7 1/4 inch narrow gauge Alco 2-6-2T "Mountaineer"

A 7 1/4 inch gauge Alco 2-6-2T "Mountaineer", based on the locomotive preserved on the Ffestiniog Railway in North Wales.

This one has come to us from the family of the late builder - apparently it has already made two or three house moves, having been many years in build. At some point - possibly in the seventies or eighties - it spent time at Belton House in Lincolnshire, shown there in a picture that came with the engine.

The builder varied from the original design, apparently intending it to run with a tender instead of side tanks, their position taken by some immensely heavy steel running boards acting as ballast. We'd be tempted to make up some side tanks, possibly keeping the running boards beneath for extra adhesive weight.

The chassis is largely complete and rolling, with much of the motionwork and valve gear.

The steel boiler is fully welded, although any paperwork it may at one time have had has been lost to history many years ago. Internally it needs a good poking around with airline and vacuum cleaner, there's the accumulated debris of many years appears to have fallen inside.

Whilst popular in 3 1/2 inch gauge, with drawings for Don Young's excellent design readily available, we very rarely see these in 7 1/4 inch gauge - the only one that's passed through our workshop being the Alco we sold back in 2017, there are pictures in the archive here.

A large engine when finished - just over six feet long, in its current state it weighs in at around a half a ton.