Spotlight of the Season

Autumn 2023 - Dolgoch

This 5" gauge live steam model of Dolgoch, a narrow gauge locomotive on the Talyllyn Railway in North Wales, was built from castings and stock metals by my late Grandfather, Derek Pring. Completed in 1986, just a few weeks before I was born, it won the Bristol SMEE heavy haulage competition in 1987, successfully pulling 19 passengers on 7 carriages around the track. By 1991 it rarely saw use following a move away from Bristol and into 7 1/4" loco building: so much so, that when it passed to me in 2011, it had only been in steam for 117 hours in 25 years. It's done more than that again since then, and following a replacement of the superheater to a fully radiant design, alterations to the blast nozzle arrangements and a move to PTFE piston rings, it's now a very reliable, powerful performer. In 2023, on a wet day with very greasy rails, it won the ADMES efficiency competition, pulling 9 people for nearly 3 miles on 2lb of coal. 

Autumn 2022 - Harry's Hymek

This 5" gauge Hymek is based upon the British Rail Class 35 diesel locomotive. As a result of their Mekydro-design hydraulic-transmission units, the locomotives became known as the 'Hymeks'. I bought the raw castings for the loco three years ago, along with the rough fibreglass body moulding - which needed  a lot of remoulding! Apart from that, it is largely scratch built. There are four 150 Watt motors and each has secondary reduction gearing. It has been designed to come apart easily  as I can't lift it!