I've just got back from Warley, where
Thurston was placed next to the Friends of the National Railway Museum.
On Saturday they asked us to run this:
Funnily enough, even flat out with a light load, it wouldn't
quite do a scale 100 mph....
However, I spotted this on their stand and we had to get it over for a photoshoot. Performance was disappointing until we realised there was no motor in it...
I should stress this is the preproduction sample and so may be different from the final model.
The only practical fault I could find with it was that with the tender drawbar at the extended setting the fall plate fell down between the cab and the tender, while at the close setting they were all but touching and it would never move off the straight. I'm sure those who've bought the production models would have told us if that were the case with those, however.
It was me who managed to unfasten the brake gear on the tender. Now over to you lining and tender specialists....