5 inch gauge LMS Duchess

A 5 inch gauge LMS Duchess, with its beginnings as a kit but re-worked at considerable expense to produce a well finished chassis which belies its origins; it runs on air in both directions, mechanically quiet and with well defined exhaust beats.

Rather ambitiously the original owner commissioned three Duchesses, despatching them all to the same atelier for assembly - the idea was to have two "naked" variants and a streamlined engine.

Suffice to say that years passed and, whilst this one emerged in its current form, the other two now exist only as a large, incomplete collection of parts in boxes (which we'll get sorted out and photographed in due course).

Complete with a tender chassis, showing light surface rust from storage, along with much its bodywork.