Sold September 2014 Back to Archive

The work of a talented professional engineer, he was also responsible for several other particularly good 5 inch gauge engines, including the Great Western 4-6-0 "Saint George" (which, by one of those strange coincidences, arrived back at our workshop last week on the same day as this one - we'd last sold it back in 2010), Great Northern Atlantic, LNER A3 "Sceptre", a Great Western King built to commission and a Great Western Pannier tank.

Silver soldered copper boiler, 100 psi working pressure, four element radiant superheaters, feed by twin injectors with hand pump in the tender. Cast iron cylinders with piston valves actuated by Deeley gear with screw reverser in the cab, complete with locking lever. Sight feed lubricator.

The engine was completed in 1996, the boiler had its initial twice working pressure test at the builder's club, who issued a certificate for same (the boiler inspector was actually the man responsible for the superb "Princess of Wales" currently listed). The engine was then steamed once, up on blocks to check valve events, after which it was displayed on a stand in the builder's hall - it's been there ever since.

Apart from some light sooting in the firebox and smokebox, the engine is in ex-works condition, mechanically as new. On air it runs well with well cut off, dead square beats - there's a clip of it running in the workshop this afternoon here.