5 inch gauge GWR 43XX Mogul

A 5 inch gauge GWR 43XX Mogul, built in 2004 and in recent regular club use. Advancing years have led to a downsizing of the owner's collection, with this engine and a fine LB&SCR K Class Mogul arriving with us earlier in the week.

 

Something of a running restoration project, boiler is sound, the engine runs well in forwards gear, not so convincing in reverse. The valve gear rocker shaft bushes are worn, the tender mounted axle pump provides a fairly desultory feed - a single ram device, there is a hole in the pump stretcher for a second pump which would improve matters. Paintwork is grotty.

A notice in the cab instructing the driver to run in full gear has nothing to do with any shortcomings of the valve events, more to do with the mechanical lubricator which is driven from one valve rod - shortening the cutoff reduces lubrication. No idea why people set up lubricators like this (more prevalent in traction engines than locomotives, it must be said) when it's just as easy to take a drive from the expansion link or eccentric rod.