Sold April 2007 Back to Archive

A Clayton steam wagon, built to the Dyer design but scaled up three times to give a half size engine.

Work to date comprises:

• Steel vertical boiler with expanded copper tubes, provision for washout plugs in top tubeplate, complete with safety valves, water gauge fittings, grate and ashpan

• Rolling chassis, leaf springs all round, complete with baffled water tank

• Front wheels complete with Ackermann steering gear

• Rear wheels with axle, complete with sprocket

• Engine approximately 80% complete, cast iron cylinder block with pistons and crosshead fitted, valve chest in gunmetal, ports and slide valves machined, valve gear substantially complete and fitted

The cab is a disaster, it's been made up in 16 gauge mild steel when it really wants to be in something much heavier - the floor is ok and could be retained.

There is still plenty of work to complete it, but all the really heavy work (and a lot of the expense) is over - the rest of the engine could be built with modest sized machinery.

For those of you with long memories, I sold a 6 inch Clayton back in 2002. As I remember it went rather well (and certainly a lot easier to drive than the two inch version). There's a writeup in the archive - that one I reckoned at 8cwt, I think this one is already half as much again as that - it seems to have been built to an altogether heavier standard (and is also three feet longer in the chassis).

Length 120 inches
Height 54 inches
Rear wheel 22 inch diameter
Front wheel 18 1/2 inch diameter
Boiler 16 inches diameter