Beauty or beast?

Torn between a steam loco and a traction engine for your next model? I found this whilst trawling – could it be the answer?

**LINK**

OK, the brickworks were not noted as a repository of things beautiful but a certain dinner lady in the works canteen – Elsie Frigg – was particularly admired by some of the older men

Rik

I seem to recall that ME in the 50's described an Aveling & Porter traction engine 'loco' built by one of the regular contributors which was entered in an IMLEC and did quite well. I think it only drove the rear wheels. When i get some spare time i'll try to find the articles.

I don't know about Elsie Frigg, but as a kid in Bedford in the 1960s and 70s we used to get a delicate niff from the LBC brickworks when the wind was in the wrong direction.

Andrew

Andrew - I remember that blue haze well as we lived in Queens Park at the time. Though there was not a lot to choose from between the stink of the brickworks and the horrible pong that hung over Port Sunlight where I lodged while doing my engineering apprentice training. I think it was caused by the reaction of caustic soda and palm oil during the soap making process. Phweee - worse than cheesy feet!!!

Rik

Oh dear. I like it. Is there something wrong with me?

What's going on around the 'not a connecting rod'? Is that the brake gear?

Edited By Bazyle on 20/03/2018 12:25:09

My son used to crew on another Aveling and Porter 0-4-0 "Sydenham" whilst it was at Chatham. With no suspension you could feel it approaching before you saw it. As a model, a 5" gauge loco would be about the size of a 1" Minnie so it might not be the most popular loco on a club track due to its extremely low speed. Perhaps one of the narrow gauge versions (with the drive gears outside the wheels) might be a better choice for a model, as it would be faster and have a larger boiler.

The first locomotives were chain driven 0-4-0s as used on the Brill Tramway **LINK**, later gear drive to the rear wheels only was introduced as on "Blue Circle" **LINK** and finally gear drive to both axles as on "Sydenham" **LINK** (The side rods are not coupling rods but instead stabilise the ends of the axles).

Brian

I thought traction engines did about 8 mph. If that was the case for this one, even Toby, Percy and Thomas would be treading on its heels, never mind Henry and Gordon...