Adams Radial

It seems that the most popular prototype locomotive in the UK is currently the Adams Radial. One manufacturer (Oxford Rail) has already announced a ready to run version, and there are rumours that another will do the same in a few days.

Some Aussies have been looking at the prototype for years and a fourth company started the research and then bailed out once it became clear the market was crowded. Bachmann also had a shuftie but felt the large number of variations was more trouble than it was worth.

Anyway, I thought I should get in on the action and have hauled an ancient Keyser kit out of the stash to have a look at.

Bought for 20 quid on a second hand stall a couple of years ago, this isn't a bad little project. Regular readers will remember it was in the running for the kit I'd build to cover my holiday but didn't make the cut. Mind you, the railcar that did hasn't progressed that much either...

No matter. The model, as you can see, is mostly assembled. The chassis is built and works pretty well. All I have to do is stick a few bits on it and paint. Another helpful step was to search on the web, where I found a photo of a model in a rather handsome early BR livery.

Of course, as a finescale modeller (stop laughing), I am concerned that I am being properly accurate. To this end, I did what everyone else does and e-mail the guru of all things railway south of the Thames, Graham Muspratt to find out what I'd got in my box of kit. He kindly responded:

Well the Radial is an interesting minefield...

The model you have so far has an Adams style boiler and safety vales with a Drummond chimney, luckily for you number 30584 with such an Adams boiler and chimney ran in unlined black with cream gills sans ‘British Railways’ lettering between April 1948 and May 1951.

So it looks like my plan has legs and I'm not going to be fighting transfers to apply mixed traffic lining. Mind you, it's my model and so if I want to paint it black... If you're not happy, get your own. It's not going to be difficult!