Railway model engineer, Stafford

Description:This photograph of a railway model engineer was taken for the Staffordshire Newsletter. If you recognise the man or the location please contact us.

The model being worked on appears to be similar to the locomotive shown on the blueprint on the wall which is a 2-4-0, thought to be from the Victorian era because after that period that wheel arrangement fell out of favour as locomotives became larger.

The model is also fitted with a Ramsbottom safety valve which is also of a type that became out of favour as they could be tampered with to raise boiler pressure above its safe limit. The model is mounted in a rotating frame to enable the chassis to be turned around and worked on in any position. The builder appears to be tightening a nut or bolt as the item on the end of the extension bar looks like a small socket. It is in the area where a cylinder and valves will be mounted.

In the background there is a model of a narrow gauge wagon, possibly a slate or timber wagon and on it appears to be a piston and conrod assembly, but if it is for the locomotive in the foreground it is of a very large diameter suggesting it could be a compound.

Acknowledgement: Thank you to Mr Chris Coates for the additional information.

Picture Reproduced by Kind Permission of the Staffordshire Newsletter who retain copyright.