My Bing for Bassett Lowke GWR Titley Court in gauge one tinplate

[smokey1]

Nice! I've never ventured into live steam but it has always fascinated  me

[Penny Trains]

Beautiful! 

[wrmcclellan]

Very cool! I also like the UK steam designs.

[emdmike]

Paul, going raised in the garden is almost manditory as we all age.  And even in my early 40's, getting on my hands and knees to do track maintance on my old ground level line was getting difficult.  So, now in my mid 40's I have set up a raised line where one can see on a stool and tend your steed and enjoy them running without the knee and back issues.   I have a silver tea pot that i keep on a warming plate when I do run live steam, especially in colder weather.  And yes it does help speed up the process and during the run, warm water in the tender bunker doesnt "kill" the head of steam when topping up the boiler at a station stop. I had my eye on the model on the website for The Station Masters Rooms, a large UK based tinplate dealer. I had sold my antique garden tractor(leaving that hobby for a bit) and then sold my final remaining 16mm narrow gauge live steamer.  The model was still available, so it was ment to be.  He has loads of both gauge 1 and gauge 0 tinplate trains.  Mostly UK and European prototype.  And while some might go look and be floored by the prices, he knows the market well, is a very nice chap to talk to and many models have the option to make an offer.   He shipped Titley court from the UK to my doorstep in Indiana in 3 days.  Shipped out on Monday morning, arrived Wed morning at my house.  That is what I call excellent customer service!  I am waiting the final half circle of 10' dia track for my layout, as soon as its in place and I level out the tables, I will fire her up and shoot some video!    Mike the Aspie

[Flintlock76]

That is gorgeous!  

See, I did it in green to match the engine!

You lucky guy you!  How'd you manage to come by it?  And if and when you can can you post a video on your layout?

Again, my complements! 

Just a tip.  I used to have a toy live-steam stationary engine, and to shorten the warm-up time I filled the boiler with hot tap water before lighting the fire.  It works.

[Postwar Paul]

Mike, that'S fantastic ! I really love the look of the GWR engines !

I like your idea of the raised right of way, I'll put that in my memory bank for when I actually get around to setting up my G tracks again...

But great looking engine !

Paul

[emdmike]

Here is a short video of Titley Court under steam for the first time in many many years.  She was quite stiff from lack of running and congelled steam oil.  But she came right up to pressure(60psi) and ran really well, going nearly 40min without adding fuel or water to the boiler.  She has a large boiler and took quite awhile to come up to pressure from cold.  I had water left as the fuel ran low, so a refuel after working pressure is reached, then its just a matter of keeping the tender bunker filled and topping up the water at station stops.   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73rG4WqPBuw

[emdmike]

Here is my newest classic toy train in my prefered railway, the GWR or Great Western Railway.  Made by Bing in Germany for Bassett Lowke(sort of the Walthers of the UK in pre WWII UK).  She is live steam, alcohol fired with an internally fired boiler meaning you need a draft fan to get initial steam pressure up till you can switch over to the models own steam blower to create the needed draft for the fire.    She was originally a Smithes/Water tube type boiler but was upgraded to a JVR Type C boiler with 3 large fire tubes.  This is a more modern boiler design, common in modern day alcohol fired models.   The cab features a water sight glass with blowdown valve, blower control valve and of coarse a throttle.   The tender carries the alcohol fuel and extra water.  There is a hand pump in the boiler to add water to the boiler during the run.  By topping up the fuel tank and water tank, the model can be kept in steam all day if one desires.   Bing made these in both pot boiler and internally fired, starting in 1924 with remaining unsold pot boilers being reworked to internally firing in the 1930s.  Titley Court is seen sitting on my outdoor raised gauge one railway.  I found the model at The Station Masters Rooms in the UK, he has loads of gauge 1 and gauge 0 trains if you like UK/European tinplate.