Hello gentle reader,

I had a very pleasurable day showing off 76010 along with 76009 and 76114 at the Southampton show in January where I was helping to man the EM Gauge Society stand. Hopefully a few people went away inspired to have a go at chassis building, making Airfix/Dapol models work and perhaps even dabble in EM or P4.

But first let’s say hello to the newcomer to the stable. 76114.

Not a southern engine you may note. I wanted to take with me to demonstrations a model of an Airfix Superpig as it makes up from the box, or should that be bag if you are making up the Dapol kit.

It is made up as best as I can to the instructions. But there is an awful lot wrong with it, not so much as a model, for that we know both its strengths and shortcomings. But as a toy or more specifically a model kit that makes up into a push-along toy.

The main problems being the poor moulding of the wheels, the pin lengths in the motion assembly and the location for the fly crank being orientated 180degrees out.

Which is a shame as I think that Dapol could really make inroads into the area of kids making up a model that they can push along the track? It was the way that many of us started and looking back through old copies of Railway Modeller was a popular means of building cheap model railways and more importantly getting young railway enthusiasts into taking the first steps towards kit building.

Progress on 76010.

76010 has now had removed from its bodywork the various moulded appendages that represent the pipe-work, handrails and lining.

(I thought that I waould take a photo from this angle and then link it to a picture of 76017 looking very sorry, but taken at the same angle that was on the watercress line website. But as soon as I do it the image is removed.)

The detail pack from Branchlines, containing ladders and steps has been added as well as lamp irons made from scrap etch. The Tender has also received some extra attention. This is to convert it from a Mk2a to a Mk2 (Southern Region). This simply involves removing the fall plates (The two plates either side of the front tender frame), by the cab, making the windows smaller and specifically for the Southern removing the water scoop equipment and covering it with a blanking plate as well as adding the two extra lamp irons. I have also added some extra beading around the bunker edges.

Some time ago I started thread asking the question as to what the diffrences are between the two types of tender.

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/30296-br-standard-tenders-type-2-type-2a/

Thanks to those answers I think that I have this pretty much sorted out.

The Tender body is quite accurate if a little clunky. Both the Branchlines and Comet instructions advise modifying the frames. Branchlines suggesting that the frames are cut off and repositioned. Based on the accuracy of the rest of the tender I was suspicious of this advise and found that I didn’t need to do this. I think that the frames are in the correct position and managed to fit EM wheels in without any fettling. I think that the problem may be that the locating pips are too far inboard. If you fix the sides so that they are flush with the ends then you don’t get a step in the body and the frames come out ok. Although I do wonder if the Airfix and Rosebud period mouldings came out thicker. Any way here is a picture of the underside showing (hopefully how much space I have.

Work has also been continuing on the chassis. A quick tour and you can see that in addition to brakes fitted at the last missive, that also a speedometer (Gibson) has been fitted along with a battery box (styrene off-cuts).

Also fitted (well going to be fitted) are the sand pipes and the sand reservoirs. I did not fit the latter to number nine but after seeing this photo of 76017 at the Watercress, I felt that something was missing. So number nine will have these fitted retrospectively. You can see that the front sand box has already been fitted to number 10. The rear one will have to be fitted after the lower body /boiler tray.

Sand boxes on 76017 (photo from watercress line website)

Now I am having a bit of concern about how to paint the cab. Not only that but also installing the complex pipe-work around and into the cab. I have decided to paint the model first before adding the pipe work and then fitting the cab sides and roof. Any fettling will have to be done later. But as the filled areas will be black and matt black at that I think that I can get away with it.

The photo below shows the area that will require attention post paint.

By the way all those little holes are for the pipes that will come out of the cab.

I have also added some rudimentary detail to the cab. For some reason I don’t seem to have to hand a good photo of the cab interior so I have based the blobs on outlines from the drawings I have. It is all hidden away anyway so vague shapes are all that is required. At some point it may get further work. Number nine does look a little bare inside so may also get retrospective treatment in the same area.

This picture also shows how the tender side and front plate should be assembled, that is flush. Also note the arrangement at the rear of the cab. As far as I can make out there are two triangular plates that support the rear handrail/roof support. The speedo and battery box are fixed to a bracket hanging off the chassis.

Here is a photo of the fireman’s office. Note the blanked off plate on the Port side of the tender. The cab in the foreground will have the taps added for the injectors.

Next task is to send it off to paint and to start the plumbing.

I do have a question though about the painting of the inside of the frames. The photos of 76017 show that the inside of the frames have been painted red. The question I have is does anyone know if this was the practice in 1960?

Hopefully I am on schedule to have this circulating the test track at the Chris Kedgley skills day next weekend. Maybe I will see some of you there.