I've finally got round to making the roof for this loco, a job that I've been putting off for a while. The roof is etched oversize, you're advised to 'trim cab roof as shown on drawing'. There is no drawing. Why was it not etched to size in the first place I wonder? So I went down to Rowsley to have a look at the preserved 05, only to find that it had been moved to Manchester for the winter...

Anyway I rolled the roof, placed it on the loco then trimmed it until it looked about right compared to a photo, bearing in mind that there is a large overhang front and rear but a small overhang either side. Once happy with the size I soldered on the middle panel then added rainstrips from .33mm brass wire (Gibson). I used my RSU and 188 solder paint to make the joints.

A pic;

Once the top was done I soldered 4 spring lugs, made from .5mm phospher bronze wire, under the roof to hold it in place;

To find the best position for the lugs I taped the roof in place then scribed around the cab, this gave me a rough idea where to they needed to sit. To attach them I used 145 degree solder and a conventional iron. Some repositioning of the lugs was necessary until I was happy.

The purpose of using this method of fitting the roof is to make the interior easier to paint and glaze. The idea was copied from Iain Rice.

How it looks on the loco;

Well, this one is now ready for the paintshop at long last. It isn't my favourite loco, in fact its pretty awfull. But it does have some redeeming features (mainly the sandboxes!). And now its nearly finished I can think about starting something else!