5 inch gauge BR Class 4 2-6-4T

A well-advanced 5 inch gauge BR Standard Class 4 2-6-4T to the highly-detailed Doug Hewson design.

Work to date includes a chassis up to air-running stage, along with a copper boiler with club shell test certification.

Work on the chassis is to a good standard - and it certainly runs very nicely - although it would ideally be stripped and repainted before work progresses much further.

The boiler was built with guidance from a highly experienced engineer, a man with several excellent engines to his credit. His preferred method of construction was by silver soldering, with threaded firebox stays fitted with hydraulic sealant. Not a new idea - it's been around for twenty years or more and is well-documented in various articles - and used with every success on his own engines. On completion the Class 4 boiler was tested at twice working pressure by the builder's club inspector, who issued certification for same.

Complete with a box of loose parts, including brass side tanks, pressure and water gauges, dummy speedo and some very nice scale fittings, along with a pair of bench-top building stands allowing the chassis to be turned over.

Regular readers will remember that, back in 2010, we bought the first one of these ever completed to the design, which was serialised in "Engineering in Miniature" magazine. A beautifully made engine which went just as well as it looked, we've had it back a couple of times since, most recently earlier this year - there are pictures and some video in the archive here.