Nile's kitbuilding bench - Midland 1377

[Nile]

Body fitted to the chassis for a test run, can you see anything different about it?

I based this model on a photo of this loco in Midland Locomotives vol.3, taken before 1907. It's the only one I've found with a rear weatherboard, which I wanted to fit. In this photo it isn't fitted with front foot-steps, so I hadn't fitted them. Problem is I'd fitted the handrail on the front of the side tank, which I later discovered wasn't fitted until the front steps were added. Hmmm, what to do?

1.Remove the errant handrail - didn't fancy that, could get messy and look worse.

2.Ignore it, it's hardly noticeable if left painted crimson. This was my favored option until I noticed....

3.Turn the page. On page 89 there's a photo of 1973 (pre-1907) in the same livery as my model. It doesn't have a weatherboard, but it does have front steps. So 1680 could in theory have gained front steps by the time it was renumbered. That's good enough for me.

More bits to paint now.

[Compound2632]

3 minutes ago, Nile said:

3.Turn the page. On page 89 there's a photo of 1973 (pre-1907) in the same livery as my model. It doesn't have a weatherboard, but it does have front steps. So 1680 could in theory have gained front steps by the time it was renumbered. That's good enough for me.

 

Yes. According to Summerson Vol. 3 p. 150, front steps and tank-front handrail were fitted to tank engines according to Order 2584 of 28 March 1903. From photographs, this seems to have been carried out fairly quickly - it was a job that would have been trivial to many larger Midland sheds with the fully-fitted erecting shops - and was certainly complete by the great renumbering. Summerson has No. 1347 renumbered 1680 in July 1907. 

 

On the other hand, as I think has already been pointed out, No. 1347 lost its rear weatherboard in favour of a double or full cab in 1900, one of the two engines first so modified, the other being No. 1420 (1907 No. 1692), which was the Ingleton branch engine - 1347 was of course the Barnoldswick branch engine. So the photo in E&J Vol. 3 p. 87 dates from no later than 1900.

[Nile]

Seems like my modelling is getting dangerously close to reality, must stop that!

Back to the chassis which is now complete.

There is now a piece of yellow foam# under the motor, with a matching piece in the top of the boiler, to stop it moving. The wooden block at the front is a mounting point for a non-scale working coupling.

 

The loco can now have scale(ish) couplings like these fitted (mostly Romford parts I think),

 

or these. There's a NEM socket somewhere at the back.

I like choice.

 

# from Dapol N gauge packaging.

Edited October 14, 2023 by Nile
foam

[Nile]

A few more bits added and it's finished.

 

 

Crew in the cab, coal in the bunker, plates on the bunker, axle ends covered and a small amount of weathering.

[Ruston]

That looks a proper job. How did you do the lining? I don't think you've mentioned it anywhere, unless I missed it?

[Nile]

It's all from the HMRS sheet 3, press-fix. Curves can be manipulated slightly if they don't quite match the model.