Sold January 2012 Back to Archive

I cant remember the last time I had this much fun with a steam wagon, in any scale.

A four inch scale wagon, freelance construction underneath but worked up to resemble a Sentinel on the outside. Its by no means an exhibition piece, however the ingenuity of engineering in its construction and the sheer driveability of the thing are remarkable.

Steel vertical boiler with expanded tubes, working pressure 175psi. Feed by twin crosshead pumps, backed up by a substantial double-acting hand pump. Nabic safety valve.

Engine is constructed around a substantial pair of locomotive-type slide valve cylinders in cast iron, driving an overhung crankshaft. Drive by chain to an Albion three speed gearbox more usually seen in ancient British motorbikes then by another chain to the rear axle. Given the engine has a reverser, this gives three speeds both forward and backwards, which is quite entertaining.

The engine steams freely and pulls well the previous owner recently completed a twelve mile road run with it, which from my own experience seems not only feasible but likely to be enjoyable. The wagon is fitted with a powerful hydraulic foot brake, the regulator is coupled up to a matching pedal on the other side (although you need to remember its brake on the right, accelerator on the left, not like your car).

Theres a short video of yours truly running around the estate last week on the thing I rather like the way your legs hang out the bottom, Fred Flintstone-style.

Length 91 inches