What a quote - but yes a question I was asked at the weekend by an inquisitive brother!

I spent this weekend with my two brothers helping out Mum with decorating. It was good fun but hard work - I did take over the Sentinel, hoping to grab an hour on the project after a hard day or between coats of paint - as well as show her off to my Dad.

In the end I only grabbed 45 mins on Saturday night after painting near enough non stop from 9am to 5pm! I've fitted the roof ventilators, air filter and axle boxes. I've sourced some lead weight so the last job before priming will be to add the weight, fit handrails, secure the bonnets and exhaust stack and a few little details. Once she's painted there will be the window frames and wipers to fit along with the couplings and buffers plus air brake pipework

Here are a few shots I grabbed when I got back this evening in the lovely sunshine - I'm off now to enjoy a cold beer and contemplate the 0-6-0 version and whether to try springing or compensation!

A couple of low angle shots showing her in all her glory, warts and all. I'm hoping the finish will come together with a coat of primer to check for defects!

Overhead shots show the roof ventilators fitted and air filter on the side of the engine casing in front of the cab. You can also see that detailing the cab was wworth while as it's pretty visible in these sorts of angles.

Finally a few shots showing how small she is compared to a little TTA tanker - which is due to be sprung or compensated and converted to P4 as well for the project!