My Bird Performs
With apologies to XTC...
On and off the workbench these last couple of weeks has been a new GWR outside-framed 4-4-0, following my earlier exploits with a City class.
I fancied building one of the Bulldog/Bird/Fllower types with smaller drivers, so an order was placed with Branchlines for their excellent mixed-media kit (also the basis of the City), only this time specifying the 5' 8" driving wheel options. All the other variations are already catered for by the very well designed etch, including deeper frames as needed for a Bird.
The chassis is nearly the same as the City, but the smaller drivers caused me to use a different motor/gearbox orientation, horizontal compared to the underslung installation on the City. Pleasingly, there's a lot of room above this motor for weight in the firebox and boiler, so adhesion shouldn't be a problem. The City will pull six kitbuilt coaches, after a bit of prototypical wheel slip, but the Bird should be a real slogger - I hope!
The main work, as it was for the City, is on the plastic body, where at the very least handrails and moulded details need to be removed and then reinstated. On the Bird and Bulldogs, the boiler band and safety valve positions are different as well. Additional work is also needed to fill in the heavy cutaways under the boiler which suit the large splasher diameter of the City, but not the much smaller ones on the Bird.
All good fun, though - and very much in the comfort zone if you've done any military modelling, etc.
Names? I think it's going to be a toss-up between Bullfinch, Chaffinch and Kingfisher...
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