# New Year, New Aster.



## AsterUK (Jan 2, 2008)

MLSers may be interested to know that Aster have announced a new UK outline model.

http://www.asterhobbies.co.uk/pages/models/Class_5.htm

Hans Huwyler and his dealers will be handling North American Sales and Aster Europa will look after Continental Europe. I will be looking after customers in the UK as usual.

We hope to post some YouTube videos when the snow clears away.


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## Dave -- Use Coal (Feb 19, 2008)

Will we be able to see one at Diamondhead?


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Beautiful!

'City of P'boro' lives just up the road from me...... 

tac
www.ovgrs.org


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## AsterUK (Jan 2, 2008)

Dave, I am not able to get to Diamondhead this year and it is too late to get a sample across to Hans. The prototypes have only just become available and we have testing to do. However we'll do our best to get a sample to Hans for the Spring Steamups at Dr Rivets track.


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## AsterUK (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi Terry (TAC)

Here are my team members measuring up City of Peterborough last Febraury in the snow. I was in the Cafe having a nice cup of tea.


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Andrew
Great to hear the news, should add a bit of excitement to the steamup; even better if you were coming along with it!


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By AsterUK on 07 Jan 2010 02:38 PM 
Hi Terry (TAC)

Here are my team members measuring up City of Peterborough last Febraury in the snow. I was in the Cafe having a nice cup of tea.








Should have asked me to help out - I might not have green wellies but 

a. I'm cold-proof.

b. I make a better mug of tea than they do up there.

c. I could have been there in about a quarter of an hour.

d. I can sharpen pencils with the best of them...

tac
www.ovgrs.org


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Hi Andrew,
Congratulations.
Glad to see that you have the determination to keep producing Aster models for the UK in these uncertain economic times.
At least the UK will keep getting NEW Aster models! 
The two helpers seem to have very grey hair.
Were they that way 'before' they started helping you???
Are you willing to tell us who they are? 
All the best,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## Alan Wright (Jan 9, 2008)

Posted By tacfoley on 07 Jan 2010 02:50 PM 
Posted By AsterUK on 07 Jan 2010 02:38 PM 
Hi Terry (TAC)

Here are my team members measuring up City of Peterborough last Febraury in the snow. I was in the Cafe having a nice cup of tea.
Should have asked me to help out - I might not have green wellies but 

a. I'm cold-proof.

b. I make a better mug of tea than they do up there.

c. I could have been there in about a quarter of an hour.

d. I can sharpen pencils with the best of them...

tac
http://www.ovgrs.org/

Hi Terry and Andrew,

First congratulations Andrew and I am sure it will be a fine locomotive as all Asters are. Terry, I'll bet you would look great in green wellies.

I knew the original loco well. In the 1970s I was employed in the Central Design Office of British Sugar in Peterborough before I emigrated to Canada and the then unnamed Standard class 5 loco was stored in the factory yard for several years until the Nene Valley Railway was fully formed and running. The engine was owned by the Reverand Richard Patten.

In the late 1970s factory started up as normal in September to process the sugar beet crop but one of the two new boilers in the plant suffered a burner explosion before the second boiler had been commisioned. The City of Peterborough was fired up after being piped up to the plant and several of us managed to earn some blisters firing the stationary loco. Fortunately the second boiler was put into service in a few days and all was well.

Alan Wright


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## AsterUK (Jan 2, 2008)

Alan, Terry and David.

Thank you all for your kind words regarding the new Aster model. 

David, the two guys in the picture are John Fuller and Phillip Taylor. Both are keen G1MRA members and Aster enthusiasts. John is my regular helper and has been with me since measuring up Lion in 1999 and Phillip is my detail researcher. To get these models as accurate as possible we need the best people. I have been very lucky to get dedicated folks.
Terry, the tea at the Nene Valley Railway (home of 73050 - City of Peterborough) was pretty awful so next time you are voted in as chief tea maker.
BTW. sometimes I escape the cosy confines of the Cafe to give the team some encouragement!


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## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

Beautiful machine. What is that on the right side under the cab?? Looks like a mini injector.

This looks like a BR mixed traffic 2-6-4 Tank. Are they related?

Thanks, Bob


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## Taperpin (Jan 6, 2008)

That wold be about right, management in the warm drinking tea and working stiffs in the snow doing the work! 

Gordon.


