Thanks Gibbo
I'm glad you've said that, because when I look at Corbs's picture, I want to move the dome back for visual balance. If this is also technically correct, then so much the better.
This might be hard to reconcile with the clearance around the motor. But the accumulated feedback is going to result in quite a lot of re-design, so the least I can do is try.
The more I look at it, the more I think I am going to make two versions. An 0-4-0 for people who don't want to alter the chassis, and an 0-4-2 for people who don't like the overhang. Would the additional rear axle alter what you have said above, about the firebox placement?
Oh, absolutely. I couldn't agree more. For me, technical considerations trump design aesthetics not only because of common sense, but also because things that are designed to function correctly frequently end up looking best.
Well, I'd be grateful for your views on boiler bands. Am I right in understanding that they are not (as one might imagine) reinforcement, but rather to hold cladding in place? I suspect that any raised boiler band would be significantly over-scale. If I choose half a millimetre, that corresponds to a piece of metal an inch and a half thick, whereas in reality they are thin metal straps. So perhaps the most realistic approach is simply to paint them. Thanks in advance Tom