After a few hours' work on the model this weekend I've managed to add coal rails to the tender (scratchbuilt from lengths of plastic rod, plastic sheet and paper), the boiler bands and the outside lining to the tender panels.

These photographs I've tried to get roughly the same angle as I did the previous three...

John Quick's excellent book on GCR loco liveries has been an absolute goldmine of information for this model. I can see that with the number of locos I'm planning to finish in either GC or transitional GC/ LNER livery, its going to be referred time and again.

The boiler bands are my usual method; a thin strip of paper with the black band lined in in ballpoint pen. I've been asked before why I don't use waterslide transfers for these and my answer is twofold; firstly the boilerband has a thickness to it that although very slight is still noticeable, which the lining transfer lacks, secondly the paper is that bit more durable and pliable and hence less likely to tear whilst being pushed around and pulled hither and thither whilst getting it into position and properly aligned.

With the tender lining I went for HMRS pressfix transfers; however I quickly discovered that the LNER red lining lacked the power to show up against the dark green background. I then decided to try the black edging first; using the LNER loco lining sheet there are some black lines that have a white line to one side only and I thought that an ideal use of these on a pre-grouping loco would be to use them as they are, the white line then providing a good locating key for the red line.

Wrong! The white line is ever so slightly thicker, and then the red line kept bunching up as I tried to coax it onto the black/white one, then bits of it tore....

After an hour of patiently pushing the transfer around, wetting it, drying it, trying to coax it around some more, I finally lost patience. I removed the transfers, masked off a couple of lines along the tender length, and painted in the black with acrylic paint. The masking tape was then removed and the verticals painted in, then I switched to a dark red and painted in the red lines in the same fashion. When all had dried I went back to the green paint and very carefully painted over about half of the thickness of the red line (this naturally requires a very steady hand and, needless to say, a very fine brush).

I think the result works pretty well. For the tender inner lining I intend to use HMRS transfers again as it's so much easier- a white-black-white line- and requires radiussed corners.

As a final photograph I posed my 11B against the 'Great British Locomotives' Butler Henderson. The whole point of rebuilding my loco was to get a better representation of the Great Central's passenger livery- and it is turning out pretty well, I hope you'll agree?

This is likely to be the last chance I get to do some meaningful building before the holidays- I hope everyone has a great Christmas. Here's to 2015!