Spoke too soon on this one! We're now pretty sure it was test steamed once when new, then painted. It runs beautifully, but paint on front third of the boiler barrel has lifted in places forming small blisters - hasn't broken the surface, but would need some repainting to restore to the finish as seen here.
A beautifully built LNER A1/1 Pacific, one of the best we've seen, modelled on Thompson's rebuild of Gresley's first Pacific. This one appears to have been test steamed, possibly once, when new and not used since - mechanically it's as-new, boiler is in excellent condition.
Silver soldered superheated combustion chamber boiler, 80psi working pressure, feedby injector and axle pump with auxiliary hand pump in the tender. Gunmetal cylinders with slide valves actuated by Walschaert's gear, screw reverser in the cab. Divided drive with inside cylinder driving front axle, outside cylinders driving middle axle.
Machining is crisp throughout, fit and finish of the motion is excellent. Paintwork has been nicely done, brush painted and hand lined to a high standard. The engine runs as well as it looks - when not in use it's an ideal size to display somewhere prominent (in my office at the moment as it happens, replacing a rather good L1 that has sold recently).
Length
Locomotive 35 inches
Tender 20 inches
Boiler number | 6824 |
Builder | Unknown, non-commercial |
Date of manufacture | Unknown |
Construction | Silver soldered, combustion chamber type with superheaters |
Working pressure | 80psi |
Hydraulic test, test pressure/date tested | 160psi / 17-Dec-2015 |
Steam test | - |
gauge | 3 1/2 inch |
injector(s) | 1 |
boiler number | 6824 |
CE mark | n/a - non-commercial |
working pressure/psi | 90 |
boiler type | locomotive |
boiler material | copper |
boiler construction | silver soldered |
superheater(s) | 4 |
superheater type | flue tube |
fusible plug | no |
safety valve(s) | 2 |
safety valve type | pop |
mechanical pump | 1 |
hand pump | 1 |
whistle | yes |