The Wilesco fire engine was introduced in 1987 and is based on an early type; typical of late 19th or early 20th century. It has a steam engine which can drive the wheels or a water pump.
The vertical boiler has a single flue and an Esbit burner. It is 80mm diameter x 120mm high. It has a long thin window type sight glass, covering most of the hight of the boiler. It has a safety valve and a spring type whistle. Steam is fed, via an in-line steam throttle, to the steam chest. The cylinder is a double acting piston valve with slip eccentric reversing. It is 9.5mm bore x 16mm stroke. It is mounted on a cast alloy frame. The crank shaft has a large flywheel, approx 75mm diameter, and a small pinnion gear. By means of a lever, the gear can be made to mesh with a larger gear on the pump or a larger gear still for driving the rear wheel. The pump is a rotary type mounted on the side of the chassis. Water is stored in a tank under the driver's seat. There are two reels on the back of the engine, containing a synthetic rubber hose and an extension, which can be connected to the output of the pump. The off-side rear wheel is driven via a two stage reduction; a gear stage and a chain final drive. Steering is done by a wheel at the driver's seat, via a rather clever gear and cam arrangement. As acquired, there were several parts missing; some essential and some cosmetic. The cylinder cover was missing along with the oiler. I had a spare cover and oiler to hand. The oiler had been broken off so that a new one couldn't be simply screwed in. Fortunately, I was able to drill out the broken remains. The rotating part of the in-line steam throttle was missing, which had to be sourced. The new part didn't fit into the old body so I had to replace the whole valve. Unfortunately, the new replacement is a plastic one whereas the original was metal. The drip tray was missing, which is not essential but not cosmetic either, so I bought a new one. Cosmetic parts missing included the two head lamps and the chimney cowling. I bought two new head lamps but the chimney cowling is still missing. The bell was present but it's hanging bracket was missing. This is, however, just a simple bent wire so could be made easily.| Make | Wilesco |
| Model | D305 |
| Made | 1987? |
| Description | Fire Engine |
| Cylinders | 1 |
| Cylinder Type | double acting reversible |
| Piston Diam mm | 9.5 |
| Stroke mm | 16 |
| Valve Type | piston |
| Boiler Type | Vertical with single flue |
| Fuel | Tablets |
| Mechanical Condition | Good |
| Cosmetic Condition | Fair |
| Paintwork | Original |
| Packaging | |
| Purchased | 1/6/2016 |
| Purchase cost | £154.50 |
| Additional spend | £22.30 |