Kingscale GWR 14xx from China

[simplyloco]

One of our members arrived at the Club track yesterday clutching his new purchase: a 5" Kingscale 14xx, made in China, and jolly nice it looked too. It looked an absolute bargain at the price of £4995! However...

We couldn't push it along the track, so "It's probably a bit tight" was the consensus. it steamed up OK, but the fire died pretty quickly so a faster rate of stoking was needed. The front of the coal bin gets in the way when shovelling coal, it looks like a slot with a sliding door would be useful.  There was no injector either, just a hand pump and an axle pump. Lots of hex bolt heads unpainted and the odd crosshead screw was showing.

It took 30 psi before the wheels turned - quite suddenly I might add- and the clanking noises could be heard from the other side of the park. Lots of regulator was needed too. I had a feel of the coupling rod ends at bdc, and the up/down float was somewhat excessive - huge in fact - but it was  tight at tdc. "Quartering problem?" said I.

I left then to play with my new toy as well. I got this email this morning:

Hello John,

Well the consensus of opinion is that she has a serious problem with either her quartering or the crankpin alignment or an issue inside the frames. Whatever she is going back for it to be sorted. Very disappointed now!

Cheers, Cxxx


Hmnn...
John

www.kingscalelivesteam.co.uk/gauge5.php

[chrisb]

Hmm it appears this outfit are based a Braunston in Northamptonshire, just up the road from Daventry. I wonder if there is any connection with previous failed M.E. kit companies from that area?

[charley]

lakes-pages.com/gauge3.co.uk/G3Forum/index.php?board=91.0

Hope this link works. I contribute on this forum and there are threads on the Kingscale Models therein.

I think they are designed in the UK I remember seeing an advert recently in a well thumbed copy of The Railway Magazine for a Streamlined Coronation. I think it set you back about £5k in April 2014.

I know there's a Brit manufactured by Kingscale as well.

Charley

[ruston165]

I believe that the chap who ran Modelworks set up again as Kingscale, ive heard lots of good things about the gauge 3 locos and they certainly do look stunning, now he has ventured back into the larger gauge with this 14XX...., new design? Or old design? Or surplus stock from past experience thats been built up and sold as RTR? You can buy a "sorted" modelworks 14XX running for the same price or less.


Lee

[dscott]

We had a Modelworks 1400 over the last running day, still lots of problems!!
This time it was the regulator that seemed to use a cam and a ball which was
not lifting enough?? So easy to do the two discs with one rotating!!!
Then the tank fillers were too small on the inside!! Then we all gave up???