Well following some exchanges on the North London Railway topic I have decided to bite the bullet and (re) start my scratchbuild of a Class 1 tank loco.

I managed to dig up some reference I sorted out in 2005. I also found the white-metal pattern parts which I made at that time, chimney, dome, safety valves and a smokebox door 'blank', which will need strapping and hinges attached to it, but is otherwise OK (it looks the wrong way round but this is a problem with scanning instead of getting off my rear and going for my camera!).

I originally intended to use a Gibson chassis but found it was so badly adrift that it set me back for a while. Then I found both the Kenneth Leech 1940 drawings, and a photograph, on page 14 in The North London Railway - A Pictorial Record, which shows Bow Works Wheel Shop in 1898. On the back wall are the frame templates for both types of 4-4-0T.

I scanned and enlarged that section, and using the known dimensions I was able to 'fill in the blanks' successfully and then reduce it to 4mm scale. There are some discrepancies between the Leech drawing and the other. Partly explained by No48 being an unrebuilt loco and the other being the later enlarged cab version. Though I am inclined to trust Leech more in the smokebox side-on dimensions when I compare these with Bow Works originals from the NRM.

Anyway, I've started and I thought I might as well put the build out as a blog too, though I must warn that progress will be tempered by available time! I will also be remoulding my 4mm Vic/Ed Period NLR & LTSR Train Crews, Staff, etc. and I'll add these too.

I've copied, cropped, flipped and spliced Leech's 1940s drawings to give me a working front and rear layout for the unrebuilt No 1 class. I decided to go for that as I'm not so keen on the slab-sided appearance of the rebuilds. More work of course........ In conjunction with the copious photographs I took of the works model of no. 60 at York I think I've got all I need to make a start.

Ordered from Guilplates the numbers for 60 and 48, plus some destination boards; CAMDEN TOWN, CHALK FARM, POPLAR DOCK, BOW Jn., KILBURN and ALDERSBROOK