7 1/4 inch gauge GWR 61XX Large Prairie

A 7 1/4 inch gauge GWR 61XX "Large Prairie", Collet's supremely handsome design tracing a direct lineage back to the Prairie tanks introduced by Churchward in the early part of the twentieth century.

This is one of a batch of eight locomotives built by the late, great Keith Wilson. Known for his prodigious output, both of locomotives and designs - usually beautifully written up and serialised in "Model Engineer" magazine - he produced several batches of engines. Usually Great Western, they included amongst others a pair of 47XX 2-8-0s in 10 1/4 inch gauge (one of which I've been fortunate enough to drive on a memorable day out some years ago) and a batch of six 7 1/4 inch gauge Kings.

Six of the Prairies had commercial boilers; two had boilers by the builder, including this engine which he kept for himself. Eventually sold, it racked up a good deal of use over the years before eventually passing to its last owner in 2010.

A highly experienced steam man, formerly CME of a standard gauge preserved railway, he undertook a complete ground up rebuild of the locomotive, which included fitting a new Swindon boiler, machining up new bogie wheels to replace the originals when cracks showed up after sand-blasting prior to painting (it was that thorough a rebuild) and replacement of the original fabricated brake hangers with more authentic parts, for which he had castings made from his own pattern.

The result of the overhaul is an engine that feels like new - it runs virtually silently and responds instantly to the regulator, combining a boiler which never seems to stop making steam with a chassis parsimonious in its use of it.

Valves are set beautifully, with dead square beats whether running forwards or reverse - there's a clip of it running in our yard here (when it was in steam all one afternoon recently, we all ended up having a go on it).

Complete with a Great Western "Toad" driving truck by the same builder, vacuum braked as is the locomotive, something of a Wilson speciality (the 47XX I drove had the same setup). Highly effective, it needs a careful hand on the brake handle if you're not to go over the chimney when running light engine.

One of the nicest engines I've driven in recent years - we're all rather taken with this one.