The Boland Belle - the "Pride of the Line"

indentThis wonderful old engine has seen better days and several rebuilds but remains in service for the simple reason that the gnomes are very fond of her.  Built in the form of two beam engines, with what might best be called a "barrel tank" to hold the water, it was found that mounting the cylinders on the footplate led to serious heat losses, since mitigated by the use of copious insulation.
indentThe model itself now has a Portescap fitted and a slipping cam which changes the direction of the driver's head so he can see where he's going!  This engine, along with a train of mixed stock, was exhibited at the prestigious Model Engineer Exhibition at the Crystal Palace in London, where it was awarded a Bronze Medal.  (I found this rather amusing since the best I had previously managed with conventional models was a "commended"!)