An Edaville #7, built to Don Young's "Maxi 7" design published in "Model Engineer", reworked as a 2-4-2 tender engine rather than the original 2-4-4 Forney arrangement. We've seen several thus modified, I think it makes a more practical engine, more comfortable to drive and - to my mind - better looking.
This one has come in to us from a commercial railway running at a garden centre where it has done sterling service in company with a Thomas 2 for the last few seasons; it was part exchanged against a new
0-6-0 Stafford FC7.
Although cosmetically very much in its "working clothes", the engine goes particularly well - it's a lovely thing to drive, just ease the regulator open, watch the valve chest pressure gauge rise and then, at 40psi, she'll just move gently away -
there's a clip of it running up and down outside the workshop here. Feels like the sort of things you could sit in all day, very much minimum gauge rather than large model.
Locomotive has a very effective steam brake plus vacuum brakes for the train - there's a mechanical brake on the tender.
Boiler is fed by a pair of decent injectors, it's also got an impressive looking steam pump which is more show than go. Nice to look at, not sure whether any water gets moved about! Turbo generator sounds superb, bit like an air raid siren.
