# Bassett Lowke Titley Court in Gauge 1



## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

Here is my newest steamer that arrived via the big brown truck this morning. Bing for Bassett Lowke GWR Titley Court 4-6-0. Smithies boiler(professionaly reboilered a few years ago), fuel and water tank with hand pump in the tender. Slip eccentric reversion, twin cylindered. Cab has sight glass, blow down, throttle and blower control. Lubricator tank at the front has a pipe facing forward with a cap that can be removed to use the last of the steam at the end of the run to blow the oiler down. About the same size as my Aster Reno, but much heavier in weight. Cant wait to raise steam tomorrow. No more gas burners for me, all alcohol fired here now. Mike


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## voxnut (Jul 16, 2008)

Nice score! Congrats!


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

Some more photo fun, to darn hot to do much else here today. The photo bomber is Maxwell the Golden Retriever.


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## Bob in Mich (Mar 8, 2008)

Mike, looks great, Both Your Engines and Your Layout. You will have to cume up to Michigan and run with Us


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

For those who might be interested, Bing produced these locomotives for Bassett Lowke from 1924 until the outbreak of the war in 1939.
It was ONLY available in Gauge 1 and in live steam.
Congratulation Mike on having a very nice model.
Regards,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

Thanks David. Maybe you can shed some light on a stamped mark on the tender frame under the fuel tank.


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Hello Milke,
I'm sorry, I have no idea.
Do you think that the tender is original?
It might be the builder of the replica tender if it is not original.
The only pictures that I have show the tender with the early GWR crest, not the one on yours.
Perhaps you should contact the Bassett Lowke society and ask them.
All the best,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

All of those are a possiblity David, so many years have passed since she was new. The tender is of the same heavy build quality but I do think its been refinished at some point as the shade of GWR green is slightly different. But then the heat of the boiler can do things to paint pigment over time to, so who's to say. There is no BL decal on the rear of the tender like many models from BL have that I have seen. These were almost a bespoke model back then due to cost, and I suspect hand built by Bing to order for BL. I have a few feelers out to a couple folks in the society trying to see if the boiler is original. From the description of what BL did, reboilering the once pot boilered models to improve them, that might be what the dealer ment in the description. It looks good and at some point, I will probably have the locomotive repainted, but for now she looks good like she is, with the patina of age. Gonna try to steam up tomorrow, she had a 1/8th glass of water in her when she arrived, so she has been run not to long ago. I found something to use as a pump handle for the tender pump, I got the fuel and water lines then the drawbar reconnected. Need to find someone to reproduce me some lamps and brackets to fit to the slots on the top of the buffer beam. Or some GWR style castings and JB weld them to some sheet brass brackets to slide into the slots. Mike


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## fredlub (Feb 7, 2010)

David Leech said:


> For those who might be interested, Bing produced these locomotives for Bassett Lowke from 1924 until the outbreak of the war in 1939.
> It was ONLY available in Gauge 1 and in live steam.
> Congratulation Mike on having a very nice model.
> Regards,
> David Leech, Delta, Canada


A small correction: Bing had to stop making trains in 1933 since it was a Jewish company.
I have a 1940 Bassett Lowke catalogue in which the Titley Court is still shown. 
So I wonder whether all these were old stock of Bing locomotives or that Bassett Lowke or Wintheringham or another maker made these.
I do not know what the marking RHM is, but that might be the builder.

Further: it is a beautiful item!

Regards
Fred


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

I have read that the Titley Courts that were converted to internal firing were done in house and were left over stock that did not sell from the initial run pre 1933. Apparently by that time, better internal fired models were putting a dent in sales of Bassett Lowke's external fired pot boilers with their easily blown out vaporizing burners. I have also read that the German built models were less popular after the war and many Bassett Lowke models had their production moved inhouse in the UK instead of Germany. Mike


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

fredlub said:


> A small correction: Bing had to stop making trains in 1933 since it was a Jewish company.
> I have a 1940 Bassett Lowke catalogue in which the Titley Court is still shown.
> So I wonder whether all these were old stock of Bing locomotives or that Bassett Lowke or Wintheringham or another maker made these.
> I do not know what the marking RHM is, but that might be the builder.
> ...


