L&Y/LMS/BR Radial Tank (Belpaire firebox)

The long bunker Radial Tanks were designed by Aspinall to give increased coal and water capacity, but were otherwise identical to the short bunker version. They were originally equipped with round top firebox, non superheated boilers, but by the grouping some had Belpaire firebox boilers, both saturated and superheated. Hughes continued to build the same basic design with saturated Belpaire boilers and extended smokeboxes, although they can be identified by a narrower footplate valance. Both types could later be found with superheated Belpaire boilers. These also had the chimney set further forward on the smokebox. Otherwise there were little changes to their appearance through their working lives, other than the replacement of Ramsbottom safety valves with the Ross "pop" type. Around 110 of the various versions were built and all of them passed into LMS ownership, when some were fitted for motor train working. Over thirty made it to BR ownership. Altogether over three hundred Radial Tanks were built by the L&Y, making them the largest class of this type to be found on a British railway.

The kit comprises an etched brass body with an etched nickel silver chassis, cast brass and whitemetal fittings; and turned sprung buffers of the Hughes pattern. The boiler is supplied ready rolled, thus removing the only major forming process involved in assembling the kit. Parts are supplied to enable either the long or short bunkered versions to be built.

The model represents the Aspinall design with the deeper footplate valances, but can readily be converted to the Hughes version by replacing the etched valance with "L" brass to represent the shallower valance.

To complete the model you will require wheels, motor, motor-mount and gears. If using an axle springing system you will also require a hornblock system, such as our own cast brass variety.

You can download a pdf version (which requires Adobe Acrobat to be read) of the instructions for this kit by clicking here

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