subsequently published the construction articles as a book which is still available.

Although often tackled by newcomers to model engineering attracted by its modest size, the design calls for a considerable amount of experience to build successfully, both in the ability to tackle complex individual parts and also to cope with the sheer quantity of bits - basically if it was on the original engine, it appears on the model. As a result of this, we see a good number of Allchins which are not all they could be(!).

This model was built in the 1970s by a professional machinist who built several other models, including a very good Stuart Beam and No.9 which we sold recently.

Copper boiler, feed by mechanical pump on the second shaft and injector. Three cock water gauge with blowdown, pressure gauge. Two speed with differential and back axle-mounted winch. Mechanical lubricator for cylinder with drain cocks operated from footplate.

The engine steams well and runs very nicely in both directions. Some work will be required, including servicing the lubricator, pump and injector as the engine has not been used in many years.

The engine comes complete with a full set of drawings and electric steam raising blower.

Length 26 inches
Height 17 inches
Weight approx 80 pounds

scale 1 1/2 inch & smaller