Neil

I do like an optimist but sixty four quid for a Thomas clerestory? Especially when there's another at a far more reasonable price.

I'm afraid I do. Some time ago I noticed one of his models with a slipped decimal point leading to an outrageous price. I contacted the chap, said I assumed it was a genuine mistake and let him know that on the upside it had at least garnered a lot of interest here on RMweb. Since then these 'mistakes' have become depressingly frequent, and perhaps counter productive. Given that he does nice models at reasonable prices, these frequent 'mistakes' might begin to detract from his reputation. Maybe he looks in here to see how effective his strategy is? Maybe I should contact him again in case he doesn't?

Now with added lights .... ..... well most of them. Dont worry the slices of tubes stock on will be tidied up once I'm fully confident that they're set and solid.

I'd hope that with their own factory and the years of experience with metal casting that this particular problem won't occur.

There's a brilliant cinematic quality to your photos Mikkel (particularly the couple of the lost and forgotten crate) which really boost the storytelling. Just brilliant.

Thank you. I have no problem at all with sharing on other forums. I'd be equally happy if you wanted to share my images too, though obviously I can't speak for those who have posted the fantastic prototype photos.

Latest job, cut the radiator surround from 10 thou plastcard and fit to the bonnet end. Dreadfully fiddly stuff.

Both the Model Rail and Hornby Sentinel shunters have a reputation for excellent running; I don't see rtr 4 coupled locos as necessarily problematical.

Having both fired up the crystal ball and taken a look at my tea-leaves, the future still appears unclear. I would have thought that with Hornby's Sentinel being well received, enough to justify a rod coupled version, that a four coupled industrial steam loco was the logical next step. Despite having my ear to the ground, and an ability to read between lines, I hear nothing. Logic and leaks appear to be out of synch, or maybe I'm just out of touch. However if I was charged with developing an industrial loco, I might plump for something that would suit both industrial and light railway use. I'd also be thinking that the Cambrian had a couple of Manning Wardles, which would look rather spiffing. At a tangent, and really, really unlikely; GBL get fed up of copying and decide to do a series of Great British Industrial shunters, diesel rather than steam though and all prototypes that can have the solid cast underparts replaced by black beetles or spuds. Smaller and cheaper to produce than their current offerings, a limited range of prototypes could (legitimately) sport a variety of liveries. Modellers would hoover them up with Hatchette mk1 like enthusiasm, mainly because of the ease of turning something decorative into something functional.

To bring this tale up to date: Pick ups fabricated, brass strip, phosphor bronze wire and fine flex. Side cheeks fitted to chassis. Pick ups wired to motor brushes. Hole cut in footplate to allow motor and flywheel to protrude through. Capping pieces added to side cheeks and pick ups installed. Footplate cut out enlarged to clear pick up to motor connections and tested. Cut outs cut out (well they would be wouldn't they) in the front of the cab and the rear of the bonnet to clear the motor and flywheel. Finally I thought it might be instructive to show what bits of the original shunter that I haven't used or won't be using. Not much left over is there?

Another quality item from Rails of Sheffield.

Actually at one time I had a bit of a fancy for building some early French stock to 4mm/EM standards. Back with the shunter I managed to fit the motor mounting plate to the chassis today.

More work, brass chassis bush faces filed to wafer thin, wheel insulating bushes cut flush with the rear of the wheels, axles cut and filed to length; all assembled and fitted into chassis. From the underside. I had to relieve one of the bracing plates to clear the Tenshodo spud gear. The splice plates on the inside of the sideframes were ground away to clear the wheels. This allows the wheels to revolve freely. Finally a check to ensure that the loco will ride at the correct height above the rails.

The shunter needs a chassis, the original had HUGE flanges, the wrong wheelbase, a motor way too big to fit in the slimmed down body and rubber band drive of dubious quality. Early on I'd hoped that one of my Limby motor bogies might fit; it wont, too wide, so I've made a start on my own from 30 thou black plasticard. It's a simple open bottomed box with a hole at each corner, large enough to take a brass bush. Square section evergreen strip braces the corners while underneath short pieces of plasticard help stop the chassis from flexing. One of the axles ended up a bit skewed, so I drifted the hole out using a diamond burr like a file, popped the brass bush in, and when properly lined up solvent welded a small puncture patch of plasticard to the rear to stop the bearing wiggling to and fro in the elongated hole. Next up, fix bearings, gear on one axle, set back to back measurements, and work out exact position of the motor/flywheel.

