Steamcraft V2 body

[locomad2]

Recently at a local toy fair i purchased a very fine  V2 metal body and tender, it came with a ill fitting and wrongly added  4-6-2 triang chassis with X04 motor.

 

I assumed it was a home made kit of some sort, very well made accurate, straight good looking kit body and tender my plan is to fit a well made chassis etc, I've the correct wheels, frame motor etc just need the value gear. 4-6-2 chassis will do something else.

 

However while looking for model railway stuff on  "you tube" noticed a clip about a  "Steamcraft"  V2 live OO locomotive I now believe this body from Live steam OO model, missing boiler, burner and chassis.

 

 

 

 

Steamcraft products where made by David Taylor from Lancashire in early 80's I believe he made several batches OO steam models, King, Princesses, Spam Can and a V2, prehaps more. He also made narrow gauge O plus O gauge live steam

 

You tube clip

 

https://youtu.be/ThoV_hjR0Ew

[Captain Slough]

Mid 90s, a trader on the Hemel Hempstead antique market showed me 2 live steam engines that he said were Steamcraft. One was a King, and the other was an 8F - which is something I've never seen again. Google mentions A4s and streamlined coronations as possible Steamcraft products but not a word of an 8F

 

Wish I could have afforded to buy one. I couldn't even come close.

Edited March 17, 2023 by Captain Slough

[railroadbill]

Interesting YouTube clip. I vaguely remember seeing these demonstrated on a demo track at an exhibition in what must have been  early 1980s according to the dates given when they were made. The loco I remember was a Bulleid pacific which would have had reasonable room inside for the mechanism. I believe they had an oscillating cylinder and gear drive. It was in unpainted brass like the v2  so maybe they were all like that?  It must have made some impression on me, think it was pretty expensive. However, the brass body looked well proportioned and detailed from what I remember.

The V2 looks really good and just crys out for a decent chassis!

 

The YouTube vid looks like it was filmed at Ally Pally as there's a glimpse of the organ. I did think he was pushing his luck later in the vid running it round the kitchen table!!

 

Looking forward to seeing your finished  (electric) v2.

 

[Flying Pig]

7 hours ago, Captain Slough said:

Mid 90s, a trader on the Hemel Hempstead antique market showed me 2 live steam engines that he said were Steamcraft. One was a King, and the other was an 8F - which is something I've never seen again. Google mentions A4s and streamlined coronations as possible Steamcraft products but not a word of an 8F

 

Wish I could have afforded to buy one. I couldn't even come close.

 

From 2:03 in the linked video.  Is that a Steamcraft 8F or something unrelated?

 

[locomad2]

I've tried to do research on Steamcraft and it's still on going hopefully will get soon a copy of Model train collector March 2012 an article about David Taylor and Steamcraft of Southport Lancashire.

 

My interest on OO steam goes back to my grandfather who after the War in late 1940's tried to construct "Dock tank" ? A 0-4-0 live steam featured in Model Engineer I've still got original article and some bits, at the time and after a few doubters claim it wasn't possible, ye it is I've seen a working model some 40 years ago at a Manchester show.

 

Unfortunately lots of indoor events ban "live steam" worrying about H&S insurance etc etc, however did see one of Steamcraft locos , I think a King or castle, outside model railway show in a car park running round on HD 3 rail track pulling about 5 metal 3 rail H D coaches.

 

From what I've seen YouTube, Google etc Steamcraft in OO made a Coronation, Princess, black 5, 8F, spam can, King, V2 and possible more.  Quite a lot sold in USA . Apparently he set the company up with "back to work"  loan or grant from Job centre. At first imported brass body's from Japan but been HO didn't sell well, then he started using brass plate OO bodies, the locos were not cheap at about £250 in 1982. 

 

The piston was osslating in smoke box driving a drive shaft to centre axle, boilers been copper silver soldered but other types existed too.

 

Towards end of production bodies where sold to be completed as kits using electric motors either plate thin brass or cast brass. Seen a few adverts in model press about 1982 advertising these, Spam cans were brass cast and very similar to Wrenn bodies apparently an almost perfect fit.

 

 

 

[sncf231e]

Steamcraft issued a catalogue somewhere in the eighties which I remembered I have, so I searched and found it:

 

There are two pages of general information:

 

And a description of the products (no V2 in this catalogue): A4, Bulleid Pacific, Bavarian S3/6, American Q2 2-10-2 and some larger locomotives (o gauge and up). Here the Bulleid Pacific:

Regards

Fred

Edited March 17, 2023 by sncf231e

[John Isherwood]

9 minutes ago, sncf231e said:

 Here the Bulleid Pacific:

Regards

Fred

 

That Bulleid Pacific is a Kitmaster / Airfix plastic kit - or a VERY good reproduction of one in some other material.

 

CJI.

Edited March 17, 2023 by cctransuk

[sncf231e]

Quite different I think (well, it is also a Bulleid Pacific):

Regards

Fred

[John Isherwood]

19 minutes ago, sncf231e said:

Quite different I think (well, it is also a Bulleid Pacific):

Regards

Fred

 

In which ways, pray?

 

To my eyes, your photo emphasises the fact that the two models are identical!

 

In fact - it is evident that the 'Steamcraft' model has had the rear tender steps attached to the locomotive, in front of the cylinders in error!

 

The tender section of the cab roof has also been omitted.

 

CJI.

Edited March 17, 2023 by cctransuk

[sncf231e]

48 minutes ago, cctransuk said:

 

To my eyes, your photo emphasises the fact that the two models are identical!

 

 

Identical? 

In fact - it is evident that the 'Steamcraft' model has had the rear tender steps attached to the locomotive, in front of the cylinders in error!

 

The tender section of the cab roof has also been omitted.

 

There are much less rivets on the Steamcraft loco body.

 

And both are models of a Bulleid Pacific.

 

Regards

Fred

[John Isherwood]

1 hour ago, sncf231e said:

Identical? 

In fact - it is evident that the 'Steamcraft' model has had the rear tender steps attached to the locomotive, in front of the cylinders in error!

 

The tender section of the cab roof has also been omitted.

 

There are much less rivets on the Steamcraft loco body.

 

And both are models of a Bulleid Pacific.

 

Regards

Fred

 

As you wish - there are none so blind .......

 

CJI.

[locomad2]

Looking at the body again working out dimensions for the chassis discovered that the Hornby Dublo drawing page 316 by Foster (bible) is 1/2 inch longer than this model, then discovered some 5 built with a  1 foot longer  boiler, learn something new ever day. However body comforms to other drawing.

 

Just so happens that suitable chassis i had is the longer version typical !