Boiler Shop

Himself is going through one of his odd job phases, and this is one of those tasks that he's been meaning to get around to for years.

It's a sorry tale about a locomotive that, by rights, shouldn't have any place in our stock boxes.

Many years ago when Backwoods Miniatures brought out a kit for the Darjeeling C class pacific Himself bought one on a whim - he's always said it was one of their easiest kits to make.

With clever design the motor was mounted in the tender but drove the driving wheels through a shaft and universal joint to a worm gear above the gearbox in the firebox area.

This meant the boiler could be a solid white metal casting, so there was plenty of weight for traction.

All of which, in hindsight, makes you wonder why he thought it was necessary to fill the firebox area with lead, but he did, and over the years the lead expanded until it caused a rather spectacular throat plate failure with a large chasm opening up between the firebox and the boiler.

With the lesson learnt he has stripped it all down and refitted the firebox wrapper and now it's ready to be reassembled.

Of course, it has no place on either of our layouts because neither of the two prototypes have ever run on the FR or WHR, and nor are the likely to because they are both stuffed and mounted in India.

I suppose the only connection for what are now layouts that live in the west of Scotland are the these rather attractive mainline narrow gauge locomotives were built by North British in Glasgow.

And, of course, Himself rather likes it, so what other excuse do you need?