A conjunction of (3D printed) Long Boiler Locomotives

Waiting for the 'off' with a contemporary goods train is 'Long Boiler' 0-6-0 'Sphynx', built by Sharp Stewart for the MS&LR in 1855. Also Waiting for the road is L&NWR No. 154, also a Long Boiler type, built by Robert Stephenson & Co. in 1847.

Both Locomotives in this picture and all of the stock are one-piece 3D prints in Sintered (SLS) nylon. No. 154 is the first of a new type with a 3D printed bevel drive gearbox in the locomotive, allowing the use of a very low cost '385' hobby motor and low cost Chinese sourced Radio and and Speed controller. Power is provided by two '18650' cells of the type used in some Tesla models.

Note about the 'Long Boiler' locomotive

The Long Boiler type was invented by Stephenson as a response to the much larger boiler sizes that were possible on Brunel's Broad Gauge Great Western Railway. This was achieved by putting all the axles in front of the firebox, allowing a much longer boiler barrel and correspondingly greater efficiency due to the greater heating surface. The type arose from the famous 'Gauge War' in 1847, where Stephenson's 'Great 'A'', direct predecessor of L&NWR No.154 (nearest camera) matched the performance of Gooch's 'Ixion' Firefly type 2-2-2 in every respect except, perhaps, stability. Long Boiler engines enjoyed a brief ascendency in the 1850's, being the most powerful locomotives on the 'Narrow' (ie., standard) gauge in their day, but suffered a fatal setback when one of them, the 'White Horse of Kent', ran off the road with the Astronomer Royal on the footplate! While they quickly vanished from British rails (Except on the NER), Long Boiler locomotives remained popular on the continent where speeds were lower, some surviving well into the 20th century.