20hp Simplex Petrol Locomotive WDLR [MOC]

[greg3]

Hi 

Following on from my P Class Ration Wagon here's the next build for my planned WW1 British War Department Light Railway scene... 

In 1914, Mr Abbott of the Motor Rail Company (also known as Simplex) had approached the British War Office with a proposal for a small, narrow gauge petrol tractor which he believed could be very useful in moving troops and equipment near to front lines. He had based his ideas on the narrow railways being developed by the Germans and French but was turned down by Lord Kitchener himself who believed that the war wouldn't last long. However, by the end of 1915, things had changed. Trench warfare was requiring huge amounts of supplies so the British had begun to establish their own narrow gauge (60cm) rail network (the War Department Light Railway or WDLR). At first they used steam locos, but close to the front lines their smoke made them easy targets for enemy artillery and aircraft so the War Department began looking at internal combustion engines. Their chosen design was Mr Abbott's Simplex 20hp petrol tractor.

image by g.nat, on Flickr

Its design was simple but efficient. The petrol engine and gearbox were mounted transversely on a steel frame allowing the wheels to be driven by a simple chain drive. On one side of the engine was the radiator and exhaust and on the other was the driver's seat and controls. These locomotives (or tractors as they were known) proved a great success: not only did they produce far less smoke but their low centre of gravity and light weight (just over 2 tons) made them more stable than the previous steam engines on uneven or poorly laid track. It was also easier to train men to operate them and they required far less maintenance. 

I'm still trying to get my head around building trains but I've tried to include as much detail and accuracy as possible in my version.

My recreation of the "bent frame" design and basic layout of the real life version.

image by g.nat, on Flickr

The radiator and exhaust

image by g.nat, on Flickr

Driver's seat and controls. The sideways position gave a good view in both directions and all the controls are in easy reach. Here we see a gear lever (the original had 2 levers - one selected direction, the other could be set to low, neutral or high), clutch pedal and brake wheel.

image by g.nat, on Flickr

The sandboxes (the cheese slopes - one for each wheel) which could be used to aid traction on slippery rails. You can also see a hand operated signal horn mounted on the brake column.

image by g.nat, on Flickr

Finally a couple more overall views...

image by g.nat, on Flickr

image by g.nat, on Flickr

Most of the info I used in this build came from online searches and an excellent book of contemporary photos of British Light Railways in WW1 called the "WDLR Album". Once I get some more narrow track, I intend to put together a scene or two showing the Simplex "in the field". Of course, one drawback of the original's design was the lack of protection from the weather and enemy fire. This would lead to a larger, armoured 40hp version being produced - my MOC of that is coming soon!! 

Edited October 6, 2018 by greg3

[Hod Carrier]

What a fabulous little thing. I do love these old locos and am very aware of the important role that lightweight narrow gauge lines played during the First Workd War on both sides of the conflict.

I’m guessing that, as your Simplex is unarmoured, your layout will be back a way from the frontline trenches.

[zephyr1934]

What a fascinating little prototype and while it is small the MOC clearly had a lot of hard work to get so many details with nowhere to hide the snot.

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

Lovely piece of art!

[ColletArrow]

A tidy little tractor! I can see some good work with surprisingly complex dimensions in there, and enough space left over for the lovely little greebles.

I don't know if there was any prototypically, but are you planning any other rolling stock? Perhaps another diorama-scene at the "other" end of the line, where the train is loaded with provisions (from road trucks, I presume) would work as well. Either way, a nice build. Well done.

[greg3]

57 minutes ago, ColletArrow said:

A tidy little tractor! I can see some good work with surprisingly complex dimensions in there, and enough space left over for the lovely little greebles.

I don't know if there was any prototypically, but are you planning any other rolling stock? Perhaps another diorama-scene at the "other" end of the line, where the train is loaded with provisions (from road trucks, I presume) would work as well. Either way, a nice build. Well done.

 

23 hours ago, Hod Carrier said:

What a fabulous little thing. I do love these old locos and am very aware of the important role that lightweight narrow gauge lines played during the First Workd War on both sides of the conflict.

I’m guessing that, as your Simplex is unarmoured, your layout will be back a way from the frontline trenches.

Thanks for the comments... hopefully there will be more to come including armoured locos and plenty of rolling stock (the reference book I have has info on at least 20 different types of official wagon for various roles!!) I eventually hope to recreate various scenes showing how the railway functioned; from the loading of the wagons (they were generally loaded directly from standard gauge rail wagons) to the delivery at the front (for the last few hundred metres, supplies were often moved by hand carts).

Edited October 7, 2018 by greg3

[Roadmonkeytj]

I'm really liking this direction with the WWI 

[Man with a hat]

Amazing work. So many details for such a small model. Really great.

[Feuer Zug]

Another small, but well thought out Great War build. When do we get to see the full train running through the trenches?

[Laura Beinbrech]

Nice work on that little locomotive!  I was just reading the Wikipedia article about the War Department Light Railways division that was in charge of British trench railways during the First World War, and it mentioned these very locomotives (and had a contemporary photo of one of the 40hp armored ones).  I did a little digging on Wikipedia during my lunch break today, and there are actually quite a few of these little guys still around pulling excursion trains on various narrow-gauge heritage railways in the UK.