Sold July 2009 Back to Archive

A 1 1/2 inch scale Allchin traction engine built to Hughes' "Royal Chester" design. It's an old model which has stood on the builder's bookshelf for many years - having completed this one he moved onto building a 3 inch Burrell, followed by fourteen 3 inch scale farm wagons and carriages, a doubled-up Westbury Shand-Mason fire engine and a variety of interesting artillery, including a terrifying looking Gatling gun...

The engine has never been steamed - the builder bought a commercially-made boiler, although he forgets from where (we're talking getting on for forty years ago here). It looks very good, silver-soldered copper construction, although I can't find a maker's mark on it. Rest of the engine is nicely done, although the motion work is notchy - part of this is down to the fact that there are several decades of muck and dust in the workings and not much of a trace of oil anywhere, however it really wants the top end stripping, cleaning and fettling.

Length 26 inches
Height 17 inches
Weight 64 pounds