Sold July 2007 Back to Archive

I sold this one last year, it's just come back traded in for a 7 1/4 inch gauge engine. Before anybody looks it up in the archive and complains that last year's blurb is reproduced verbatim, I admit it. Steamed the engine this morning, the description of the locomotive and my opinion of it remain as last time.

A well-made example of Martin Evans' handsome "Firefly" design, based on the Great Western small Prairie. Although the paintwork is tired, the engine is in good mechanical order and goes very well - I've enjoyed driving it.

Silver soldered superheated copper boiler, radiant superheaters, feed by injector and crosshead pump with auxiliary handpump in bunker - slightly unusual design with a fixed pump handle working up and down, like an old fashioned rose sprayer. It actually works very well, I find it less fiddly than a removeable handle. Gunmetal cylinders with piston valves actuated by Stephenson's valve gear with pole reverser in cab. Mechanical lubricator on running board.

The engine was well-built in the first place - fit and finish of all the motion work is good, it runs very quietly. Entirely useable as is, a repaint over the winter would make a very nice engine. Complete with a set of drawings.