Sold November 2006 Back to Archive

If cutting up all Gresley's P2s and making them into the A2s weren't enough to put you off Thompson for life, when he assumed the mantle of LNER CME on the death of the great man he also set to and hacked about "Great Northern", Gresley's first ever Pacific, to create his new A1 class (and the fact that the rebuilds were quite successful engines in their own right doesn't excuse him, in my book).

LBSC, in his inimitable way, decided to offer a design for the rebuild as "Hielan Lassie". He kept with the three cylinder configuration of the original, but offered both Walschaert's and Baker valve gear with either slide or piston valves. Many examples of this large, powerful engine have been built - they go well, one of the master's better efforts.

This is a nicely made chassis for a piston-valved, Baker gear A1. It turns over smoothly and is complete with reverser, drain cocks and linkage, mechanical lubricator, cylinder steam and blast pipes. There is also a complete flanged boiler kit from Reeves, a good quantity of brass sheet, an 80% complete 8-wheeled tender chassis and most of a tank to go thereon.

There is a clean set of drawings and a box full of odds and ends including new hand pump, pressure gauge, banjo steam collector, whistle, part-fabricated grate etc.

Still a good bit of work to do, but a well-advanced project to a good standard - it needs time rather than money from here on. It's grubby state comes from storage in a garage for many years, it is mainly cosmetic and cleans up well.

Parts are still available from Reeves, listed here.