That's a nice looking machine. The paintwork is impressive.

Out of curiosity, does it have 1 or 2 cylinders?

 

That loco looks really good Pete and personally I really like alcohol fired loco's, with the exhaust draft working like a real one to pull on the fire it makes running more engaging but then again gas is easy. If it's a two cylinder loco in good mechanical condition then that's another positive.
We all don't "need" another loco but a set of teaks with this at the head would be nice.
There is a mathematical equation as to how many locomotives we actually need' it is where X is always the correct number and A is the number of loco's we have now so it's A + 1 = X. Does help with your dilemma ?

 

Does help with your dilemma ?

And even worse, I've been downsizing so there is a lot of $$ in the Train Fund.

It has only one cylinder, presumably slip eccentric. The guys at ECT showed me a video of it working, and said it was tough to light. Very funny looking wick holders?

 

What a dilemna Russel.

 

Pete -- If I were you I'd buy it anyway. It's a gorgeous loco. And if you decide to later sell it on, surely there's someone in the Aikenback group who would jump at the chance to own it. Finally -- there's a lot to be said about alcohol firing. The loco is alive in a way that a gas-fired loco isn't. I really enjoy listening to the beat of the exhaust and the challenge of matching the throttle setting, the blower setting, and the load.

 

Pete -- If those wick burners are what I think they are, they're not all that terribly unusual. Air reaches the wicks the traditional way -- from the outside of the wick holder -- but in addition, air is delivered up through a hollow central cylinder. That way you get two surfaces of wick burning -- the inside and outside of the wick assembly so, if constructed properly, you get that much more heat output. Eddie Cooke, of 7mm live steam fame, designed a lot of locos with this inside/outside combustion model, and his locos steamed like witches. This loco is very enticing: clean as a whistle, sprung suspension, Eddie Cooke-style burners, gorgeous paint. I'm salivating...

 

This loco is very enticing

Oh stop it. I emailed them this afternoon to see if they sold it since I visited last week.

 

Pete, if you like slower running trains a single cylinder loco is usually a bit 'lumpy' at low speeds, so no clanking freight trains for this one but they run well when run at express style speeds. It is still a very attractive loco to see running.