5 inch gauge Britannia

A finely made BR Class 7 "Britannia", built by a highly experienced, award winning engineer with many good engines to his credit including a beautiful Lancashire & Yorkshire 2-4-2T we sold back in 2009.

Unsteamed for many years, I first saw the engine on display in the late owner's study - along with several other very fine 5 inch gauge locomotives and a 10 1/4 inch gauge Great Western "Star" - when collecting "Saint Augustine" back in 2012.

An older engine, built in 1970, the standard of machining is very good throughout, fit and finish excellent on the valve gear, the motion turns over with little sign of wear.

The valve gear is fitted with collars and taper pins, with castellated nuts on motionwork pins. Lots of well-observed details, like the valve rod guide pillars which are the correct coton bobbin shape - frequently seen as plain parallel "spacers" on models.

Platework is neatly done, the boiler cladding well fitted, particularly around the top of the firebox, an area which lets down many Britannias.

Pipework is well laid out and nicely fitted, with bolted flange joints for the top feed clacks as per prototype.