Garden Railway Forum

Does anyone recognize this Loco and the builder of it?
I'd like to acquire or build a Hackworth Valve Gear Saddle Tank loco, but Roundhouse does not make a Hackworth Valve Gear chassis anymore. (Why?)

Several years ago I built a DJB ROBERT coal fired with a Roundhouse Hackworth Valve gear chassis, but it was a (functioning) side tank loco.
I sold it when I changed from Outdoors to Indoors Live Steam Operations.
Colorado winters are way too cold and snowy, and an Indoors SM32 layout can be run year round.

So if anyone has information about the loco pictured, or knows of a Roundhouse Hackworth Valve Gear chassis kit for sale, PLEASE contact me.

Is it a "robin" by John Prescott ?

It IS a Robin built by the late John Prescott. They came in both side tank and saddle tank forms, and in this case, coincidental names. He also did a version without tanks but with a tender called Wagtail.

Roundhouse no longer supply (their second incarnation of) Hackworth valve gear as none of their current products use it, or the specially-made inclined cylinders that they used with it.

Mr. Willmore, thanks for the info on why no more Roundhouse production, do you know of anyone building a saddle tank with Hackworth Valve Gear these days?
Other than Accucraft's Wren which is 7/8ths scale? (and has a wheel wobble production problem)
I suppose the John Prescott Robins are scarcer than hens teeth these days... although I don't see the slanted cylinders on his locos.

Sorry, I can't think of a commercially produced Hackworth valve gear loco available at the moment.

Prescott locos change hands for robust 4-figure values these days, unusual to find one where the first digit is a "1".

The first Roundhouse Hackworth gear appeared on Pooter. No angled cylinders on them. The second appeared on Carrie, with angled cylinders.
http://www.roundhouse-eng.com/ss09.htm

Thank you for your valued information

Once in a while, a Roundhouse "Bertie" appears here and there which has had its slip-eccentric valve-gear replaced with something more complicated. I have seen one with the Roundhouse Hackworth gear, which seemed to work OK without the angled cylinders. I don't know if RH would have any Hackworth components lying around that they would be willing to sell. Sometimes they do sell bits and bobs left over from other projects. It's a long shot, but a phone call is all it would cost.