The Company Steam Locomotives~'Jenny'.

Though there is a condensed company history on the previous page you may need to know more about our company steam locomotives. 'Jenny' has a certain 'home-made' look about her but was originally made in the middle 1890's by a large iron founders in the Black Country. (English Midlands) The locomotive was the sole company locomotive for around 25 years until joined by the geared locomotive on the next page. The locomotive was named after the company chairman's wife and is painted in one of the company colours, in this case...'Tank Green'... a ex. War Department job lot from World War II sold cheap. In reality the engine is a Roundhouse 'Millie' very much altered by the company workshops to make it into a 7/8" scale locomotive. The most important new fitting is the Mann gas valve, (that bright brass 'bit' by the dog's right ear in one of the picture's below) that is fitted with a 'chapter ring' so I can 'dial up' the gas flow rate to regulate the steam pressure, and far as possible not get that wastefull blowing off at the safety valve as seen on far too many model locomotives! The chapter ring also gets me great dead slow running which look's far more realistic than the usual frantic running speed seen on so many live steam videos! I need the 'chapter ring' as I have a BAD hearing loss and cannot hear the gas coming out of the gas tank. The Mann valve/chapter ring was made for me by Mike Ousby of Acme Engineering to whom I offer my very great thanks! The next improvement is a Summerlands 'Chuffer' which the extended chimney help's to make loud 'chuffs'....or so my family TELL me!! Mike Ousby also made me a new improved lubricator drain plug (no burnt fingers) with a small 'tommy-bar' so the old oil emulsion can be blasted out with the last few pounds of steam pressure all over the track bed...(what fun!) The after sales service of Roundhouse Engineering is wonderfull. I can say this as I am a ex. Merlin Monarch owner who remembers the utterly awfull after sales service offered by Tom Cooper once he had one's money in his bank account!! Amongst many other improvements are...wooden cab floor/multi-height wooden buffer beams/Rosco lubricators plus scale oil pot/dummy Talisman whistle/higher chimney stack/sand box on boiler top/proper coal bunker/Regner steam whistle/steam pipe for photographic 'steamy' pictures!/new weather-shield and a lot more things! It's down to that old 'imagination' thing as mentioned on the previous page! I had to 'bash' my 'Millie' as I could not justify spending £1000+ on a Harvey Watkins type 7/8" scale engine like so many modellers seem to do, plus the fact that I did not want my locomotive look like so many other engine's as there is a 'sameness' about a lot of them. The locomotive (in its old form) featured on the front cover and a inside article in the 16mm Association magazine issue No. 119~February 2007 concerning my outfit. The pictured (below) dog...who goes by the name of 'Neil'..is there to 'try' to clear the numberous pigs off the track as the train proceeds if the steam whistle does not do its job! The pigs are usefull as they are a cheap way of keeping the trackbed clear of vegetation...(5/3/2010) plus (20/08/2010)

Here are two pictures of the locomotive weather-shield type cab. The Mann valve and chapter-ring is the bright brass ring by the dog's ear! You can also see the Regner steam whistle close to the weather-shield. (its that brass bit with a black base) (22/3/2010)

Front and rear end-on picture's of the newly out-shopped engine are shown here. Six foot tall Steve now show's off how small these locomotives really are. The cream in the inside of the weather-shield look's really life-like I think! (22/3/2010)