Fred, you are of course correct.
My brother, Ted, produced the Bing for Bassett Lowke table in "The Bassett Lowke Story" book by going through all the catalogues and listing what was offered each year, and other sources, so it is not a question of when they were built, but rather when they were listed in the catalogues.
I seem to recall him having both the 'low pressure' and the 'high pressure' versions at different times.
Not sure why he missed the 1940 date though, but then the table only goes to 1939!
Regards,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

I need to get me a copy of that book for my collection. And she does steam well, I only had to replace the fiber gasket on the alcohol tank filler cap, it had perished and was replaced with a nice O ring. No alcohol leaks, fire drew very nice with very little blower use and quickly up to steam on a half glass of water(for a short and quick indoor test firing). Very nice pronounced chuff on the rolling road as well. . Mike


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## Ray Cadd (Dec 30, 2008)

Mike, congratulations, that's a good looker (I'd not repaint it, I think the patina is an important part of what makes it what it is, but of course, not my call) Can you post a cab pic?


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

I agree on the patina really making it special, here is a cab pic Mike


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=73rG4WqPBuw


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## fredlub (Feb 7, 2010)

Just for information; two pages of the BL catalogue, first 1932, second 1940:



















Regards
Fred


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

Nice pics Fred, I will post one later of the internally fired version. It was more expensive, 20 pounds vs 13 pounds in my 1936 catalog


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Mike,
Correction.
That's 13 Guineas, (13 pounds and 13 shillings) NOT pounds!
I wonder why the more expensive version was also not priced in Guineas!
You perhaps had to pay more for yours though.
All the best,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## backyardRR (Aug 14, 2012)

The "Guinea" was indeed 1 Pound, 1 Shilling. Why have a denomination so close to the Pound? The upper classes would rather buy things in Guineas instead of the common Pound. Clearly, these locomotives were directed at the "toffs" who understood 12 Pounds 12 Shillings to be 12 Guineas. Quite a sum for the time. BTW, 20 Shillings to a Pound pre-decimilisation.


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

If I am correct, thats the symbol for pounds or atleast it is in the modern day. If you can enlarge the pic, the descripton talks about the gentlman that originally ordered the bespoke internally fired version that spurred BL to convert most of the unsold pot boiler models to internal fired Smithies(water tube) type boilers. A much better arrangement as I never had luck with the vaporizing burners. Outdoors they tend to blow out, on the rolling road they tend to overheat the internal fuel tank and a vapor fire in the cab happens in short order. Not to say I wont own another. I think the next BL engine on my list is a clockwork or electric gauge one. If I can find an electric powered model, I will convert it to onboard battery power. Need a nice UK engine to run when I dont want to raise steam. Mike


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Mike,
I had the same idea to add battery power to this electric Bing Canadian Pacific loco, but the early wheels to not like the modern switches, so it just has to sit on the shelf.
I should add that Bing never built such a model and my brother built it up from various bits and pieces.
Cheers,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

Good looking vintage build David! I checked the Titley Court, and it goes thru my LGB turnouts just fine, both on straight rail and thru the divirging route. I will keep my eyes open for one of the electric GWR or LMS engines when my next bonus check comes. Unless another nice live steamer pops up, but I really want a vintage UK non live steamer for those days I dont wish to run steam or have time to. Mike


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

Doing some cleaning and rewicking the engine, she really stunk when lighted. Wicks are old and way to long. But, as we can see here, this is not a Smithies boiler, but a JVR Type C with 3 fire tubes.


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## du-bousquetaire (Feb 14, 2011)

Great find Mike. I wouldn't be surprise if what you just said in your last post be true. My first live steam loco was a Bing for Basset Lowke GNR Atlantic bought in 1975 which was equiped with a pot boiler and vapouriser burner which would blow out in very slight breeze. After restoring it I swapped with a collector for an Aster PLM pacific which was much more what I needed. I liked the GNR esthetics and almost went to modeling British prototypes then, but the paint would burn off under the boiler (A problem which also plagues Smithies boilers near the bottom of the front throat sheet) and it wouldn't steam in the slightest breeze. One funny incident once was when we lit it and then a thunder shower hit us, so we rushed inside. When the shower was over we walked out in the sunshine and lo and behold the loco was blowing off! The wind hadn't been too bad and it had kept getting steam up during the shower. On these the meth tank was under the cab, not in the tender with the more advanced chicken feed system. Another funny coincidence is that the loco eventually ended up in the hands of another gauge one live steam enthusiast whom I know; so I was able to suggest that I make the three missing buffer heads; which I hadn't done during the prior restoration not having a lathe then. During a few weeks it was at my home again and I made photos of it on my now defunct line in Valmondois a line which she had never seen finnished at the time of the swap. But I couldn't fire it for fear of burning the paint over the burner...


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

My friend Steve has a Corgi/Basset Lowke O gauge Stainer Mogul in LMS crimson, blackening the paint is the one reason he has yet to fire up the model. Not that those have the collectablity of the original ones. If I come across one of those O gauge reissues, I thought about a small ceramic gas burner or a proper wick burner with chicken feed tank in the tender as I really dislike those vaporizing burners. I have had a few of those in the past that created cab fires. The internally fired boiler set up is one of the major reasons I chose this model, along with its stunning looks. My guess is my model was a Smithies boiler and it got reboilered sometime in the distant past. No way to know who or when it was done. 

If our local steam group had dual gauge track on the portable layout, I would shift to vintage O gauge in the garden as there is much more selection for UK rolling stock and much easier to digest prices in that scale. Affording to do both, isnt an option either. At one time, a gentleman in the live steam community produced rail "chairs" that you drilled a hole in each tie, then slide the common code 332 rail into it to achieve dual gauge track. This was prior to companies offering dual gauge track on the market. Mike


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## fredlub (Feb 7, 2010)

I see no reason not to fire up a BL LMS red (Corgi) mogul:





And I also made multi gauge track using Tenmille parts.










Regards
Fred


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## du-bousquetaire (Feb 14, 2011)

Actually it is surprising that you found this loco in the US. John Van Riemsdijk often explained to me that the origins of a good deal of the G1MRA, came from British enthusiast finding good deals on pre war Basset Lowke engines on sale after the war as dealers tried to clear the shelves of these hitherto expensive models to make room for the more easely accessible O and OO gauge models wanted at the time. This led them to practice live steam in gauge one. Once these locomotives had been worn out they had to reboiler them and even to make sometimes new cylinders for them, new meth tanks, pumps, etc, so they developped model engeneering skills then very common in England as evening class training was often locally available. And that is how a good part of the hobby developped in pre Aster and Wilag days. It is surprising that this loco found itself in the US perhaps bought on E bay after the death of its original owner and rebuilder. I think JVR owned one of these. It might be one of his...
I have three of his ex engines one of which he built from scratch. He was a mechanical genius. finding often very bright solutions to real chalenging problems. And a wonderful person missed by all who knew him.
By the way David that CP pacific kitbashed from an old Bing is a gem of a loco and looks very good.


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

I bought her from a UK dealer. Models like this are rare in the states. However I find UK steam locos more attractive than the mostly black monsters we had here.


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

I wish I could have met JVR. I have read many of his articles and about his relationship with Aster. I have an early Aster model, the Reno 4-4-0. I plan to get a few more early UK tinplate trains as funds permit.


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

I got Titley Court thru The Station Masters Rooms. Excellent service and he has the most gauge one live steam I have seen at one dealer


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Mike Toney said:


> I got Titley Court thru The Station Masters Rooms. Excellent service and he has the most gauge one live steam I have seen at one dealer


And his prices are pretty scary too.


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

Must not be to scary, as even the high dollar Asters sell pretty quick. With the exchange rate, it does hurt a bit, but not like it did before brexit hurt the value of the pound


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