Thank you. I gave some thought to this at the planning stage, and I'm not sure that I will, let me explain. One of the things that currently fascinates me about our hobby is the different ethos that seems to inhabit standard gauge and narrow gauge model making. The narrow gauge world, by and large tolerates freelance models or those which have a look of a particular prototype without being an inch perfect copy. Standard gauge model making seems to play by different rules where the aim of the game is to get as close as possible to the real thing, with the bare minimum of compromise. By accepting the cheapo shunter as my starting point, I'm already accepting compromises (if I wanted a scale model I would start from scratch) so I'm using this build as an experiment to see if a model embodying the narrow gauge ethos can cut it. Time will tell.

For today, I bring you windows.

To bring matters up to date here are a few photos I took this morning. You'll notice that the cab now has a roof, the bonnet's basic shape has been formed and that I've started the fill and sand process to refine all the joints and rid the shell of sanding marks. Thoughts have now turned to livery. I'm looking at a work weary, sold out of service version of this scheme, seen here too with better colour balance.

Thank you Brian, that's brilliant.

Thank you, but so do the words 'cheap' and 'bodger'.

More plastic action from the workbench. The cab and bonnet are coming together, but the joints really need to harden before I go any further. Once set the cab front and rear will need to be sanded flat, and the bonnet nose will require it's rounded corners forming. Then I'll be able to sort out the cab roof, add thin overlays front and rear, pierce the windows and assemble the bonnet. Put it into a couple of sentences and it doesn't sound too intimidating, does it?

Thanks for all the input chaps, it's much appreciated and the photos are fantastic.

Though I've been unable to find and end elevation for the T211.0 I have found this fold up card model which should be accurate enough for my purposes. I can already see from it that there will be a few dimensional fudges required but I hope I can make it believable.

I think that if you take a look at the Piko shunter I linked to and your own example you'll see that although the bonnet is similar to the T221.0 the cab isn't, and for that matter the underframe differs too as the model lacks the rear steps and cab access. The model I linked to has I suspect been remotored which would explain the difference. I've done a spot of swift research and the Piko BN150 model appears to be based on three prototype locos one mechanical and two with hydraulic transmission. There are photos of mechanical here and hydraulic here.

In the bleak midwinter it's pleasantly diverting to leaf through photographs taken in summer, letting the mind and soul drift away to kinder times. Thanks to the utility of modern colour photography I am able to share with you a summertime view of the Little Point Tramway. It is late on an early summer's evening and the last train of the day arrives empty at Little Point to collect those stragglers who have stayed out to enjoy the sun for long as possible or those who wish to delay their return to the boarding houses of Great Tedium till the last possible moment. As it will be a thinly patronised service, the open carriages have been unhitched and left behind in the sidings at Great Tedium, a single balcony carriage and the all purpose passenger brake/mobile ticket office sufficing to hold all-comers. The passenger brake is a late addition to Little Point's roster of coaching stock. Constructed in haste from remnants it is believed to incorporate parts from one of the earliest horse drawn tramcars and the single axle left over when an unsuccessful Cleminson carriage was rebuilt into a four wheel van. It has proved popular with the staff, the lively ride being compensated for by the provision of a stove, very welcome when the wind gets up at the ends of the season.

Thanks for the concern Eddie. Is this the Piko Gutzold shunter you suggest? If so I think that there would still be some hacking to do. I realise that it may seem to be a lot of work, and that the result will at best be a look alike rather than a millimetre perfect copy, but it's just the sort of challenge I enjoy. Your photos will be a huge help in capturing the shape and proportions of the shunter. Martin; the self destructing, Will E Coyote, mk1 power-plant has been supplanted by a range of ever more reliable units. Though lacking in the comedy value of my first effort, they can generally totter back and forth a few times before requiring attention. The rebuilt mk1 (thanks for the wheels) has required a bit lot of tuning, but now runs well. Despite only driving on one axle it's happy shoving a few of my Belgian wagons up and down my teat length of Peco flexitrack.