Sold February 2007 Back to Archive

A largely complete jigsaw puzzle that will, one day, be a 5 inch gauge example of an early American 4-4-0 "The General". This one was bought as a kit from ModelWorks in 2005 and is about 90% complete.

Work to date comprises:

• Kit 1 - Frames complete and assembled
• Kit 2 - loco truck frame complete and assembled
• Kit 3 - tender truck frames complete and assembled
• Kit 4 - tender frames complete and assembled
• Kit 5 - driving wheel sets complete and assembled
• Kit 6 - loco and tender truck wheels complete and assembled
• Kit 7 - loco and tender suspension complete and assembled
• Kit 8 - (brakes) assembled on loco- 1 link and 1 shoe missing, not assembled on tender, complete except for handbrake shaft and handle missing
• Kit 9 - cylinders, complete and part assembled, valve chest tail rods missing
• Kit 10 - motion part assembled
• Kit 11 - smokebox assembled, lamp missing (available from Modelworks), cylinder drains missing, door hinge lugs missing, chimney internal baffle missing (available from Modelworks)
• Kit 12 - ashpan missing. Reverser complete and assembled.
• Kit13 - tender body missing the tender sides and floor and the handpump.
  The tender internals and brass angles etc are all there.
• Kit14 - boiler complete and certified
• Kit15 - lagging and cladding, firebox cladding is missing. Bell bracket is missing.
• Kit16 - boiler fittings. Regulator complete and assembled, smokebox fittings complete and largely assembled. Stuffing box and firehole door complete and assembled. Backhead fittings- check valve and water gauge complete.
• Kit 17 - cab and further fittings. Cab is complete and assembled apart from missing front spectacles. Crosshead pump complete and assembled. Lubricator - body only, no mechanism. Fittings - globe valves, safety valves etc - missing but readily available items
• Kit18 - cowcatcher complete and assembled. Handrails complete. Flagstaffs and rail missing for lamp bracket. Some simple pipework missing, name and works plates missing.

Complete with the set of original build instructions and drawings for many of the missing parts. Originally marketed at just under £5000, this engine had cost the original owner £3000 thus far. Although far from a weekend's work to finish, it is a practical proposition to complete - the missing parts are realatively few and in the main either easy to fabricate or fittings and standard parts which can be sourced from a variety of suppliers.

Overall length (including tender) 46 inches
Weight complete 100 pounds