5" LMS Duchess

Here we have a rather impressive 5" gauge LMS Duchess, 6229 'Duchess of Hamilton.  Most 5" Duchesses are seem to be painted in the more common Maroon so it's nice to see one presented in the LMS lined black.  She's also a 'semi', with the slightly squashed smokebox front as built to fit inside the original streamlined casing.  The casing was removed post war in 1947 and Hamilton was painted into this livery,...... but only for a year, as in 1948 the railways were nationalised and the loco was 'tweaked' into BR black.

The engine of course has all 4 cylinders, and is the work of two skilled model engineers working together, and as you'd expect, she performs extremely well on track.  The detail level on the outside is really nicely done, all the little pipe runs are where they should be and it makes for an impressive looking machine.  The backhead has been purposefully simplified to be driven rather than to be displayed, so although it's not prototypically accurate it is certainly easy to use!  The two scale mechanical lubricators on the running boards are functional, and were the loco's original lubricators, however they are currently disconnected, the builder having decided to put in a much larger reservoir under the fireman's seat on the footplate.  There are little oil pots all over the model to feed into the difficult to get to internal bits.

Water is fed by two injectors as well as a hand pump in the tender.  The boiler is silver soldered copper and she comes fully tested with all her boiler history and ready to play!  This isn't a brand new model, so there is the odd chip and scuff here n there on the paint, but it's nothing too untoward and the bottom end is still nicely tight.  It's a cool toy this,.... big, fast and impressive, with a nicely unusual twist in the livery and the 'semi' smokebox,.... she will certainly turn a few heads at any club track!