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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. |