Blog- coachmann's carriage Blog - Bachmann Austerity 2-8-0 ready for the road...

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I bought a Bachmann an 'Austerity' 2-8-0 when they first came out as a momento of my days at Lees 26F. The picture shows my driver and I were waiting to go off shed. A quick computer job put us both on the Bachmann 2-8-0 as well....http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/public/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif

 

Preparing it for the road was a relatively easy task. The packet of extra bits and pieces that come with newer models had gone missing and so the first thing I did was solder a set of steps together from 0.70" brass wire for the front of the loco. They were secured with Loctite in two holed drilled into the metal running plate. Before this, I took the opportunity to file the lower footplate angle much slimmer. Note the unaltered cut out in the cylinder cover to clear the bogie wheels. I filled this in later.

 

Other added bits included vacuum pipes on loco and tender. The various grab handles stick out a mile on this model and so they were melted into the loco and tender to a more to scale distance.

 

A 247 Develpments fire iron holder was bent up as directed and glued to the Tender with Evostik. The wires were also melted into the plastic with a 25watt soldering iron to ensure this fragile item was secure. Fire irons came from the same firm, which I painted while they were still in the fret before gluing them in position.

As mentioned earlier, I decided to tackled the cut out in the cylinder covers by filling them in with 1.75mm Plastikard. A couple of relief valves were added to finish this job off. I also added the small hand grab (in line with the boiler hand rail) beside the smokebox door.

The loco was renumbered No.90708, the very last engine to leave Lees MPD when it closed in 1964. Smokebox number plate and shed plate came off Modelmaster transfers sheets.

 

As Austerities go, 90708 is in a relatively clean condition. Some weathering was randomly applied with a small brush. These included steaks from the fire iron holder, rust on the cylinder covers, pipe work and the white lime streaks from washout plugs. I then sprayed parts of the footplate, tender, and underframe with a very diluted wash of dust/rust colour carefully merging in the random weathering. Unlike spoked wheels, the WD webbed wheels tended to gather quite a bit of road dusk so they too were sprayed over with the diluted rust colour. Finally, the tender was topped up with real coal.

 

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