Nigel Lawton 009 War Department Light Railway Simplex

FEATURES
    Full 12V dc operation
    Complete kit with motor, reduction mechanism and couplings
    Scale model - highly detailed - click on the photos for close-ups.
    Etched nickel-silver chassis, etched brass body parts.
    Cast exhaust, radiator, couplers & WW1 driver figure.
    Couplings at standard 009 height
    Precision finescale (RP25) wheelsets
    Overall dimensions 19.3mm (W) x 35mm (L) x 20mm (H)
    Whitemetal driver included

Complete 20HP WD Simplex open cab kit - Ł75
Chassis only kit - Ł35
Chassis build/'get you running' service - Ł40
Postage (P&P) Rates for any quantity:-
Within the UK - Ł1.50
Anywhere outside the UK - Ł3
Payment by cheque on a UK Bank or postal orders payable to N. Lawton by post,
or using credit & debit cards & e-cheques or PayPal via my ONLINE SHOP please.

US Dollar/Euro/Yen pricing:-
20HP WD Simplex loco kit - $150. €116, Ą15,000
Chassis kit - $70, €54, Ą7,000
Chassis build/'get you running' service - $80, €63, Ą8,000

20HP WD Simplex or Bow framed Simplex

By mail order or online from:
Nigel Lawton
77 Katherine Way
Seaford
East Sussex BN25 2XF
United Kingdom
Email NigelLawton009@Yahoo.com

Shipping & Handling Rates for any quantity anywhere outside the UK:-
Option 1
Payment by US Dollar or Euro bills or online - US $6 or €5 S&H.

Option2
Payment by checks on USA based banks in $ and European banks in € or Wells Fargo international money orders in US $ payable to N. Lawton - US $16 or €13 S&H.
(Please note the additional handling charge of $10/€8 is to cover the Ł5 bank charge which is incurred when cashing non-UK Ł checks or Wells Fargo money orders).

Online Shop - CLICK HERE FOR FULL PRODUCT RANGE

* Chassis available seperately

Click here for PDF instructions
Click here for PDF parts list

The kit builds into a highly detailed scale model of a 20HP War Department Light Railway petrol tractor. Many hundreds of these locos were used in Northern France during the First World War to transport goods to and from the area two within 2 miles of and behind the allied trenches.

The prototype’s open frame construction presented a particularly difficult challenge in 4mm scale however the mechanism has been designed so that it does not detract from the appearance of the loco in any way. The model loco is constructed in two parts, a chassis and body although in this case because of its open construction ‘body’ is perhaps an exaggeration.

The chassis is formed of two nickel/silver frames connected by precision turned threaded spacers which allow the chassis to be dismantled without the need for un-soldering. This reduces the risk of assembling the kit substantially as you know that if you get it wrong at least you can take it apart and try again! The drive system consists of a two stage friction reduction drive followed by a single stage belt drive reduction with one belt to each wheel set mimicking the chain drive of the original. The drive utilises eight precision custom turned components in addition to the custom made outside journal wheel sets. A further four miniature custom turned bushes provide bearings for the wheel sets.

The body is formed mainly from etched brass components with castings for the main part of the radiator, the exhaust and couplings. A whitemetal driver in WW1 British uniform is also included with the kit. There are various sacrificial tabs and a large sacrificial strengthening section included in the design as an aid to construction and to protect the shape of the apparently fragile frame during assembly. In fact once assembled the body is very robust partly I believe because of the ‘bowed’ shape. Many detail overlays are added to the basic frame to reproduce rivet detail and representations of the visible parts of the engine and gearbox. The radiator comes complete with fan and fan belt pulley, I am still looking for a way to make the fan rotate!

The full colour instructions include photographs at each stage of the build and run to 8 pages of A4. They can be viewed here in full colour as a PDF file.

There are various spare parts included on the frets and further spares are available from me if you ‘ping’ anything, initially for postage costs only. I am available by email to answer any questions and deal with any problems you may experience with the kit. Ultimately if you have problems getting your chassis to run I will ‘get you going’ for a further charge.

There is some additional material about this kit on my upcoming products page.