Details
The extremely rare and important 'Gardiner' Märklin American-market Gauge V (120mm.) spirit-fired Steam Passenger Train, circa 1906
Comprising:
4025 'Mignon' Locomotive and six-wheel Tender
41A 1st and 3rd Class Corridor Car
42A 1st Class Dining Car with Verandah
44A Smoking Car with Luggage Compartment
Track and Points
Details:
Locomotive and Tender
Paintwork details:
The locomotive hand-painted throughout in black with gold banding to boiler, side footboards, borders to cab sheets, windows and roof, smoke box saddle and horizontal dome straps, generally with straw lining above and red lining below, cab interior in terracotta and boiler frames and wheels in red, with black edging to driving wheel spokes.
The tender with gold painted rivets, some also embossed, gold banding to tender base, horizontal banding under top flaring, side and rear sheets with juxtaposed wide and thin straw lining, the frames with red edging and silver details and wheels in red.
Mechanical Details:
The brass locomotive boiler with brazed and crimped end plates, domed fire box, single fire tube to chimney, transverse water tubes and 'U'-bend hot-steam boiler feed to cylinders. Fitted with safety-valve filler, pressure gauge, sight glass (glass missing) and fittings for cab-floor mounted feed-water pump (missing). Body of heavy gauge sheet steel. Chassis fitted with twin double-acting cylinders, each with two piston valves and pivoted rocker arms, reverse activated from cab or track through centrally-mounted steam reverse block. Cylinders, cylinder-lubricators, guides and motion all in nickel-plated brass, with cast iron locomotive wheels. The tender body of heavy gauge tinplate, with water tank and feed pipe and cast iron wheels and frames.
--Locomotive and tender 52in. (132cm.) long overall
(Locomotive structure generally sound, cab roof slightly dished, probablty from use a ride-on train. Paintwork original, surface rusting and paint loss to frames and some horizontal surfaces, fair to good on cab sheets, roof, lower half of boiler and domes. Lining still visible on corroded surfaces. Lacks cowcatcher (pilot), front bogie, vaporising spirit lamp, bell, whistle, sight-glass and feed-water pump. Boiler tubing repaired. Tender with paintwork dry-flaking and corrosion, rust to interior and water tank. Part of tender body coming loose from frames).
Coaches:
41A bogie clerestorey 1st and 3rd Class Corridor Car
Exterior
Hand-painted tinplate in tuscan red panels including upper sides, doors and ends, all lined in gold and lower side panels bordered in black, the inset window frames with vermilion red edging. The roof, with five vents, painted in shades of tan brown with clerestorey sides in tuscan red, with ten hand-painted skylight panels edged in vermilion red. The coach side frame-boards and cast iron bogie side-frames in vermilion-lined black, with details picked out in silver.
Interior
The hinged roof in ivory inside with wall surfaces in light blue, the pressed tinplate button-back seats textured in bottle green, surmounted by ornate luggage racks, coat and hat hooks and ornately pressed lighting brackets in copper gilt. The wash-room with lavatory, wash basin, tap and ledge, in ivory, simulated wood and gold. The windows with simulated curtains in shades of green painted on glass.
--Coach 31in. (79cm.) long
(Paint flaking, some corrosion and paint loss, minor damage, some paint loss to interior and curtains, lacks two footsteps, one coupling, two vents and light bracket, sides and part of ends split at solder-join along base, one door window cracked)
42A bogie clerestorey 1st Class Dining Car with Verandah
Exterior
Hand-painted tinplate in light brown, with simulated match-board sides shaded in mid-brown and tangerine, with horizontal bands continuing across doors and over coach ends, with door panels and upper coach sides lined in straw, the inset window frames in brown, edged in vermilion red. The roof, with five roof vents, painted in shades of tan brown, with clerestorey sides in light brown, with ten painted skylight panels edged in vermilion red. The coach frame-boards in dark brown and cast iron bogie side-frames in vermilion-lined black, with details picked out in silver.
Interior
The hinged roof in ivory inside, with wall panels in light lime yellow, the pressed tinplate button-back seats textured in dark red with gilded ornamental finials, table tops in marbled white with ornately pressed lighting brackets in copper gilt. The kitchen compartment fitted with cooking range with hinged lid, dresser, wash basin, tap, towel rail and etched glass sliding service hatch to dining area. The windows with simulated curtains in shades of green painted on glass.
--Coach 31in. (79cm.) long
(General paint loss and surface corrosion, interior paint flaking and fragile paint loss to simulated curtains, lacks verandah structure, couplings and two vent tops, crease damage to one door, one side split from base, set of steps damaged and loose)
44A bogie clerestorey Smoking Car with Baggage Compartment
Exterior
Hand-painted tinplate in shades of green, with ivory lining on lower panels and simulated fielded rectangular panels on lower baggage compartment sides, doors and ends, the inset window frames in dark green edged in vermilion red, surrounded by ivory lining. The roof, with five vents, painted in shades of tan brown, with clerestorey sides in green, with ten painted skylight panels edged in vermilion. The coach side frame-boards in ivory-edged dark green, with the cast iron bogie side frames vermilion-lined black, with details picked out in silver.
Interior
The hinged roof in ivory inside, with wall surfaces in yellow ochre, furnished with individual tinplate wicker seats in tuscan red with green textured seats, two green textured sofas and ornately pressed lighting brackets in copper gilt. The baggage compartment fitted with two sets of double doors, wall desk, pigeon holes, table and lamp bracket. The coach windows with simulated curtains, the baggage compartment with blinds, all in shades of light green and ivory painted on glass.
--Coach 31in. (79cm.) long
(Some corrosion and wear to paint, some crease damage to baggage end door, clerestorey section rusty, some corrosion to interior and paint loss to floor, some splitting of solder joint to lower coach sides at base, minor damage, three door window glasses, two frames and one coupling missing)
Overall length of train --12ft.1in. (369cm.)
Track and Points
(Gauge V - 4 3/4in./120mm. rail centre to rail centre, 4 5/8in./11.75cm. inside rails)
Sturdy fabricated steel flat-bottom 'T'-section rail made to special order. Painted in grey, with outside flat-section fish-plates with bolt holes for each connection, five sleepers per rail, riveted through rail bottom. Points fitted with hinged blade sections, activated by lever mounted on solid elongated sleeper. With detachable lever-operated track ramp to engage locomotive track reverse mechanism.
Thirty-six straight sections --each 39 1/2in. (100cm.) long
Twenty-five curved sections --each 42in. (107cm.) long
Two left-hand points --each 42in. (107cm.) long
Two right-hand points --each 42in. (107cm.) long
Total length of track, including points --220ft. (67m.)
(Considerable paint loss and some rusting, some bending to fishplates)
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