William Shakespeare 70004
-the Model  5"gauge
            




William Shakespeare represents the second opportunity for customers to acquire one of our Britannia class locomotives - first offered in January 1998 with the entire batch of 75 sold out in an astonishing few weeks following the appearance of the first advertisement !

The Britannia must rank as one of the locomotives most desired by model engineers - a big, powerful Pacific, magnificent in lined passenger green and sure to take pride of place at any get-together . Our model of William Shakespeare, immortalised as the famous Golden Arrow, commemorates the passing of 50 years since the entry of the prototype into British Railways service.

The model is comprised of 18 individual kits , delivered at a rate of one a month -commencing with the frames in September this year and completing all deliveries at the end of February 2001 to coincide with the 50th anniversary. The kit is complete with every component you need to build a working live steam locomotive and includes a specially commissioned Golden Arrow headboard and insignia set .
All kits include detailed assembly drawings which clearly identify components by their unique part number . The packaging of each individual part carries this number. 

You can be confident of successfully completing your model whether you are an experienced model engineer or someone new to this stimulating and rewarding hobby. Not only have we completed the pre-production prototypes illustrated in further control model from production components to prove each kit prior to despatch. This quality process , supported by our telephone helpline , will support you throughout the build.
We aim to ensure your satisfaction and enjoyment in building one - or more - of our models.Your kit will also contain instructions on driving and maintaining your steam locomotive.

This model is available only through Winson Model Technology Ltd . To build a similar model could take even an experienced model engineer thousands of hours to complete - and many years in elapsed time. A one-off commission from a reputable builder may be subject to extended delivery and a price over £18,000 - approximately 21/2 times the price of William Shakespeare as illustrated here. Most importantly of all we offer you the opportunity of taking pride and a sense of achievement in building this magnificent model yourself .

Our batch production methods deliver excellent quality at a very competitive price providing confidence in the future value of your locomotive over many years of proud ownership.

The 'Kits' section pages contain illustrations of each kit and a full parts listing . In addition we are able to provide photographs of the staged build from start to finish to demonstrate the fast and sure progress you can make as you build as you buy.
Outline Specification

In summary the specification of the model is as follows:
• 5" Gauge 
• Length 74" (188.7cm)
• Height 14" (35.6cm)
• Width 9" (22.9cm)
• Weight (inc. tender) 170 lbs
• Driving Wheel diameter 6 1/2" 
• Turning radius 25 ft
• Copper Boiler
Fully silver soldered throughout.
Hydraulically tested to 180psi for a working pressure of 90 psi
• Designed on CAD and manufactured on latest CNC machinery.
• All components pre-machined
• Assemble using hand-tools only
• Step-by-step instructions supplied
• Full technical back-up service and helpline
• Some hand-finishing & fitting required

PLEASE NOTE: Kits are supplied unpainted.






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 A Few Words on Materials...

We use a variety of materials in the construction of our model locomotives and our choice is determined objectively on the basis of its suitability for the intended task. The cost of the raw material itself is rarely a factor as a majority of the cost of manufacture is made up of machinery, consumables and labour costs.
Cast iron is used for cylinders and pistons as it is very durable with a higher resistance to wear than possible alternatives such as gun metal. It is also better for tapping than the softer non-ferrous metals where the likelihood of thread stripping is greater. We have used cast iron cylinders in all our model locomotives for many years and this experience has shown us they give good service and long life providing they are regularly maintained and lubricated.
We hone all cylinders to an appropriate standard before despatch and in use they will become finely honed as a consequence of the engine being run in. 
We do not recommend additional honing prior to fitting as this carries the risk of the cylinders becoming distorted and ‘bell-mouthed’. A very smooth bore that is not parallel is much worse than a parallel bore which is yet to attain a fine hone finish through running in. After running for a period you will find that the pistons and their ‘O’ rings will form a perfect fit within the bores.
As seals for pistons we use Viton ‘O’ rings. Viton is a high quality fluorocarbon rubber which exhibits a wide range of chemical resistance and is able to retain excellent mechanical properties when subject to sustained high temperatures.
When running in, the initial set of “O’ rings may wear quite quickly. The second set onwards will provide continuous and very satisfactory service.
All our wheels are made from high quality cast iron - the preferred choice of most model engineers as they have much better adhesion qualities than steel. Boilers are produced in high grade copper and are silver-soldered throughout and superheated. A majority of our boilers are now produced in-house to our own design. While there is no official standard for model boilers under15" diameter, we approach their manufacture with the same professional attitude as Winson Engineering do on full size boilers, in their capacity as Class 1 Pressure Vessel manufacturers.