Blessed be the forum without glitches: this is the third time I've begun to write this blog entry since the problems with UK2 manifested themselves. All being well, here is the concluding (sort of) instalment of what happened to my trio of Bachmann tri-grille 47148s, Hattons bargains tied up with string etc...

Having tackled 1536 and 1547 in Early Blue, as Waverley Route visitors, and seeing Bruce Mac's evocative snatched shot of D1958 whizzing through Riccarton Jct with a single BG in tow, it's time to bite the bullet and get started on this example, that was shopped ex-works from Loughborough in the livery they call Brush Blue...

Here's 47148 with a sister, just so we all know what we're dealing with: and for the fainthearted here's a what happened next photo-feature:

The choices were stark: a) convert an available tri-grille BFYE 47148; b) buy a sealed-headcode Serck grille BFYE 47035 or c) repaint one of my to-hand Serck TTGFYE 1764s.

As surgery seemed less daunting than two full scale repaints on that snowy morning, shortly before the kids were sent home from school I took a fresh sturdy Stanley blade to a brand new loco that had barely been run-in. Here is the easy to follow hit by hit transformation....

First, 47148 with its cooler group neatly filleted. The tri-grilles are separately applied parts, which they appear to be from outside the loco, but inside tells a different story, and some aggressive work with the blade is needed to remove the underlying structure. Two screw mounting points are sacrificed here, but with four other anchors I wasn't unduly concerned:

Here is the Italian donor loco surrendering its Serck grilles:

Reference to Class47 website showed me that the boiler ports on 1536 and 1547 are correct on the model. Delighted with this, a more appropriate solution for 1958 was sought from the donor:

I think it's on the left of the donor in this shot, hard to see from the thumbnail as I type this draft... 1958 is weighted by the donor's ballast and that of another fallen sister as work starts on the decals.

If I work this right, here's a picture inside 1958 with Serck rads No1 and No2 side installed, and the fan assembly back in place. I actually weathered the red fans with a spot of graphite while they were out of the loco:

I'm sure there are a couple of steps I've missed here, oh - I spent a morning filing smooth all the windscreen surround bolts on the three blue Brush - only 1958's been retouched since. Not that you can see from this broadside shot:

When I've had chance to review this over a brew I might add or swap a couple of pics, she is awaiting her boiler port blanking plate on the above shot, and the neat finish of the new port is worth showing....

Here it is - albeit at the far end of a dusty 1958 on the W/B:

Close-ups will follow when she's tidied-up and painted with headcodes applied. As the light and my steadiness of hand have improved, here's a shot of Nos.1 and 2 end. I've finally found my plasticard stash too, so blanking plate will be fettled this afternoon.

Outdoors is always good for cruel close-ups, ho-hum here we go anyway with the basically finished D1958, when I'm in the right frame of mind it's the turn of headcodes (using larger characters than on 1536/47), decal the No.2 side, detail and then paint/ weather....

And now for a couple of light-hearted insights: Rule 1 - always wash the bodyshell after filing has been completed, and leave to drain

And here's the part-time eBay assistant, acting as workbench assistant on this occasion, displeased either at what's befallen the Brush, or what's drying on the radiator.