Hudson Hunslet in 7/8ths...

Well although I've been pondering building a Hudson Hunslet diesel, I hadn't considered quite this one... initially thinking the 24hp 2ft gauge variety but I stumbled on this photo on the Imperial War Museum archive...

THE BRITISH ARMY IN THE INTERWAR PERIOD © IWM (Q 72839)

I remembered seeing a photo in the Sand Hutton book by RCL publishing, which shows a transverse mounted engine, the works plate reads built by Hunslet for Robert Hudson, 1933... Looking at it I suspect it's the same basic equipment as used in the 24hp tractors, but arranged at 90 degrees, presumably to allow the engine and gearbox to be in the same axis as the axles. So is it the same locomotive? Well there was only one record of a diesel being at Deptford, although the IWM photo is apparently dated 1926, so I guess we'll never know.

So I started mocking something up in Sketchup using some known and some assumed dimensions, and this begins to look like a do-able project! A real 18" gauge locomotive for my Dyfrdwy Tramway, and in my parallel history perhaps bought when the depot's rail system was wound up by Convoys International.

The next step is to get some frames drawn up so I can play around with motorising options... oh and perhaps get a standing driving figure from Model Earth! More soon...