Sold December 2007 Back to Archive

7 1/4 inch gauge 0-4-2 tank locomotive to Ken Swann's "Bridget" design. I have high regard for this man's work - "Bridget" was designed as a powerful yet easy-to-handle 7 1/4 inch gauge engine which would negotiate ultra-tight curves ("Jessie", derived from the same design but without the trailing wheels, is capable of negotiating an 8 foot radius). The ideal engine for getting a start in 7 1/4 gauge, the engine steams well and is easy to drive, yet capable of pulling good loads.

Silver-soldered copper boiler with superheaters, fed by injector and axle pump. Twin water gauges with blowdowns. The grate has a dump pin actuated by a lever in the cab, which makes cleaning down after a run very easy (no fiddling about with a wretched little dump pin which never fits through the over-tight holes in the frames, while the connecting rods are busy trying to guillotine your fingers off). I especially like the large oil troughs machined into the tops of the axleboxes, which guarantees lubrication to an often-neglected area on tank engines, given the difficult of getting an oil can in).

Twin cylinder with slide valves actuated by Walschaerts valve gear, mechanical lubricator behind front buffer beam. Mechanical screw-down brake in cab.

This is an older model, paintwork is presentable though not exactly award-winning - a winter repaint would improve things considerably. Motionwork is worn although still as effective as ever - the engine goes well.

Length 37 inches
Weight approx 200 pounds