THE LIBERTY BELLE

Now for the good stuff: First, let's look at the Liberty Belle, a cooperative venture between Roundhouse Engineering of Dorcester and Brandbright, Ltd. of Norfolk, both in England. In essence, the Liberty Belle is a "tarted up" Roundhouse Fowler. Either, as with any Roundhouse locomotive, is a superb runner-in my opinion, among the best. Roundhouse designed the Liberty Belle for the American market. She is a 2-6-2 locomotive with a separate tender whereas the Fowler is an 0-6-2.

In common with many Roundhouse engines, the Liberty Belle is internally gas fired and comes with a pressure gauge and Walschaerts valve gear. That means you may control her direction by means of a "Johnson bar" inside the cab. Such an arrangement happens to be ideal for a servo if you decide to add radio control.

Liberty Belle's appearance seems to resemble that of a plantation engine and I consider her quite striking, mainly because I had a small hand in designing her "cosmetics". Yes, she is homely (in an appealing way) with her short tender, airy cab, and long nose but many find her charming. Her proportions prevent her from being a truly accurate replica but she is a 1:20 scale model (15mm per foot), perfect for representing a 3 foot narrow gauge engine on (45mm) Gauge 1 track.

THE WRIGHTSCALE PORTER

Wrightscale's 0-4-0 Porter saddletank switcher is a very attractive and accurate 1:20 scale model. It has fine detail, a cast brass frame (making her look nice and airy), and drivers with the proper spoke pattern (but no counterweights). Altogether, Wrightscale has produced a very convincing model of the prototype with abundant detail, from the accurately reproduced builder's plates to the doors on the headlamp.

The engine is internally gas fired and has a slip-eccentric valve gear. That means you must set the direction of travel by pushing the model a few inches. The Porter is a more challenging locomotive to run than some others. It requires patience and a gentle hand but your reward will be a smooth and slow running model.

The downside of the Wrightscale Porter is its delicacy. The fine detail, especially the brass frame, may wear out more quickly than that of another model and even may bend easily. The close tolerances of the fittings mean careful maintenance will be necessary.

Despite those apparent negatives, the Wrightscale Porter has loads of charm and should serve your railroad very well.

ARGYLE'S MODELS

For those preferring accurate scale models of specific prototype locomotives, Argyle Locomotive Works of Australia has a trio of beautiful offerings. The first is an elegant 1:20 scale version of Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes Forney Number 20 (originally Eustis Railroad Number 7). It has a lot of detail including full Stephenson valve gear and a sprung chassis. You may order it either in Gauge 1 or Gauge O (the latter, naturally, representing the correct two foot gauge of the prototype). The locomotive uses an internally gas-fired boiler, a standard throttle and Johnson bar, but also such additional niceties as a water sight glass, blowdown valve, drain cocks, and a really loud whistle.

If Number 20 is a little small for your tastes but you still want a Maine two footer, Argyle also makes a 1:20 scale model of Old Star. That was the locomotive Baldwin built as Number 1 for the Phillips and Rangeley Lakes Railroad; it later went to the Sandy River. It has all the features of the Forney but, since it has a tender, it includes a hand operated water pump. The pump on the tender allows a longer running time. Old Star also comes with a splendid teak cab, an optional Russia iron boiler, and brass boiler and dome bands. It is quite a smart looking locomotive.

I have saved the newest and most exciting model for last: Argyle's South Pacific Coast Number 3. It is a 1:20 scale classic 4-4-0 American with the same standard features as the two other models. The owner of Llagas Creek Railways, Gary Broeder, recently acquired the first SPC model to arrive in the United States. He says it runs exceptionally well.

It is good to see a manufacturer producing models from some less common railroads such as the SPC.

So, with all the locomotives I have described along with the excellent products from Aster, various other models from the United Kingdom, and Berkeley Locomotive Works in this country, live steam replicas of American (or, in some cases, "American style") locomotives are becoming a very viable option for satisfying outdoor railroading.