It has taken me awhile to get these pictures together.
I have had a life long interest in steam, both trains and ships.
For Christmas 1956 I received a working steam scale model of a Southern Railway, 2.6.0 Mogul engine. This was built by the renowned model railway firm of
Bassett Lowke.
This is the engine, which I fired up for my eldest grandson on a visit in 2004.
It is a perfect scale model. The pistons and valve gear all work as they should. The boiler is filled with the correct amount of water. There is a safety valve and a valve for letting off steam. Below the boiler is a methylated spirits burner to make steam. In front of the boiler is a small tank containing SAE 30 oil. There is a narrow bore tube connecting the front of the boiler to the oil tank. This keeps thee cylinders supplied with lubricating oil under pressure. There is a lever on top of the cab, which as advanced increases forward speed, center is neutral and backwards is reverse.
The pistons and valve gear are all to scale, and work as on the full sized engine. The cylinder and valve gear are double acting. In other words the power cycle is in both directions in both left and right cylinders,so both back and forward are power strokes.
I built the track. Great care had to be taken in operation. The most important thing is to NEVER let the boiler run dry, or it explodes violently with lethal consequences.
Also if the engine should derail and turn on its side, the methylated spirits spilled and it burst into flames. I kept a hemp sack in a bowl of water for these events, and threw the wet sack over it to douse the flames, which it did instantly. This whole operation taught you vigilance and attention to detail early in life, and your life depended on it.
Until my mother died in 2018, I kept the train at the OP in Frindsbury. I brought the engine back after that and it is here in Eagan. The track and rolling stock are still at my brother's house in the UK.
I also had a Bassett Lowke 4.4.0 Enterprise engine which had been my father's almost 100 years ago now. This is now in possession of my nephew Dr John Apps.
The UK is a vintage train lover's paradise. There are numerous preservation railways.
Wales is a large number of narrow gauge steam railways. These were used to transport slate, coal and timber. There is even a steam cog railway that goes up mount Snowdon.
Here are a pictures of the Welshpool Llanfair railway.
Then there are large scale model railway, which can transport passengers. The most famous is the
Romney Hythe and Dymchurch railway in the Kent South Coast just West of Dover. This has always been a favorite of mine and the grandchildren.
Here are some pictures I took.
One very famous preservation railway if the Bluebell Railway in Kent.
We can't leave this topic without talking of the Isle of Mann, (Manx).
This is small Island right in the middle of the Irish Sea, half way between the Northwest coast of England and Ireland. I had a wonderful visit there while my best friend from School was the Secretary to the House of Keys, the islands Parliament. He is now retired as an international lawyer and judge. He set up a lot of the laws involving trade and taxation at the foundation of the EU. The Isle of Man is a self governing British protectorate, where the Queen's title is Lord of Manx. Manx is spoken extensively there, and English. The capital is Douglas. The Isle of man is a gigantic tax haven and a major source of revenue in addition to tourism. It is a truly beautiful and fascinating place to visit. Time has stopped still.
Now the other, and less common name for the Isle of man is the island of Sodor. If you are at all familiar with the Thomas the Tank Engine children's books, you may remember these engines run on the Island of Sodor. Well these engines have never left!
These are a few of the pictures I took.
The Isle of man also has an electric Tram railway, built in 1907. The tram cars are all original. It wind its way up Mount Snaefell, the highest peak. The gradients are steep, and the cars wind their way up the mountain in a circular fashion, with a sheer cliff face! At the top you can see England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Heaven and Hell. So the locals say you can see six kingdoms.
Lastly we can't leave this topic without referencing the
Jacobite Railway out of Fort William Scotland, on the west side of the
Great Glen.
This is the train featured in the Harry Potter movies. Below are a couple of pictures I took on a visit to Fort William a few years ago.
I hope you train enthusiasts might find some of this entertaining.
