Yes it really is a Diesel engine. It is based on a model currently being published in Model Engineer magazine, designed by a guy in Australia. I have designed and made the patterns on my CNC router and had them cast by a local foundry.
I've often admired Lister diesels, partly due to their ability to run very smoothly at low rpm, so it'll be very interesting to see how the design performs when scaled down.
The Lister CS diesel is an absolutely fabulous engine. I owned one of the much maligned "Listeroid" engines made in India. But in reality, the fact that these crudely finished engines ran so well is a testimonial for the rugged design of the originals.
Very faithful to my memory. These were very popular in Australian shearing sheds and had such a good reputation and were so reliable. The only thing about the model is you cheat when it comes to starting it!