This attractive LSWR Adams Radial locomotive was built in 5” gauge by D Beale and shown at the Harrogate exhibition in 2013. The LSWR 415 class was designed by William Adams and introduced in 1882 for service on the London and South Western Railway. It was based on a 4-4-0 design with a trailing axle added to support an enlarged coal bunker, necessary for the busy suburban services of the LSWR network. It had a 4-4-2T wheel arrangement, with the trailing wheels mated to a radial axlebox working in a corresponding curved hornblock, located near the middle of the chassis. The device was originally invented in 1863 by William Bridges Adams (no relation) and could be applied to a leading or trailing axle but was mostly used in trailing mode.

For suburban traffic, the 415 class was replaced by Dugald Drummond's M7 class, and the class was sent to work rural lines. Most of the Adams Radials were scrapped around the end of World War I, and the remainder were due to be withdrawn by 1929. However, the class was noted for its long service on the Lyme Regis branch line, and three members of this long obsolete class continued there until 1962, when suitable replacements became available. One has survived into preservation on the Bluebell Railway.

The Adams Radial has been modelled in many gauges. The design in 5” gauge is by the late George Mooney and is available together with castings from GLR Kennions, named Combpyne, after one of the East Devon villages on the Lyme Regis line.

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