Because of our involvement with assisting people to build their Winson Britannias and my own enthusiasm for the BR Standard Steam Locomotives we have ended up with a full range of fittings for these fine locomotives, and now a set of drawings for the pick of the bunch the ‘Britannia’. Drawings are, of course, available elsewhere but the detail leaves a lot to be desired and a lot of it is just plain wrong.
I had been drawing up parts to improve the loco but it always seemed to be trying to make the best of a mediocre job. To this end I decided that there was nothing for it but to produce a set of drawings which were as near to scale as I could possible draw them but consistent with a good working model.
In building my BR Standard 2-6-4 4MT Tank Locomotive I carried out numerous experiments to make scale fittings, particularly for the cab, which would not only be as near scale as possible but work properly in every day use. Having decided to draw up the Britannia there was nothing for it but to consult the lists from The National Railway Museum in York, following which I bought £600s worth of detailed works drawings to reproduce the model as near full size as possible.
I started from scratch with the frames and everything was just scaled down from the works drawings. I find it far easier to copy something that is already in front of me than to try and think of a different way of doing it. This way the end result not only looks right, but is right, down to the last nut and bolt.
The Britannia was one of the all-new Riddles designs of BR Standard Steam Locomotive introduced in 1951 and they were a revelation with their high platforms and all the valve gear visible for ease of maintenance and access for day-to-day attention. However, what is not known to many modellers is that there are three different chassis.
Numbers 70035 to 39 only have roller bearings on the driving axle so, therefore, have one large horn opening and the leading and trailing axles have plain bearings so therefore have much smaller horn openings and axleboxes.
Numbers 70040 to 49 were not built with any roller bearings so have six of the smaller axleboxes and can also be identified by different axlebox covers on the trailing trucks for the plain bearings.
All the rest had roller bearings on all axles so have the much larger horn guides to accommodate the roller bearings. This, therefore, means that the spring hangers are different at the plain bearing axle boxes but castings have been provided for the two types. Laser cut frames have been provided for all three chassis and cast steel horn keeps provided for either type of axlebox. Laser cut kits are provided for all the frame stretchers and they come ready formed. Laser cut sets are also being provided for the motion brackets and slide bar brackets and the trailing truck.
All new patterns are being made as there is nothing on the market that is correct. The new cylinder patterns have arrived and they are all cored out for the steam and exhaust passageways. They also have the back plate cast integrally with the cylinder casting. New patterns have also been provided for the correct end covers including the rear steam chest cover, which has the valve guide supports incorporated in the casting.
Lubrication is provided by two scale Silvertown lubricators, the left one for steam oil to the cylinders and the right one for slide bars and valve guides and the main axleboxes where appropriate. The steam oil is distributed to the valve bobbins and glands via an atomizer as per full size.
Wheel patterns have arrived and they are now available. They have been cast with the flat face so that when they are turned the distinctive star pattern created by the spokes emerges. They also have the correct V-rims and oval spokes and incorporate the pads on the spokes for the balance weights. The balance weights come as a laser cut set.
The bogie wheels have the correct enlarged thrust boss on the rear and the tender and trailing truck wheels have the thrust boss on the outside.
A complete set coupling and connecting rods and motion can be provided CNC machined. The set also includes the slide bars. The coupling rods can be provided either fluted or fish bellied depending on the period being modelled. Locos 70000 to 70029 were all built with fluted rods originally but when problems arose with wheels coming loose it was decided to change the design to solid rods. A lot of the earlier locos were retrospectively fitted with solid rods. One photo at least shows one loco with a fluted rod at the front and solid one at the rear! Again, the period being modelled is critical.
The boiler design is completely new and the external dimensions are to the works drawings outline but the inside has been designed to take an eight element superheater similar to the 2-6-4 Tank. The combustion chamber is a similar shape to the full size firebox so that the whole of the inside is accessible in case of leaks. This means that the correct cab can be fitted. The only people making the new boiler to our design so far are Southern Boiler Works where Paul Tompkins has made all new formers to achieve the correct shape.
A laser cut smokebox barrel has been provided with the cut away on top to give access to the superheater header as per full size. From the rear of the chimney the whole top of the smokebox can be lifted off if built to the drawings. The ash pan will also be provided as a laser cut set of parts but the drawing for this has not been completed yet. A complete set of laser cut parts will also be provided for the side platforms, steps and front platforms.
70024 to 29 were paired with the BR1A tenders which carried 7 tons of coal and 5,000 gallons of water. These tenders can be identified by the higher water dome than the BR1.
70045 to 54 were all paired with the high sided BR1D tender with steam coal pusher which carried 4,725 gallons of water and 9 tons of coal, and the remainder had a variety of BR1A, BR1G and BR1H tenders depending on whether they were fitted with draught screens or not. A complete set of parts is already available for the tender underframes including laser cut frames and stretchers (ready formed) and castings for all the fittings. The tender tank kit will be available shortly for the BR1D high-sided tender and this will be followed by the BR1A type.
Regarding yellow axleboxes. There were no yellow axlebox covers on and BR Standard tenders until after 1961. Experiments were carried out under the watchful eye of Dennis Monk at Derby in 1960 to change the axlebox lubrication from oil to grease lubrication. To identify the ones changed he asked for the covers to be painted yellow. He never gave any instruction for red stripes to be painted across. This change increased tender mileage from about 14,000 to 60,000 miles and, therefore, others were changed but not all of them. Most BR Standard locos had black tender axlebox covers until they were scrapped so be careful when painting your loco. Very few locos if any had yellow axlebox covers with the earlier BR tender totem.
