Here we have a 5" gauge GWR 14xx manufactured by Kingscale. This one has been steamed and run, but as you can see from the tidy condition, it's certainly not been run very much.
As we've come to expect from Kingscale, this is a very pretty looking model with loads of nice detailing, the boiler is professionally silver soldered copper and very neatly done, and the loco has only been steamed a couple of times so it's more or less as new. Everything essentially works, so you can just get straight out on track and it'll all do what it was designed to do,..... however,.... (and we know you could sense the 'but' coming),.... the machining tolerances, the general fit of the bushes and valve gear, and indeed certain of the material choices on the bottom end are not quite the same as you'd expect from a new model built by a traditional model engineer. That all said, the smaller, 2 cylinder slide valve models Kingscale produces lend themselves to their manufacture processes more than the larger, more complex piston valve prototypes. A slide valve can accommodate a broader machining tolerance and the smaller valve gear lengths, smaller wheel diameters, lower forces and indeed a general increased simplicity all play to the manufacturer's strengths and result in a great value little model.
There's a crosshead pump fitted with footplate mounted bypass valve and of course a hand pump in the tank. There is also a steam valve for an injector, so it wouldn't take much at all to plumb on in for you if you'd like. Lubrication is simple displacement type,.... the addition of a simple sight feed regulator in the footplate would be a definite improvement, but again, as it stands it does work and will run and work well enough in it's current format, and can of course come with fresh hydraulic and steam tests.
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