Builder/Type: Motor Rail 20hp plate-frame ‘Simplex’
Works number/year built: 5859/1934
Previous bases: New to Petrol Locomotive hirers; Ham River Grit Co. Ltd; Joseph Arnold & Sons, Leighton Buzzard; Abbey Light Railway; Welsh Highland Heritage Railway.
Notes on the prototype: A reliable and regular performer on passenger trains once fitted with air brakes and an air horn, which continued throughout it’s time at the ALR. For a period in the 00’s it was used weekly on the ‘top’ end of the passenger train in top and tail formation with Druid on the other end. Druid (only one of two ALR diesels with electric start) would be used to bump start Odin at the start of the day.
Notes on the model: This is the second model of Odin, which in turn is on it’s second mechanism. The original model was scratch built in plasticard on top of the chassis from a Nigel Lawton WW1 bow-framed Simplex kit (Nigel kindly supplied the chassis separately). Unfortunately it never ran well, due to my limited skill level at the time. I acquired a universal motor bogie kit from Mark Clark / Locos ‘n’ Stuff, which ran better but wouldn’t fit under the existing model. I decided to build a whole new version of the loco, utilising 3D printing for most of it. As the new motor bogie had it’s motor between the axles I was able to model the engine in it’s entirety. The cab is made of plasticard and the bonnets are from brass. They are hinged centrally just like the prototype and can be posed open. When the universal motor bogie stopped working, Mark built a replacement with a 3D printed chassis block, which runs like a dream. It is also equally matched to Druid, allowing the locos to top-and-tail the passenger train, as they sometimes did in real life.
