There is a strategy to my building 2 outside frames together.  Firstly they both shared the Armstrong Standard Goods S4 boiler.  The also had springs above the footplate which is a challenge I want to tackle in one go.  And I intend to build 2 outside frame tenders that also share the spring issue.

So the Armstrong Goods now has a cab and rear splashers:

Smokebox, boiler and roundtop firebox:

The Beyer Goods, being bits of old K's kits, is further on but I have now hit a problem common to trying to get old whitemetal kits to work in P4:

The width across the outside frames is 29.5 mm

Alan Gibson OSF axles are measuring up at 31.75mm.  (Ultrascale OSF axles that I have for a Duke and a City measure 32mm)

With 2.25mm to spare, this does not leave sufficient clearance to fit the AGW outside cranks which are about 1.5mm thick and then a bit more needs to allowed for sideplay.

The solution could be to fit thinner, brass cranks (and I do have some in my stash).  But I am not sure about the appearance and also the idea of soldering them to the axles fills me with horror.

Eagle-eyed would have noticed that the above shot is the Armstrong chassis not the Beyer one.  I have used the AGW axles on the Armstrong as, being brass, the frames are more slender.  These wheels are actually Mike Sharman.  Mike in his wisdom did not cut down his axles so I have a number of over length axles that I can cut down and use on the Beyer.  My worry now is if I make them too wide, they could foul on the platform edges.  At 34mm (which might be what's needed here) that's 8'6" which is near to the loading gauge.  Watch this space.  For some reason I seem to be choosing to build the most challenging of things at the mo.  Maybe it's lockdown!  I seem to have similar problems with my Metro builds (common feature the springs above footplate)  .

In the meantime, here's the current status of the two goods engines,  the Beyer just needs handrails and then onto those springs.  As this was just a few parts on eBay, it did not come with any springs or castings.  The Armstrong on the other hand has springs on the etch that need o be laminated up.  Next stage, the remaining 4 splashers: