Yikes, nice job but not sure if it looks right in Blue!

Interesting, and nicely done....

Isn't it amazing how the all yellow end seems to kill off that nice rounded shape at the front of the loco....

Looks good. Does anyone know what class "Kestrel" would have been allocated?

oops, double post

it'd probably have been classed 56, generally classes go on engine HP, Falcon is 2800HP so sits between the Westerns (52) at 2700HP and Deltics (55) at 3300HP. Kestrel was 4000HP so it'd have to go above Deltics somewhere, if it survived until more modern classes arrived then it'd probably be classed up in the high 60s somewhere.

Nice paint job on the model though.

Best

Michael

Hehehehe, amazing what happens when you pop out forra while, eh! Thanks for the kind comments. In my alt.reality - and bearing in mind she is undecorated on the other side - I fancied making her 54001, after the Falcon logic, although I take the point on power outputs... If I'm not mistaken the ER had their earliest domino Deltic in 1975.... hmmmmm. In this guise she's joined the Deltic pool anyway and when we get really deviant at Teviotbank she appears as a Haymarket kick-out on a fill-in local turn B)

The rationale behind my totally corporate blanding-out Brush's elegant design was to take the early 70s livery dogma to its ultimate - hence while I picked out the kickplates in silver, all the windscreen surrounds have gone drab yellow. I started off with the short wrap-rounds that stop at the cab door, a la Class 50, but she definitely looks better (dare I say it) with the Class 47 style treatment. Staff at Finsbury Park retained the logotype name central bodyside, but I have toyed with a black-backed WR Class 47-style KESTREL plate, that would be lovely.

Its certainly an eye catcher, I'm wondering if the buffer shrouds would be yellow or black like the rest of the undeframe, maybe even BR blue ?, that would contrast the red buffer beam a bit better I think.

Thats the beauty with flights of fancy, your never going to be wrong .

Best

Michael

My hunch regarding ECML dominos was correct, Napier Chronicles' site, for its year 1975 page, has a photo of 55015 with its domino in July of that year. The rationale for yellow buffer shrouds is that the ER painted Kestrel as similar as possible to its Deltics.

'CHARD

Good point, I was trying to think earlier of other locos with buffer shrouds and only came up with the class 41 HST, totally forgot about the Deltics !, so your reasoning is sound on the buffer shrouds.

Regarding Dominos, heres some info that might help

55 022 seen with standard Dominos Apr 74

55 018 had Dominos in Feb 74, though much smaller dots than became the norm later.

9009 in BR blue seen with standard Dominos Sept 73

55 008 seen with standard Dominos Jan 74

55 001 seen with standard Dominos Feb 74

Official records (Directive DL/381) state that 9009 was the first to be done late 1972 locally at Finsbury Park, but only No 1 end, the film was outside the glass, No 2 end was done at Doncaster in Feb 73 with the film inside the glass, this was fully approved by Oct 73. By July 74 it was approved for the whole class, but as can be seen above, several members were done before official approval. All this info and more in the excellent Irwell Press "The book of the Deltics".

Hope that helps

Best

Michael

Michael, a little OT if nobody minds, but does that date for 9009 make ALYCIDON the only pre-TOPS loco with a domino? If that's so, I am feeling an awesome alt-reality for a surviving Waverley in 1973....

'CHARD