Background

Small prairies dominated the traffic on the Kingsbridge branch, so I have tried to keep a little variation within the fleet. I haven’t done a great deal to the Bachmann model other than a respray into GWR wartime black.  Transfers and number plates are the usual from HMRS / Narrow Planet, which the couplings are of course Dinghams. 

I find that black engines need weathering a lot more than green ones, so as well as being the first to get couplings it is also the first of my 45xx to get weathered.  With the weathering done it was also given a full bunker of coal.  4547 was a Newton Abbot based loco which I have based upon a photo (in what appears to be GWR Black) taken near Exeter in 1947.

Remaining Work

Not a lot more is required on this loco, other than lamps and a crew.   Eventually I would like to look at adding some more finesse to the model, which to be honest is a little on the basic side these days.  Minor changes like adding etched bars to the bunker windows would be beneficial, and replacing the plastic lumps with detailed pony trucks makes a big difference.   

Usage

Initially as the most complete of my 45xx fleet it will be found on the Kingsbridge branch (mostly because until I fit couplings to the other two locos it’s the only one that can couple to the B Set.)   Eventually though it will be superceeded by a model of 5551, for which I currently have a body but no OO chassis.

At that point there are two 45xx turns on the layout, a pick up freight to Kingsbridge which then runs a passenger service before returning with the freight to Newton Abbot, and an M Set working Exeter to Plymouth which was known to frequently end up with double headed 45xx.