T h e F o r g o t t e n R a i l w a y S y s t e m - G a u g e 2

John Arrowsmith explores a short-lived gauge that expired about a century ago but hopes for a revival one day.

This relatively unknown gauge was first introduced by the German company Märklin at the 1891 Leipzig Toy Fair Gauge 2 is equivalent to a scale of 1:22 5 or 7/16 inch to 1 foot It was originally built to 64mm or 2½ inch gauge but in 1909 was standardised to 2 inch or 50 8mm, often described as 54mm when measured between the rail centres, and this is how it has stayed through all the years Its use was strongly discouraged by Bassett Lowke, Greenly and others in 1917 in the interests of post war standardisation and it has fallen into disuse but collectors have maintained a small selection of rolling stock and locomotives in the hope that one day it might be revived.

A new group of modellers have now built a new 2 inch gauge 40 x 20 foot oval layout and this was demonstrated recently at the G1MRA75 event held at Bicester in October 2022 by kind permission of the G1 Association who were the organisers of the event It was perhaps the largest gathering of Gauge 2 locomotives and rolling stock since the First World War and where most of the world’s operating locomotives were in action The photographs show almost all of these locomotives located at the shed on the new

David Viewing is the prime mover in this resurgence and he was highly delighted to

7 8 be able to use a new layout to demonstrate this (almost) long-lost system. The track was scratch built using code 330 rail (similar to the modern LGB rail) so that a wide range of both locomotives and stock, from early tinplate to later scale models, could run Most of the small amount of surviving original Gauge 2 track was deployed in extensive sidings

Scale Gauge 2 engines and carriages need a minimum of 10 foot radius track to operate successfully The other consideration was the provision of electricity for other locomotives and a powered track did not seem feasible so the electric models have been converted for R/C use using lithium batteries, which obviate the need for powered rails It is appreciated that this method is perhaps not in keeping with the history of the models but it does mean that they can now be operated on any suitable track, either indoors or out

The two operating steam locomotives have a very interesting history which can be traced back to their original owners The Jubb Atlantic is the engine described by Mr W H Jubb in Henry Greenly’s Models, Locomotives And Railways and was built in 1911. It is still running today in original condition. The other steam engine operating at this event was the Carson 4-4-0 Precursor locomotive which is now 110 years old and still going strong Probably the most unusual locomotive performing at the show was Henry Greenly’s 0-6-0-6-0 articulated shunting engine (circa 1911) which he never completed but which now runs in this configuration

The engine is the only known example of a model locomotive built by Greenly himself.

A majority of the world’s surviving serviceable Gauge 2 locomotives. From left, clockwise:

• Saint George, Bing for Bassett Lowke, 1913 (live steam, awaiting restoration);

• a pair of LNWR Bowen Cooke 4-6-2 tanks, Bing for Bassett Lowke, 1912;

• Great Central 9N 4-6-2 Tank, Bing for Bassett Lowke, clockwork; is based on the LB&SC J1 class This engine has been refurbished and is fitted with lithium batteries It has also been fitted with an intermediate bevel gear, 3D printed in SLS Nylon to replace the one lost in the 1920s To preserve the original paintwork it has been clothed in a printed vinyl covering displaying the colours of the original locomotive

The weekend event at Bicester has appeared to give this forgotten gauge system a new lease of life, so it will be interesting to see if it has generated additional interest and can move the gauge forward towards being as popular as Gauge 1, or Gauge 3 which is the ‘scenic’ version of the 2½ inch gauge

More information on the Gauge 2 Model Railway can be found by scanning the QR code

• (in shed) 4-4-0 Metropolitan Tank, modern, Ned Williams;

• Peckett 0-4-0 Tank, Carette for B-L 1910

• (on turntable) Experiment 4-6-0, Bassett Lowke

• (on road behind) 0-6-6-0 Tank, Greenly, 1911

• 0-4-0 Tank, F W Jubb for B-L, c 1910 riginally it was fitted with twin clockwork mechanisms but today it is powered by two 3D printed lithium powered engine units Working well, it can pull 40 Gauge 2 wagons, without difficulty, for two hours non-stop

• Abergavenny - LBSC 4-6-2 Tank, Butcher & Co , c 1911

• (turntable road) Sydney, Bing for Bassett Lowke, c 1908

• GNR N1 Tank, Bing for Bassett Lowke, c 1910

• Precursor 4-4-0, James Carson, 1911 now named Carson (live steam)

• 4-4-2 Atlantic, F W Jubb 1911, live steam

Another unique survivor from those early days is the 4-6-2 tank locomotive Abergavenny by C Butcher & Co which

Introduction

Throughout the past century of our hobby, there have been many developments in improving the performance and reliability of miniature steam locomotives but very little on the subject of braking A relatively small number of articles have appeared in the model engineering press but no real efforts have been made to adopt continuous and automatic braking, possibly because the additional effort needed to equip miniatures with a well-engineered braking system adds quite a significant number of hours to

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