BR (ex GWR) Castle class No. 5018 St. Mawes Castle

Mick Bayliss My loco collection
St. Mawes Castle
BR (ex GWR) Castle class No. 5018 St. Mawes Castle, as running circa 1954. This model was bought by myself from the Guild Executors & Trustee Service in a 60% finished state. That 60% however, has been superbly scratch built, in nickel silver by a person unknown. (Apparently the model was from the estate of a Mr. Leadbetter of Liverpool). Rivets have been expertly marked out and punched by hand. Other marking out is still visible inside the firebox. The wheels at that time were a real mystery. The bogie wheels are an odd miss-match and to this day remain a mystery. Most noteworthy though, the others are of exceptional quality, but they gave me headaches as to how to make use of them. Metal construction. All of them seem to be insulated, but I’m not sure how. Telescopic axles with tapered pins to set the quartering. Unusual crankpins, one pair no more than blank pins. In conclusion, to enable me to complete the build in a way that I am used to, I replaced them with ones from Slaters Plasticard. St. Mawes Castle has now been completed by myself, with a Slaters motor and gear unit and with working representation to give movement of the valve linkages. Superbly painted by Warren Haywood. The name and number plates are supplied by Severnmill.

In conclusion, I tried to sell the unused driving and tender wheels at a Guild bring and buy recently……nobody wanted them. Consequently I took good photos of them and put them up for sale on ebay. Fortunately for me a very kind man put me straight as to their origins. I compared with photos in the book of the great man and immediately withdrew them from sale and have kept them, still unused. They are no doubt the work of James Stanley Beeson. How much more of this loco is Beeson we will probably never know.