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Hi Bob, 
All the BR 'Standard' classes are related. 
Starting in 1948 under the direction of R.A.Riddles the new British Railways built 12 different 'Standards' designs. 
As they were all designed by the same team, they do have a very similar 'family' look to them. 
Many of the designs were just modifying an existing 'good' locomotive by standardising parts. 
All the best, 
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## AsterUK (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi Bob, the stuff under the cab in the last picture is Air Braking gear fitted in preservation. 
In their working lives these locos would have had vacuum ejectors for braking but on the Nene Valley Railway they have mostly air braked stock so locos have to be fitted for both systems.

As David says all 12 British Railways standard designs have close family likenesses. Three years ago Aster produced the BR 9f - Evening Star and this shows a strong resemblance to the BR 5MT. The BR 9F was designed for heavy mineral trains but the BR 5MT was designed for express passenger and fast freight operations.

Hope all that helps.

Andrew


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## David BaileyK27 (Jan 2, 2008)

Andrew, sorry to contradict you but the "thing" under the RH cab is the Exhaust Steam Injector. 
David Bailey www.djbengineering.co.uk


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## AsterUK (Jan 2, 2008)

David, yes on the model and the full-size it is the injector but in the photo of me waving my hands around it is the air braking gear. I have probably misunderstood Bob's question.


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## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks for the answers. I believe the U.K. profile is the most handsome on the rails. 

I saw that mechanism under the cab and wondered if it could be a LBSC mini injector. He designed and used one in Gauge 1 and Gauge 3. Don't really know how well they worked.


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## Chris Scott (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By AsterUK on 07 Jan 2010 01:47 PM 
MLSers may be interested to know that Aster have announced a new UK outline model.

http://www.asterhobbies.co.uk/pages/models/Class_5.htm

Hans Huwyler and his dealers will be handling North American Sales and Aster Europa will look after Continental Europe. I will be looking after customers in the UK as usual.

We hope to post some YouTube videos when the snow clears away.
























*Specification*
Two outside cylinders 13 mm x Stroke 22 mm
*Piston Valves driven by Walschaert valve gear fully reversible from cab*
Axle driven feed water pump and tender hand pump
Removable fuel tank in tender
Cab Controls: Regulator, blower, water gauge with blowdown, cylinder drain cocks, pressure gauge and water bypass control.
Boiler: Type C with two Safety Valves and fitted Superheater
Lubricator: Roscoe Displacement Type
Minimum Radius: 2 





Prototypically correct, at last! Walschaerts valve gear with piston valves as the Gods intended. :-D ;-)) 

Always wondered why all that Walschaerts valve gear and combination lever brew-ha-ha for prototypical correctness ignoring Aster's very non-prototypical use of slide valves. The insistence on _correcting _Accucraft's Walschaerts valve gear without correcting the slide valves replacing them with piston valves. Things like PTFE rings, CNC, etc. would seem to enable making piston valves equal to slide valves, or better in performance just like 1:1 size piston valves. That's what I read on a couple of other forums including G1MRA's. I just curious, that's all.


. . . :-0


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## AsterUK (Jan 2, 2008)

Followers of the UK live steam scene may find this YouTube of the forthcoming Aster BR 5MT of interest. 
It was a cold day 3C = 37F but good steam effects. Thanks to Geoff Calver for making the video and the use of his track.

BTW These are prototype Asters with known inaccuracies.

Andrew


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

...and THAT, Sir, sums up all we love about our little steam locos.

Congratulations on the new baby - I hereby prophesy that they will sell out.

tac
www.ovgrs.org
G1MRA 3641


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## AsterUK (Jan 2, 2008)

Thank you TAC (Terry) for your kind words. If you get yourself along to the EAG on Sunday then you will see Geoff Calver operating the green one. Ask Geoff to let you have a turn at the regulator - say I said you can!

Best wishes

Andrew


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By AsterUK on 30 Jan 2010 07:42 AM 
Thank you TAC (Terry) for your kind words. If you get yourself along to the EAG on Sunday then you will see Geoff Calver operating the green one. Ask Geoff to let you have a turn at the regulator - say I said you can!

Best wishes

Andrew










Thank you, Andrew, for your kind invitation, but with such short notice to attend your coming-out hooley, I'm afraid that I'll be planting trees in the village instead. Both are worthy causes, as I'm sure you'd agree.

Anyhow, it's a brave man who would trust his new-born baby to somebody like me. I'm the kind of guy who needs instructions with a spoon.

Best of luck with the run and please take more vids.

tac
www.ovgrs.org


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