Sold April 2006 Back to Archive

Every now and again a part-built project comes in that's so good I want to carry on with it myself (last time it happened was an excellent 4 inch scale Burrell a couple of years ago, a well-advanced project that was crying out to be completed - I spent a happy summer pottering about in the workshop with it). This engine falls firmly into that category, the result of eight years work and a considerable amount of expense - it's a large three inch scale engine built to MJ Engineering's design for the Fowler A7. It makes up into a handsome machine - to give some idea of the size I've included a couple of pictures of it next to a 3 inch scale Burrell. Even without rubber tyres on the Fowler towers above the Burell, it's about the same length and weight already even without gears and tender.

Work thus far is to an excellent standard and comprises:

• New Franklin & Bell boiler, steel with expanded tubes, complete with all paperwork. Firehole door fitted.

• Hornplates complete and fitted, with steering gear brackets

• Smokebox, chimney, smokebox door with locking handles, perch bracket, spud pan and front axle

• Front and rear wheels, part machined rear axle, set hub caps

• Cylinder block machined, complete with end covers, regulator cover, valve chest cover, spun front cover cladding, cylinder block cladding

• Connecting rod and big end assembly machined

• Crankshaft machined, keyed for eccentrics, governor pulley, flywheel and gear

• Second shaft machined complete with splines, fitted

• Main, second, third shaft and rear axle bearings fitted

• Piston, rod, guide bars and crosshead machined

• Motion work including expansion link & die block, eccentric straps and sheaves, weighshaft, lifting arm and reversing lever

• Weighshaft bracket machined, valve spindle lubricator fitted

• Whistle, part machined safety valves and governor

• Road gear selector lever, fork and locking pin complete

• Steering wheel, shaft and worm gear, chain shaft fitted in hornplates, complete with worm wheel

• Assorted small parts including boiler fittings, pressure gauge, dummy manhole bridges etc

• Set Fowler works plates for smokebox door

• Fairleads, handrail, access covers, drawbar pins and water pocket for tender

Work to complete includes:

• Set of gearing

• Gear guards

• Boiler lagging

• Ashpan and grate

• Flywheel

• Eccentric rods

There is a large quantity of paperwork with the engine, including a full set of drawings, MJ Engineering's detailed build manual, photocopies from original Fowler works catalogues and many photographs of preserved examples of the engine. I would put the engine at 75% complete - whilst there is still a good bit of time required in the workshop, the engine could be completed for little extra expenditure.

Rear wheel 18 inch diameter
Front wheel 11 1/2 inch diameter
Height 34 1/2 inches
Length 45 inches currently, without tender