During my visit to the annual Diamondhead steam-up in the USA last January, I was astonished to see one of the diminutive Aster T3 0-6-0 locomotives hauling with ease what appeared to be a lengthy and extremely heavy train of freight cars. Although this model has been available for some time, I had hitherto only been aware of the BR 89 version in black livery and had not given it much attention. But here was this attractive little engine in the K.P.E.V. green livery, with the outside eccentrics of the Allen-link valve gear whizzing round frantically, performing seemingly impossible feats of strength. I decided then and there that this must be my next Aster kit building project.

Having obtained the kit from Aster Hobbies Ltd, I was surprised at how easy it was to assemble. At first glance, the Allen-link valve gear appears to be extremely complicated and difficult to build but happily this did not prove to be the case. However, once assembled, great care is necessary in the setting up of the valve timing. To a degree, the outcome will be determined by the setting of the return cranks, which attach to the squared ends of the crank pins. The positions of these crankpins are pre-set at the factory and the construction book advises that it may be necessary to optimise the valve setting for smooth running in one direction only. I experienced some difficulty in achieving this, but with the aid of a replacement set of centre driving wheels from Aster, my model now runs smoothly in both directions.

The boiler is the usual ‘C’ type arrangement and presented no particular problems, however great care is needed not to scratch the paint surface during construction. Due to the need to provide as large a boiler diameter as possible, the boiler is not lagged and the outer shell has been painted directly.

The T3 model is unusual in that the fuel is contained in a well tank (which stores water on the full-sized engine) between the frames instead of the usual ‘chicken feed’ arrangement. This is because the engine does not have a bunker in which to hide a fuel tank. A filler pipe is provided in one of the side tanks and any excess fuel is expended from a pipe at the rear of the tank. Great care is needed here to avoid spilling meths over the track and risking a fire. Four wick tubes are integral with this tank, although I have found that capping two of these wick tubes still permits adequate steaming and improves fuel consumption. There is also a rather neat trap door arrangement at the back of the cab to allow the fire to be lit.

Provision for replenishing the boiler water supply by means of attaching a Trackside water pump to the clack fitting is provided. Alternatively, towing a suitably modified vehicle containing a water tank and hand-pump could be arranged. At one time, Aster supplied such a coach vehicle in kit form, which provided an electrically driven water pump and an additional fuel reservoir. However, this kit is no longer available and the builder must make his own arrangements. I have dealt with this problem by fitting a special type of non-return valve to the water inlet pipe for re-filling from an adapted garden-spray bottle fitted with a feed pipe, as can be seen in the accompanying photograph. This has the additional advantage over the ‘ENOTS’ type of fitting in that the valve and its bayonet ting will temporarily lock in place until the filling operation is complete. I have employed this arrangement on several Aster Panniers with similar success.

The fitting has a further advantage should the owner also wish to attach a vehicle as described, the same valve may still be used with the bayonet fitting attached to the vehicle feed hose. (I believe that these fittings are manufactured by Bosch in Germany and may be obtained from specialist pneumatic fitting suppliers, or through model trade suppliers such as TME Precision in the UK)

As I have found with the Aster Jumbos, the similar smokebox arrangement means that it is essential to seal any possible air gaps thoroughly to ensure that the model will steam well. A small tip here; I usually discard the Aster white sealant in favour of black silicone for this task. This will ensure that you are less likely to notice any odd spots where the sealant might protrude through gaps.

During construction, it was found necessary to replace one or two components. The usual disclaimer, but I cannot speak too highly about the spares replacement service from Aster, especially if you have access to e-mail - the speed at which replacement parts may be obtained is often faster than from many UK manufacturers!

Having completed the model, I am happy to report that it runs superbly, although as I do not wish to wear my engine out I have no intention of trying to emulate the performance of that little T3 I saw at Diamondhead! During the initial steamings it was necessary to replenish the boiler at frequent intervals, but as the engine has progressively been run-in, much longer intervals have been achieved. It looks superb at the head of a train of Marklin four-wheel German carriages of the period, as the pictures illustrate.

The task of assembling these kits can be so absorbing that once the T3 was completed, I experienced the usual withdrawal symptoms - now, when is that USRA Mikado going to be available?!!..........

Geoff Calver geoffcalver@compuserve.com

(The similar BR89 is also available and features black livery with red wheels and frames. All photos by the author.)