Nothing dramatic to report here, but for some reason I always enjoy seeing locomotives "in the raw", with detailing parts added and so on, prior to painting - is it because the end is in sight, but at the same time, there's still a pleasing array of different bits and pieces visible, not yet unified by paint?

I decided to strip the dodgy weathering, and with it came most of the underlying BR black applied by Airfix. However, the black proved quite stubborn in some areas despite two goes with the Modelstrip, so I resorted so sanding in places. It's a nice GWR green underneath! Presumably the models were moulded in green as a production economy.

I'd added handrails using the cutting-edge methods of the early 80s - a hot needle to melt the holes, then staples bent to shape and jammed into the holes! Unsurprisingly these all fell out with the stripping. I filled the worst holes, then redrilled and applied proper handrails. The cabside ones, using proper knobs, had come loose as well so these needed to redone. I repaired the top feed using a donor part from a scrap loco body. I also had a pair of 247 tank filler tops in the spares box, acquired at some show, so the moulded ones were sawn off and replaced with these castings, which needed a bit of filing down in height before they looked right. I soldered up the little handles on the top from brass wire - how sturdy they'll prove will remain to be seen, but since some of my Bachmann panniers are missing theirs, at least I've got a possible replacement method now.

Meanwhile, the front pony wheel has been replaced with one of about the correct diameter, give or take a scale inch, although the number of spokes is wrong. At some point I'll replace it ... or maybe not. Testing proved surprisingly problem free, with no further derailments running forward or back. I crammed a little lead into both trucks. Other than the slightly nasty reverse curve for accessing the goods sidings, there's no point at which the lead pony fouls the cylinders. I could file a little away from the cylinders, or just restrict the Prairie to through trains which don't need to shunt the yard ... undecided on that one for now.

Onto the paint shop next, at which point decisions will need to be taken. I'm erring toward plain BR black, early emblem, with a decoder. It seems to run smoothly so DCC should be OK, I think, but the proof will be in the pudding...

Again, thanks for reading.