Sold February 2005 Back to Archive

Underneath the grime here is a nicely made old B1 trying to get out. It ran for some years on a private garden railway and was in the process of being stripped for a repaint when the owner died. Left in that state in a garage, it gently seized up, after which attempts were made to strip it a little more to get it free again, at which point it has been left.

The engine was originally rather finely made, well machined and correctly fluted motion work and a neatly fitted backhead. The copper boiler is all silver-soldered with superheaters, feed by twin injectors and a handpump in the tender. Various bits and pieces have gone missing during its period of inactivity including some bits of the handpump, one cylinder end cover, lubricator lid, one pin from the nearside union link, smokebox door handles, pressure gauge and footplate.

The engine would make a worthwhile restoration project, requiring more cosmetic work than heavy engineering. Much of the muck is dirty oil which has solidified - it comes off with a paraffin-soaked rag - rather than rust. It came in with the remains of its last fire on the grate, the tubes look like they were last swept in about 1980(!), however the boiler looks sound under the grunge, the engine was obviously in running order when last put away.

Martin Evans' "Springbok" design is one of his most popular, building into a powerful, easy to drive engine. Reeves still stock all the castings and drawings.

Length
Locomotive 40 inches
Tender 25 inches
Weight approx 150 pounds