Hi all,

It's mystery loco time again! Picked this loco chassis up from Ebay
this week and trying to trace it's ancestry. Have uploaded 3 photo's
to the photo files (4-6-0 chassis). It's possibly a freelance design.
I've looked at all the published designs in the Associations handbooks
and it doesn't tally with any of those. The distinguishing feature is
the unusual shape expansion link brackets which I can't trace to any
prototype. Wheels are 3 1/2" diameter with 20 spokes, spacing 4" and 4
5/8". Cylinders 13/16" bore by 1 1/8" stroke. Frames 20 3/4" overall.
The reversing lever looks like a bought item and is a bit on the large
size!

When I got the loco the chassis was bent which made the motion very
stiff, probably been dropped at some time. I stripped it down,
straightened the frames, and re-assembled it so as not to lose
anything. After roughly setting the valves, it now ticks over quite
well on just a few pounds of air. Apart from suffering from 'wobbly
wheel' syndrome, it's quite well made, especially the valve gear, so
should make an interesting project for the future.

John