About the Model:

'TERRIER' - A1X CLASS 0-6-0T
1/16 scale (3 ½"gauge ) Built by Mike Dennis
2003 member- Holy Trinity Meccano Club,
Runnymede Meccano Club, I.S.M. No 328

History

The A1 locomotives were designed by William Stroudley for the London Brighton & South Coast Railway specifically for London and other suburban passenger duties. They could be seen regularly hauling up to twelve 4 wheel coaches each 26ft long and were later rebuilt as class A1X - They were christened "Terriers" due to their diminutive size for which they were powerful, reliable and economical on coal which made them very popular with all the crews.

The Terriers carried names of various London boroughs, towns in Surrey and Sussex and were built at the Brighton works between 1872 and 1880. Such is their fame, reliability and popularity that 20% of them are still preserved in working order and some have been featured on TV and in period films. Nine are resident in the UK performing with various steam preservation groups, including the Bressingham Steam museum, the Bluebell railway, the Kent & East Sussex Railway, and one " Waddon" is in Canada, at the Canadian National Railway Museum.

Leading Particulars

Length over buffers - 26' ½" - Fully laden weight - 28 Tons 5 cwt Tractive effort @ 85% cut off - 10,695lbs - Cylinders 2 - Inside 13" x 20" (12" x 20") Valve gear - Stephenson - Wheels - 4' 1" Dia. 12 spokes - Wheel base 12'

The Model - Some Meccano was used, even more was mutilated

The model is based on the Terrier as originally built, but the name "Thanet" is fictitious, and being mounted on up stands above an angled mirror allow viewers to observe the inside cylinders and motion work. It features all my own turned fittings, including the proper Stroudley chimney and Dome, glazed spectacle plates, cab details including gauges, sprung buffers and chassis, three link couplings, real coal and sliding firebox and bunker doors plus a shovel - The only things missing are the brakes, a fried egg and a fag end but I am working on them. - Most of the non-Meccano ("heretical") parts use a Meccano part too, even if it is only a nut or bolt! - The boiler, tanks, tool box, smokebox front plate and splashers are Meccano parts. The splashers were fabricated ("mutilated") from Meccano hinged plates and the boiler back head contains detail made from Meccano plus "heretical" parts. The cab sides, spectacle plates and tank ends are cut from Zinc plated compatible flat plates supplied by David Fellowes. Many parts were made to suit the model such as handrails, chimney, dome and all other brass fittings. - The wheels are of 'Slater' type but are made to my own design featuring turned Aluminium rims, laser cut 12 spoke Acrylic centres made from 3 mm sheet and brass Meccano'ish bosses, which are threaded ¼" deep to secure the eccentric bolts and clearance at the inside end for the Meccano axles and the balance weights are made from 16 SWG Aluminium sheet the shape being correct for each wheel according to the drawings.

The wheels are correctly 'quartered' and the valve timing is 'compensated' by placing the eccentrics slightly out of true position to impart partial movement to the valve rods from the Stevenson reversing links which are normally curved for working reversing lever mechanisms but as reverse is simulated only I used 3 hole, un-mutilated narrow strips. The buffers and chassis are both sprung and the crankshaft, connecting rods, cylinders, eccentrics and all the valve gear are fabricated using a mixture of Meccano parts and standard Mecarep micro rod system parts. The locomotive is powered by a Faulhaber 12volt motor and will also run on a track via the pickups, which can be seen on the front four wheels.