I think I should have rested longer before starting another kit, but I sold an old favourite model to pay for this one so I felt obliged.

 

Anyhow, my Johnson 1P tank loco needed a mate so I chose a plain old shunter.

 

Although this is an earlier kit from Slaters (1984) it was more challenging than the 1P (1985)

 

The coupling rods are a steel etched fret and is more challenging to solder .

 

 

 

 

But as ever I start with the coupling rods.

 

 

 

 

And then the fold up chassis frames and hornguides.

 

 

 

 

The result is an accurately aligned chassis. I learnt from the previous kit to chamfer the front face of the bearings to prevent the corners catching on the backs of the driving wheel spokes.

 

 

Now the chassis wheelbase measures out to an accurate 7` 4`` x 7` 8`` However, I was aware when I had finished the coupling rods that they were 7` 5`` x 7` 8``

 

So, ` did I fall or was I pushed` It might of been a wandering blunt drill bit when I initially drilled the coupling rod etch, or a discrepency with the etches accuracy.

 

 

 

It was back to the workshop.

 

 

 

 

where I used the old 1980`s trick of filing an oval hole to solve the very severe binding front rods.

 

 

 

 

I`m not happy with the solution, but it seems to have solved the problem. I might, however, purchase replacement rods...........

 

 

 

 

The superstructure has some novel idiosyncrasies..... the side tanks and bunker are assembled as seperate units which then bolt on to the footplate..... this should help with detailing the cab backplate later on.......

 

 

 

 

 

There is, as before,a very thick and heavy boiler to work with but this time it didn`t need the soldering of smokebox to boiler. These were able to be made as seperate units and just telescoped together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is some fettling required to get the boiler to fit between the tanks as the milled flats are too short and need to be filed further forward.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As this loco is an open cab version I`ve treated her to a Laurie Griffin backplate set.......

 

 

Most of the superstructure sheeting has been half etched to provide some of the angled beading ............. and as a result there has been some heat distortion when soldering on the top edge beading strips........ unusually this was the hardest part to do so far...........

 

 

 

 

The biggest issue has been keeping everything square during soldering up.

 

 

Not for a long time have I snapped a drill leaving the end firmly lodged in the smoke box. Unable to extract it I drilled a small crater around it , filled it with solder and levelled off.....then drilled another handrail knob hole..............

 

don`t think you can see it................

 

 

Again I fettled the whitemetal door and improved on the hinge detailing as I did with the 1P.

 

 

 

 

 

 

mmmmhhhh! That dome ain`t right!! I replaced it with one from Hobbydevelpment range because I was`nt happy with the pitting on the one supplied with the kit, but on second thoughts this one is too big and the sides should be more upright and less slanty !!! so will be replaced with the one supplied as the shape is much more accurate.........

 

 

 

 

Oh well upwards and onwards........