Another nights work and Nightingale is starting to come together.  
 

The first task was to build a batch of 6 boiler washout plugs.   I ended up making 8 as two were lost to the carpet at the final stage.  (I suppose given my dyspraxia I should be happy that I have the coordination to make these things, but it does result in the loss of a lot of small parts!) 

The next job was to mark out the positions of the plugs (Using the drawing inspiration Russell and a photo as a guide), before drilling an indentation with a screw drill.  Before drilling 1mm diameter holes with the pillar drill.  The brass of the firebox is very thick so it took some effort even with the pillar drill.

The holes were then opened up with cutting broaches to 1/16 before test fitting with a length of the brass tube.  Normally I would want to solder these in, however the inside of the firebox contains some crude soldering, a lot of cruddy paint and generally isn’t in a great condition for soldering.  To top it off it’s very tricky to get access to clean it up.  Instead I just used superglue...

So that is the first side done, tomorrow I need to repeat the process for the other side. 
 

Other remaining jobs:

>tender rear details (steps, lamp irons, handrails)

>rivet details on smokebox, bufferbeam  and bogie (I need to find a uk source of Archers transfers)

>mud door covers ( I may have a go at scratch building some as I can’t find any in the scrap box).

>smokebox dart
>Reattach handrail

>Test motor and decide on how it will eventually be powered 

>determine livery, I am tending towards wartime black, but I’d love to confirm dates 3449  was in the works  between 43 and 48 To help confirm it