...a massive surge of energy came from somewhere and I projected it in a benchward direction onto the Gp van.

Its part of the 891mm project that is bugging me, starting one job getting going only to find your interest has been diverted elsewhere onto something else.

The van up until recently has been a running shell, and on reflection "not that much" work was required to get it to a state where it neared completion. The problem however was finding the inclination to do it.

I guess the stumbling blocks for me was the suspension springs and all the associated underframe detail...this was something I didn’t enjoy doing on the Op. It could be as a result of the scarce availability of information and not wanting to commit so far only to realise that a mistake had been made. It was easy to assume that the details are the same and although based on the Op underframe design, the brake gear for the Gp vans differed with three different options offered. In the end a prototype image was sourced and "went with it"...

So here we are, nearly 51 weeks ago the van looked like this...

And now after a good couple of evenings worth of work the Gp now looks like...

With the custom decals applied (the carrier film ghosting looks worse than it actually is due to the angle of the light) the body is ready awaiting weathering. The roof is still loose awaiting the installation of a weight and the window panes for the body sides. Once complete the roof can then be fixed in place. With the roof in place, the upper door runners can be fixed into position.

Seen here on the test track the small pipes protruding out of the headstock are the unions for the air brake hoses and still require cocks and pipes to complete.

Meanwhile the search for couplings continues. We are currently in the process of assessing a number of options. We would like to keep the appearance as prototypical as possible. A set of Narrow Gauge Society chopper couplings has been bought and are currently waiting completion and testing. Alex Jackson couplings are also being considered.