Leaderboard

So the story continues. Onto stage 3 of the instructions which cover the bogies. This led to much head scratching and self doubt about my ability to complete this kit! The two centre cross members are cemented in place onto one of the bogie side frames. The pivot is then loosely placed in the centre and the second side frame cemented in. I left these to fully bond before proceeding. The wheels were sprung into place and a quick spin highlighted a distinct wobble. To correct the wobble and set the back to back at the same time I remove one wheel by hand and loosen the second. The back to back gauge is held tight against the wheel still on the axle, then the second wheel is squeezed tightly onto the axle against the gauge. The axle is then pulled with the pliers to ensure the wheels are set evenly and to try to make the wheels sit true on the axle. The bogie end plates are set in then the L girders between the wheels. This was fiddly but the length of the pieces are spot on and didn't require fettling. At this point the instructions turned a little vague....or was it my brain? The best I could decipher was there needed to be some sort of plate between the bogie and chassis and this was the part that seemed to fit nicely! Now the bogies are mounted with the screws supplied and then the brake shoes put in. The mouldings are universal with one of the pips being removed to make them either left or right hand. And Viola!!! The damn thing's ride height is a full scale foot too tall! Much muttering ensued. The issue goes back to my vague grasp of the instructions when mounting the bogies. Luckily I never cemented the mounting plates in place to removed them and tried again. Ride height was corrected but a distinctive lean replaced the height problem. There are two pips on the pivot outer circle which I needed to file away to allow the body to sit flat. Phew, the height looks loads better and the lean has been corrected. And, I AM still enjoying this kit!! Good night all!

We could have a competition! I say horse trough. Any advance on that?

Im using here long length static grass from company called "Greenscenes" with my crushed yellow crayons on top...

Thanks Mikkel for your kindness here,ile post pictures here now Ive used blob of thick PVA glue on my clumps of static grass and sprinkled the coloured crayons on top...

Scenic work not something you're good at?

That is very effective, thanks for posting this method. Can I ask what glue you use, and how you apply it? PS: A small suggestion if you don't mind: It's easy to miss the other photos that you have put in "About this blog" - I nearly did. Maybe move that into an actual blog entry instead? PPS: Never mind, I was confused

This can build into a very good model, but, as others have said, it is unnecessarily over-complicated. I agree the sides, or at least the doors, could have been done in one piece - the separate etched hinges for the doors offer no real improvement over a single plastic moulding. For all of that, Ratio omitted to include the grilles for behind the windows. I used some from Blacksmith Models, but Roxey Mouldings also offer similar items. That's not to say it's not worth building: quite the contrary. This kit will be a very rewarding experience once you have finished it. This photo was taken after I had repainted mine, so it lacks any transfers here. It was previously heavily weathered in Southern olive green, so the windows remain weathered, but you can just make out the grilles behind them. Ratio Kit Bogie B by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

Sadly, progress ground to a halt due to a mislaid pin-vice. After much muttering and moving of thinks from one place to another I gave up and had an unscheduled visit to Hobbycraft. The v hangers and cylinder cranks needed the holes opening to .5 mm to receive the brake gear bar, made from .5mm brass wire (supplied in the kit) The V hangers and cranks are all connected to the brake cylinders. Each hanger and crank is thread onto the connecting rod before cementing them into position. Next to the battery boxes. These were gloriously fiddly, made up from 3 mouldings then filament cut and glued in place by a speck of superglue applied with a cocktail stick. Next the dynamo was assembled from four pieces, illustrated in the first picture on the bottom right of the sprue. At this stage I am much enjoying the amount of detail going into a section of model unlikely ever to be noticed. I am being cautious how much I celebrate this about the kit as glancing ahead the bogies and detailing etches look very fiddly! My homemade cradle has been invaluable to this build and I wonder how I have managed without this piece of kit for so long. Its simply foamboard hot glued together with sponge to hold the kit or loco tight. I built it to assist with wheel cleaning originally. Anyway, hope this has brought some interest to you. Onward! Hope you have a happy evening of modelling ahead.

Looking good. I emailed Bachmann if they would produce the N gauge version with the boards being separate but was told they receive them how they come??? Obviously sent the email to the wrong people at Bachmann.