A future 'project'....the "Fell Diesel".

As if I hadn't enough work in the train room already, reading about the "Fell Diesel" has made me consider a scratchbuilt attempt in the near future. I have a few photo's, and I'm aware of the existence of a brass fret kit having been marketed a few years ago which I gather was none too accurate. I understand that the bogies were standard BR steam loco ones so Hornby spares might be useful there. For those unaware, the "Fell" started life as a 6 engined affair with mechanical transmission, two of the four engines powering "Rootes" type blowers and the cooling system for the main engines, the idea being that additional engines would cut in and out as power requirements dictated (Bombardier manufacture a similar style of loco currently it seems). As development continued, what started life as a 4-8-4 loco had problems and so the connecting rods between the 8 driving wheels were altered to a 4-4-4-4, this due to problems with the transmission. As with many engineering 'First's", it was sidelined after the transmission suffered serious damage, later being quietly broken up and forgotten, not unlike one of my previous projects, Bulleid's "Leader" loco. I guess it's because I have an interest in the 'Oddball/unusual' loco's that I'm daft enough to be drawn by these offbeat projects.......time will tell.
Keith.

 

I gather that cabs from a Class 37 body are useable on this project Toto, chassis will definitely be a scratchbuild though!
Keith.

 

Nah, I must have missed that one too, as I'm always keeping an eye open for "Interesting" kits!
Might be 'shopping' for a few bits at the York show especially if the Alan Gibson stand is there. (It was last year.)

 

Many thanks for the tipoff Rob, I'd heard that a model was 'in the pipeline', but not that it was already available. A quick email to Michael Edge to confirm availability, and my cheque is currently winging it's way to Barnsley. Michael mentioned that Chris Gibbon (High Level Kits) is or has already developed a motor/gearbox combination to allow for building the loco as a 4-4-4-4 (which is my intention) as obviously it will need to drive 2 separate pairs of driving wheels in synchronisation. As it happens, both 'High Level' and 'Alan Gibson' (for the wheelsets) will both be standing at the upcoming York Show, so I'll have a 'shopping list' on that Saturday!
I've already been able to download and print out the build instructions, and there is a short history of the loco which states:- "It was proposed for withdrawal in August 1958 because it was costing too much to maintain-not as usually reported, after an engine fire", though I'd previously read somewhere that it was due to the badly damaged specially made gearbox. Either way, BR obviously had intentions of standardising on Diesel/Electric rather than Diesel/Mechanical propulsion.
Keith.

 

Postie has just been and the parcel was my "Fell Diesel" kit from Judith Edge Kits. This is the first kit I've had from them, and having unpacked and had a look at the kit, I'm favourably impressed! Firstly, it's nicely packed in a stout box, the brass frets are tissue wrapped, small parts neatly bagged up and stuck to the wrapped frets, nothing rolling around in the box as the whole lot is then bubble wrapped. Unwrapping the frets, they are beautifully clean, crisp and shiny, definitely the best kit I've bought so far, brass wires are taped to the box, and plastic parts are separately bagged, as are lost wax castings, bearings and axles, these being 2mm shouldered axles, as this kit uses LMS Stanier tender wheels as the driving wheels for the correct diameter and appearance. The instructions are very clearly printed, 6 pages with 1 page a full set of drawings, far better than any other kit I've yet had.