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Bing 130/466 stationary engine

c1915




This engine has taken over from the Bowman M101 as being the largest in my collection. The boiler is 185mm long by 70mm diameter, the base is 350 x 320mm and the top of the chimney is 480mm high.

The boiler is fitted with both a glass water gauge and a try-cock; unusual in a toy engine. The safety valve is a weighted lever type which would probably not be allowed on a modern engine. The steam feed pipe goes from a boiler mounted throttle to the top of the cylinder valve chest, with an in-line lubricator. As acquired, the pipe was lagged but this was almost certainly not original and I have removed the lagging. (The lagging was asbestos and not considered safe nowadays, anyway.)

I don't know the dimensions of the cylinder because it's not easily dismantleable, but it's stroke is 20mm with a bore of about 18mm. The cylinder is double acting with a slide valve controlled by a slip eccentric. The valve is an interesting design with shaped grooves cut into the sliding part, aligning with simple ports on the cylinder block.

The base is a substantial affair with a lithographed or screen printed tile-effect finish. There is a bottom plate covering all the mounting screws etc.

As acquired, the boiler was corroded in places and had a bodge repair to one end. It still has a few small dents in it. One of the screws in the sight glass fitting was missing and I had to have one made because it's an unusual thread. It was sealed with some gunk, which I replaced with a couple of O rings. The whistle was jammed solid but that freed fairly easily with vinegar. I have repainted everything except the base, which I have left as-is. The burner and firebox door are missing and oiler cap is not original, and if anybody knows of a source for replacements, I'd appreciate the info. The bottom photo on the left shows the engine as it was when I acquired it.

In general, this is a well built engine and was probably fairly expensive in it's day.