3 inch scale Allchin agricultural engine

A well-advanced 3 inch scale Allchin agricultural engine, scaled up from the highly detailed 1 1/2 inch scale "Royal Chester" design by Bill Hughes, serialised in "Model Engineer" magazine in the 1950s.

The engine has come to us from a long-time customer, an experienced model engineer with several locomotives to his credit, some of which have appeared in these pages over the years. Started thirty years ago, work to date is to a high standard, using castings and a boiler - complete with original twice working pressure shell test certificate - supplied by Ken Walton of Spennymoor who, at the time, marketed parts for the 3 inch scale design.

Last worked on some years ago, the Allchin stalled for lack of time given the number of locomotives "in the works". Now well into retirement the builder has decided that, given its size and weight, the engine needs to move on to a younger pair of hands.

We'd put this one at about 70% complete, requiring significant workshop time but little by way of heavy machining or additional expenditure to complete. There is a box of loose parts including castings, stainless steel for piston and valve rods, boiler fittings, rolled brass boiler cladding, lamps and a fabulous scale Manzel lubricator - so nice it almost disappeared when the engine arrived!

An imposing sized engine when finished - nearly a foot longer and a hundredweight heavier than the ubiquitous 6nhp Burrell in the same scale. We've had several in over the years, including a particularly nice example that we sold back in 2018 - there are pictures of that one in the archive here.