Well I've got the EM chassis running. Here's a photo of the motor and gearbox combo;

The motor is a Mashima 1015 and the gearbox a High Level Slimliner Compact+ 54:1 reduction. The same set-up will be fitted to the narrow gauge version when I send of the 1/8 bore gear and bearings and swap them for 2mm bore (I ordered the wrong spec...). Here's a pic of it fitted into the frame;

The motor is mounted on a piece of bicycle inner tube. For pick-ups I've used phospher bronze wire, .315mm dia. However this has caused some trouble. I've set up the pick-ups to run on the edge of the flange, a tip taken from Guy Williams scratchbuilding book, which works well on the driven axle but unless caused too much friction on the non-driven front axle, preventing it from turning. A bit of jiggling put things right but perhaps brass wire might have been better. Anyway another piccy;

Once I've got the EM chassis sorted then I'll set about the narrow gauge version.

I've also started on the bodies. The EM loco will be built pretty much as the kit intended. The frames and cab are in one piece now, the bonnet will be added once I've cleaned up the soldereing around the cab sides. The cab for the n.g. version is also done. A photo;

I spent some time at the weekend photographing and measuring 48DS', a standard gauge one at the Chasewater Railway and the n.g. one at Irchester Railway Museum (thanks to both concerns) and will download some detail photos into my gallery in the near future. Now I've got some measurements of the n.g. frames, which are longer and narrower than on the standard gauge locos, I can start on them.

Paul.