Can anyone identify this loco build?

Hi folks

I am considering buying this incomplete locomotive. Can anyone tell me which loco this is and where I could get drawings to complete it?

I will post pictures in my album momentarily.

before anyone says "it's a ghost train" There are some photos in Makon's album

Not good photos but I would suggest you consider the boiler as not usable at this stage.

Edited By JasonB on 25/06/2022 06:52:03

Hi

I'm guessing it may be 2 1/2" gauge scaling from the clothes peg! If it is it's not one of the more common designs, the cylinders follow the common pattern of castings used by Henry Coventry and other American designers in the 1920's and 30's. I've got a " President Washington" pacific in 2 1/2" gauge under slow restoration, there are pictures in my album, with very similar cylinder castings. I would say that working on these things is not for the faint hearted ,obviously dependent on the original standard of work. I think it might have been easier in my case to start from scratch. My progress is slow on it as each problem is identified theres some time out to think of a solution, enjoyable but frustrating.

As a suggestion internet searches for Friends Models, Victor Shattock, Timken Four Aces locomotive and Little Engines may turn something up, I would think it's an American design so some dedicated searching of the links on these sites may bear fruit. Sorry I can't be more helpful but not a design I recognise.

Dave

Edited By Dave Wootton on 25/06/2022 07:08:15

Being new to locos and building them but from what I have seen and please correct me if wrong but the small sets of wheels being solid were these not used on tenders rather than the main loco frame as boggies. All the ones I have seen on the loco section seem to have spoked wheels

Hi Derek

Being an American outline locomotive it is quite normal for the bogie or leading/trailing wheels to be unspoked disc wheels. Not as pretty as spokes!

Dave

The photos:

Just thought of another designer active at the time this would appear to have been built, P Eldon Hunt, there are examples of his switcher about, but I believe he designed other larger engines too, he may have been from Canada, worth a google.

Having seen the pictures above which seem clearer than the ones in the album, there's a lot less of it than I thought initially, that is one heck of a jigsaw puzzle. I'd hate to seem discouraging but my reaction would be to run away. But good luck if you do decide to take it on.

Dave

You could try here assuming you haven't tried google's excellent search engine already.

It's a very early boiler with the riveted and Comsol soldered boiler.

That boiler construction does not prevent its testing and use under the MELG scheme, but it would have to be tested very carefully as if a "new" boiler, and I think some club boiler-examiners might be reluctant to test it.

The bits visible in the photos that worry me are -

- the screws holding the dome-ring to the shell, if they are tapped directly into the copper, despite the solder caulking; and

- the solder's quantity and "cauliflower" appearance on the firebox stay-heads, which suggests the builder had great difficulty caulking them properly.

'

Other than that the general standard of work looks as it should be; so it might not be a write-off even if you need make a new boiler for it.

.

Gauge - I concur with Dave Wootton that this is 2-1/2" , having measured a peg and the photo on the screen.

Thank you Dave I am learning all the time

If you are prepared to accept a 'based on' rather than exact identification the boiler looks like that of a Joslin Uranus.

The bogie wheels are different but could have been changed for easier/cheaper than castings.

Edited By Nick Clarke 3 on 26/06/2022 16:29:04

The cylinders are different to the Josslin designs which use separate cylinder castings ( It's three cylinder) not the combined cylinder/ saddle American style castings of this model. For comparison there is a Josslin Ursa Maximus chassis and boiler for sale on the Station road Steam website.

Dave