Here we have another little cracker! A 3 1/2" gauge LMS Fowler Royal Scot, but,.... (in my best M & S voice),..... this is not just any 3 1/2" gauge LMS Fowler Royal Scot,.... this is the 1935 model engineering exhibition championship cup winning 3 1/2" gauge Fowler LMS Royal Scot! Built by W.T.W.Rolls to an extremely high standard for the time, the finesse and detail of the machined valve gear is lovely, and the whole thing has the feel of the proverbial sewing machine. It's clearly been engineered to run, so there are many details that are obviously not prototypically accurate, notably the intricate linkage to operate the drain cocks for all 3 cylinders that runs down the hollow handrail into numerous satisfying levers and shafts. The mechanical lubricators too are chunky and feel 'engineered' rather than fabricated. There's a steam brake that even operates on the front bogie as per the prototype and individual oil points for things like axle boxes and internal motion.
The boiler is solidly made and silver soldered copper, and as always can come with a fresh twice working pressure shell and repeat hydraulic test so all is well there, as well as of course a fresh steam test on the loco it's self so that we've made sure everything is working properly here in our workshops and the model is ready to be back on track where it clearly belongs. There is an injector fitted as well as an axle pump with footplate mounted bypass valve. A lovely model, a lovely bit of history and we expect a lovely runner too.
W.T.W.Rolls was an active and well respected model engineer and contributor to the model engineer from as early as 1909.
We will add the article from the Model Engineering exhibition here as soon as we've looked out and scanned the articles.
As with most of our models, what you see isn't necessarily what you get!
We often photograph models pretty much as they come in to us, and then when someone phones to say they are interested we pull the model into our workshops and make sure everything is tested, sorted and ready to go. So if you see the odd model photograph with a fitting missing or a return crank in the wrong place, that's just how it came in and certainly not how it will leave.
For any more information please don't hesitate to give us a bell on 07816 963463
Stock Code: L031221
