'COAL TANK'  Class, No 2461

This model was constructed from an old K's white metal kit. The kit was only the third that K's produced and was introduced in 1958. I can remember when K's kits first appeared. They were a real advance in standards, they even had built-in rivet detail! I cannot recall when I acquired my kit, it was probably in the late 1970s, and it was not new then. I got round to building it in the early 1990s and by then it was rather antiquated.

There has always been a problem with shrinkage of white metal castings and in the case of this kit it manifested itself in the castings for the side tanks being of different lengths. I have no doubt the masters started out the same length but that was not how the castings finished up. Unfortunately I did not notice the difference until they were in position so I had to unfix the longer side and start hacking. It all goes to show that you cannot take the accuracy of any kit for granted and you need to check-measure everything, preferably before fixing it all together!

I added quite a lot of extra detail to the loco body including various handrails and the sanding operating gear. I threw away the original chassis and substituted one in etched nickel-silver from London Road Models and I fitted Romford wheels. Luckily they make Crewe pattern wheels of the correct size. The motor is an LH 21 driving the rear wheels.

The loco weighs 246grms and exerts a pull of 55grms.

  Side view of the 'Coal Tank'. If you look closely you can see the horizontal join between the two halves of the boiler     

The works of the 'Coal Tank'

K's original advertisement for the 'Coal Tank' that appeared in the April 1958 issue of Model Railway News

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