Things are trundling along at a steady but unspectacular pace just like the real loco once did!

The lamp irons have been sweated in place and I have finished fitting all the grab handles in place along the running boards and splashers as well as the cab sides, also note that the missing handrail knob has been fixed in place. (Thanks BR(W) )

I did ponder a little on how to fix it in place as the handrails are soldered into the cab front along with the handrail knobs so if youve ever tried to remove them in that situation you will know what I mean.

I chose to just cut the handrail with the Xurons exactly in the position of the missing handrail knob and simply solder it back together within the new knob.

Quite simple really in retrospective.... just took me a while to get my head around what to do with it.....

The Falcon Brass kit does not cater for any type of smokebox door hinge so I fabricated a later style GWR unit from scrap etch, .45 brass wire and some small bits of tube.

After tinning the back of it with solder it was sweated in position with my RSU so not to have it disintegrate if I had tried to to use a conventional iron.

A small step was also sweated in place on the lower face of the smokebox.

The reversing rod is also another item not catered for in the kit so once again is was into the scrap etch box for a suitable piece to utilise for it, I also tried to replicate the support for the reversing rod on the side of the firebox as best as I could.

I have also sweated some .45 brass wire to the cab roof to represent the rather prominent ribbing that was noticeable on the prototype.

Anyway to the pictures:

The fabricated hinge unit before fixing in place.

Sweating it in place with the help of an RSU.

Front view showing the step, lamp irons and the once missing handrail knob, photos are so cruel but do show any discrepancies, note gap in the frame end where the solder hasn't run along completely.

View showing the the ribbing added to roof.

Darren.