Sold June 2004 Back to Archive

A brand new, 3 inch scale Burrell 6nhp agricultural traction engine, built to the Plastow design by a retired professional engineer. In recent years, his output has included:

• A very fine Stuart triple expansion engine

• Virtually every other Stuart engine catalogued (including the Major beam)

• Two 1 1/2 inch Allchins to Hughes' "Royal Chester" design, one a silver medal winner at the Model Engineer Exhibition

• A superb 2 inch Burrell Showmans tractor, exhibition quality and winner of the Aveling Barford Trophy at the Model Engineer Exhibition

• Two three inch scale Burrells, one completed six years ago and this one, fresh from the workshop

Silver-soldered copper boiler, feed by injector and mechanical pump with bypass. Twin pop-action safety valves with dummy Ramsbottom-type valve fitted over the top. Water lifter fitted to tender. Single cylinder engine with slide valve actuated by Stephensons valve gear, pole reverser on footplate. Mechanical lubricator. Drain cocks rod actuated from footplate.

Two speed road gears, with winch and differential mounted inboard of the nearside rear wheel.

The engine has a host of nice detailing and practical modifications as a result of the builder's experience with his first engine. The rather inaccessible blowdown on the back of the foundation ring has been plumbed round to the side. The ever-dribbling Ramsbottom safety valves have modern pop valves hidden beneath the chimneys - these give reliable closing and can be adjusted from the outside with the engine in steam (and a tool is provided for the job). The smokebox door has an internal baffle plate, with insulation between inner and outer plates - the outer door stays cooler and the paint stays on.

There are minor jobs remaining - the cladding is made and needs fitting with insulation beneath - the brass bands are included. The gear guards require screwing on, the complete governor is ready to fit and the wooden running board needs attaching to its brackets on the boiler. I would judge it at comfortably less than a weekend's work - there is nothing to make, it is simply a "screwing bits on" job. A complete set of drawings is included.

The engine is ready for steam test, although ideally it should be painted first. I make no comment on the quality of workmanship, the man's track record and the photographs speak, I hope, for themselves.

The builder, about to start his ninth decade is, happily, still toiling in the workshop...

Length 48 inches
Weight 250 pounds