For the last year or so I have been scheming out a 5" gauge model of the very first steam locomotive on the Isle of Wight - the old Cowes and Newport Railway "Pioneer" of 1861 vintage.
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| 'Pioneer' in 1901 |
| Drawn by Julian Atkins. Copyright 1995 and 2005 |
"Pioneer" was a 2-2-2 Well Tank engine supplied by Slaughter Gruning & Co of Bristol (later the Avonside Engine Co). Unfortunately, very little is known about the details of "Pioneer" and her sister "Precursor" but I was lucky to find an edition of the Locomotive Magazine of 1900 which contains the only contemporary details of these engines.
It has been a fascinating task trying to design the model - other than a few basic dimensions, I have had to rely on photographs and known details of other locomotives of a similar age. The original engine had five foot diameter driving wheels and a crank throw of only 8" and two small outside cylinders 13½" bore x 16" stroke. The model will have cylinders 1.1/16" bore x 1" stroke. The boiler will be virtually identical to the 5" gauge Terrier boiler designed by Martin Evans except that the various bushes will be in different locations and the firebox will be of full depth. Two crosshead pumps will feed the boiler and I will also try and find room to hide an injector. The original engine had a beautiful and very distinctive brass dome with two Salter spring balance safety valves and brass beading on the driving wheel splashers, and these details will be faithfully reproduced on the model.
Torquay Manor bogie wheels and Metro driving wheels have proved to be suitable wheel castings. I have a set of 2.1/2" gauge Atlantic cylinder castings which will also be ideal. In order to provide vital room for the firebox, I will fit Stephensons valve gear with launch type links - this will allow smaller eccentrics to be used.
The accompanying illustration shows the engine in its final years when the name plates had been removed, Westinghouse brake added, cab added, and the sandbox moved to a central position on the boiler. A stove pipe chimney replaced the earlier copper capped chimney. The engine was painted crimson red, the livery of the Isle of Wight Central Railway at that time. In the days of the old Cowes and Newport Railway both "Pioneer" and "Precursor" were painted light blue - not a colour that I particularly like.
After many years hard work, both "Pioneer" and "Precursor" were withdrawn in 1901 and scrapped in 1904 and I think it would be rather nice to recreate "Pioneer" in 5" gauge. I see no reason why the model should not be a good performer and it will have the added advantage of being easy to lift in and out of the car boot!