Sold February 2010 Back to Archive

Those who you have have visited the workshop will know that, in Geoff, we have here our own "Inspector Meticulous". Starting his engineering career at Ruston & Hornsby (we think some time after the Kaiser's War, he swears it was in the 1960s), he worked his way around the great engineering works of Lincoln, ending up at Alstom Gas Turbines (via Clayton's Titanic Works along the way, for those steam wagoneers amongst you).

Old habits die hard, he still sets up our "Stafford" chassis upside down on a surface plate with slips and feeler gauges.

Last year we got a Polly II in, yet another victim of a stalled "restoration" - in this case it had simply been pulled apart for a repaint before the owner lost interest. The engine caught Geoff's eye and, before we could stop him, the thing went in the back of his car and home to his "engine-building shed" (he is also a much in-demand expert on open crank stationary engines in these parts – unsurprising, given his background – with a nice collection of his own which he's restored over the years).

At regular intervals he gave us updates on the Polly which was dismantled to its last component part and the paint stripped off. Just about everything that can move has been rebushed, polished or re-pinned, it's had new rings, die blocks, gaskets, you name it... He never quite seems to know when to stop, however finally it has reappeared looking and running like new.

So, here we have a comprehensively overhauled Polly, as good as you will find short of buying a new one. Specification is as per usual - silver-soldered copper boiler, axle pump, hand pump, cast iron cylinders with slide valves, Stephenson's gear, pole reverser, mechanical lubricator etc.

Locomotive 25 ½ inches
Tender 18 inches