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Walton Park Trains - Run by Sale Area Model Engineering Society
' SAMES '

 
The Washington
4-4-0
 
click on photos to enlarge
 

 

A Recent addition to the locos running at Walton Park. This Washington Loco 4-4-0 configuration has taken the owner 7 years to build and was run very successfully for the first time in March 2005. I think you will agree this is a shining example of what can be done with ALOT of patience & skill.

 


The Washington Underway

The Brew Also Underway

The "Washington" Story


I am a model maker and not a train spotter so it was difficult for me to choose a loco that I really wanted to build. A holiday in California took me to a Live Steamer Event in Griffiths Park, L.A. and I was fascinated by the old American profile locos.
Washington is a Reeves design and the drawings were prepared from originals by David Piddington. Very few (if any) models have been completed and this is probably the only one in UK.

The American 4-4-0 is very different in structure to British profiles and is very attractive to the "experts" i.e. the children in the park !

It took 2000 hours spread over 7 years to build.
It is my first loco and it probably would have been better to build a well tried design first.
My model building experience was gained via Stuart stationary engines and the Minnie traction engine.
Of course a lot of loco experience was available from the members at Sale Area MES.
Not quite finished yet (are they ever?) with jobs like the following to be done :-

-fitting the wheel splashers (looks a very fiddly job)
-making the cylinder cladding (spinning the brass end covers will be a new skill to be learned)
-tool boxes for the tender
-lettering on the sides of the tender.

Washington runs very well now that I have been trained as a driver and after a couple of design problems were overcome.
The main ones were :-
-the valve slides were not the correct dimension for the ports
-not enough air getting through the fire with the blower or on blast. Fixed by drilling a row of holes along the front of the ashpan just below the grate.
-the jet holes in the blower were enlarged
-the spark deflector was raised higher above the chimney extension.

I haven't managed to get the whistle (two tone) working properly yet on steam (this seems to be an art rather than science) and I have found that the oil reservoir runs out after about 90 minutes of continuous running (using too much oil?)
All things considered this project has been a real challenge but extremely satisfying.
Stuart Clayton
20/4/2005

   
 

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