Here we are still struggling on with this. It has been a nightmare trying just to find some time, as I am sorting out the shuttering for new stairs for the house. The architect cant draw them correctly and the builder cannot measure angles. I have spent most of the week showing them how they should be done. I did say to the wife it would of been quicker to let me build the house as I have done a few.

I have now taken the cab to bits 3 time. This was the second one.

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But at least now I feel that it looks and fits correctly against the firebox. As you will see I am fitting the front specticle windows, these are a work of art to get right. I also had a twist in the boiler which has now been sorted out. I just need to get on with the other spectical and cut out the windows.

As you will see I am fitting the front specticle windows, these are a work of art to get right. I also had a twist in the boiler which has now been sorted out. I just need to get on with the other spectical and cut out the windows.

I did get on with the pony, it is begining to look the part. I also added the ashpans to get the clearance for the pony. The top of them sill needs to be altered slightly and I need to fabricate the bottom of the firebox. This should be straight forward.

The cylinders are ready to be fitted to the chassis now, I think they need to be lowered a little, then I can get on with the brakes and other detailing on the chassis.

I have discovered that the tender rides to high, this is be the etched frame sides are too tall. I did make the sub chassis 1mm low so I could have a piece of plasticard between it and the body. Without it, it rides just about right. So just got to cut the chassis sides proper down now. So that will mean unsoldering all the underside of the tender. Photos to follow when corrected.

Health and safety in the work place:- I dropped the main body while working on the cab. Here I work in shorts and flipflops as it is 35C and 90 percent humidity. Well back to the falling loco body. I can advise not to put your foot out to save your precious etch. This is for two reasons really, the first is that flipflops have no protective power at all. The second is that it is easier to straighten a bent etch, than it is to remove said etch when it is embedded in ones toe. All I can really say is I am glad it only fell no further than about two feet, or I would possibly be the end of one toe short. All this happened before the fitting of the footplate so there was nothing to stop the penetration.