Prototype photos - John Fowler "Airdmillan" No.20763 of 1935

I've had a couple of people ask for reference photos of this loco at Woodford. Given that I've now uploaded reference photos of both this, and the B9½ 0-6-2, (Roundhouse Fowler's prototype) it might be worth doing the same with some other locos and wagons at Woodford..

Like most of the ANGRMS collection, Airdmillan was in poor shape after thirteen years sitting in a park. Thanks to the relatively dry climate at Woodford, the loco is in much the same condition as it was when we bought it in 1975. It looks worse than it really is, but we'll likely never get around to doing anything with it, due to having too large a collection and an extreme shortage of active hands. No shortage of armchair enthusiasts whinging about it all slowly returning to the earth, though.. It is a shame though, this was the very last steamer to leave Fowler works, after which they focused on building diesels.

If like me, you own a Roundhouse Bundaberg Fowler, then you too, may find these foggy morning photos to be a useful detailing reference - The "Bundies" being modified copies of this earlier Fowler.

Detailing your Roundhouse Fowler

When I built "Victoria", I decided that the loco should have some extra detail. So I needed plenty of measurements and reference photos. I was fortunate to have easy access to the only surviving prototype of the Roundhouse Fowler, (Works No.17110) through volunteering at the Woodford Railway.

My method of taking measurements for modelmaking is unconventional, but saves me a lot of time and hassle in attempting to draw on paper, "in the field", every single component or assembly being measured.

Additionally, they were never meant to be published, so some are a bit unprofessional-looking. It'll look like there's some duplicate photos, but they're not so. I had to take them that way, due to the light making the tape measure impossible to read in some places. This required several photos from slightly different angles/viewpoints to measure out everything in a given area. As such, one may find my methods difficult to work with. In addition to the photographs in this entry, I also found numerous others online. As I'm not the owner of those images, I can't reproduce them here.

I used this online scale conversion calculator to scale my measurements down to 1:20th. Scribbling down a few common conversions was very helpful.

Download the photos so you can zoom in on 'em and have a close look. That's what worked for me, anyway.

When I was planning "Victoria", I considered several options for the smokebox door and chimney. I often have a hard time visualising ideas, so I make mock-ups - either physical, or by editing photographs such as these.

The original concept for "Victoria" was to scratchbuild side tanks and fit fly cranks. This was the result of combining elements of several Jim Fainges drawings, and trying various liveries.

Hopefully these will be of use to others, rather than simply languishing on my hard drive.