Sold July 2021 Back to Archive

Steaming a brand new locomotive for the first time is always something of a special occasion, and this one certainly didn't disappoint. In steam for a couple of hours on Friday, it ran beautifully "out of the box" - a powerful engine with crisp exhaust beats, it notches up readily running in either direction - there's some video of it here.

A 7 1/4 inch gauge LNER B1; built to Martin Evans' "Roedeer" design the engine is in "ex-works" condition, steamed once from new.

The work of a highly experienced engineer who built more than twenty locomotives over a forty year period, from a 2 1/2 inch gauge "Dyak" through 5 inch gauge Pacifics up to his magnum opus, the 7 1/4 inch gauge LNER A4 "Sir Nigel Gresley".

Often working on two more more models at once, the B1 was one of the last on his bench, along with a fine 7 1/4 inch gauge Liverpool & Manchester "Lion" and well-advanced Britannia.

The engine has been built to a good standard throughout - fit and finish of the motionwork and valve gear is excellent, links are bronze-bushed and secured with pinned castellated nuts.

The copper boiler is a commercially built job by Kingswood, supplied new in 2001 and silver soldered throughout, complete with original manufacturer's test certificate. Since arriving with us the boiler has had a repeat hydraulic test at 150psi for 100psi working pressure, with new certification issued.