Roundhouse - Vale of Rheidol 2-6-2

Vale of Rheidol 2-6-2

Vale of Rheidol 2-6-2 tank locomotive

The Vale of Rheidol Light Railway is one of the best known British narrow gauge railways and is still in operation today. Situated in Wales, this spectacular railway runs from
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Aberystwyth on the coast of Cardigan Bay, to Devils Bridge, some twelve miles inland. It opened in 1902, initially for the conveyance of lead ore, from the mines up in the hills to the standard gauge railway interchange and harbour in Aberystwyth.

Over the years, it has been operated by the Cambrian Railway, the Great Western Railway, British Railways and private companies and it's locomotives have appeared in many different liveries.

The Roundhouse model is of the post Swindon version of the three locomotives that are currently in operation on the railway and features a wealth of detail to augment the legendary Roundhouse performance and reliability.

Standard features include a fully sprung chassis, water top up system, fully integrated radio control system with re-chargeable batteries and even a full set of etched brass name and number plates (7 - Owain Glyndwr, 8 - Llywelyn and 9 - Prince of Wales) plus a set of fire irons/shovels are included.

Technical specifications

2-6-2 outside framed chassis with two double acting slide valve cylinders operated by a simplified Walschaerts type valve gear.
Fully sprung chassis.
Internal gas firing using the Roundhouse 'FG' type burner.
Hinge up cab roof for easy access to cab fittings.
Water gauge and boiler top up system fitted as standard.
Other controls fitted as standard: steam regulator, safety valve, pressure gauge, displacement lubricator, gas regulator and reversing gear.
Dimensions: length 380mm, width 135mm, height 145mm.
Weight: 5.3 kg (with optional extras fitted).
Full radio control for both regulator and reversing valve gear, using four channel radio equipment. (Please note that this model is not available with manual control.)
Re-chargeable batteries and charger.
Colours: mid Brunswick green, dark Brunswick green, black, gamboge, maroon, tan, blue or DHR blue.
Gauge: adjustable between 32 and 45mm. Insulated wheels.

Some of the alternative liveries.

Optional extras

The following items can be factory fitted to further enhance your operating pleasure.

Radio controlled drain cocks. This feature adds an extra valve between the cylinders so that you can divert the cylinder exhaust either up the chimney as normal, or out from below the cylinders. When set for the latter, the exhaust exits from a small pipe, pointing forward, below each cylinder, not only simulating proper cylinder drain cocks, but also sending condensate down to the track side. This function is controlled from the hand held transmitter.
Radio controlled steam whistle. A real working steam whistle that you can operate from the hand held transmitter at any time when the loco has steam pressure.
Large capacity gas tank. The standard model has a gas tank duration of about 20 to 25 minutes and will run out before the water in the boiler, assuming that the water top up system is not used. If however you would like to run for much longer times without having to refill the gas tank so often, we offer a large capacity tank with a duration of up to an hour. When using this tank, you must make use of the water top up system to ensure that sufficient water is in the boiler at all times.