Cheers chaps
Nearly there now, the list of jobs is getting smaller by the day, most of the body work is complete, just a few more details to add and then onto fitting out the chassis. Most people build the other way around, but until the upper works were complete I'd no idea where to orientate or fit the motor. It'll go in fine, but can go on either the intermediate or rear axle; I personally prefer the intermediate so long as it's not visually intrusive or gets in the way of valve gear.
So, to the pictures, most of the work is in the pipework and cab area.
The cab sides are not correct, in that they do not have the extension on top to allow for the rolled over cant rail, it is noted in the instructions. I added small angled pieces to the inside of the cab top and then blended the joint, you're never going to get a 100% blend due to the rivets and raised window bezels but it's not a bad job if you keep picking away at it. In hindsight given all the other issues with the cab sides it would of been easier to make new ones and add the bezels....maybe next time!
There is no backhead supplied with the kit or any cab fittings other than the seats and ATC unit, luckily a spare 'psuedo' generic backhead was to hand, from a Castle I believe and comparing with the GA it's actually not that far out, closer than some of the other elephants in the room in the kit. The only problem was it was too shallow, so an inset plug was formed and soldered to the back to space it the correct distance from the cab front. It hides the firebox fixing screws but is in its self also screwed to the cab floor from below; the idea being to help split it all down for painting.
The County has a large sheet over the firebox crown, held in place with 12 bolts, so that had to go on, made from 0.005" sheet, followed by the whistle casting.
Ejector pipework completed on the RH side, still to add on this side is the speedo bracket and conduit into the cab front, vacuum pump and flange around the steam pipe base (both sides). That will only leave the sanding linkages, a chore I'm leaving to last, it's fiddly, small and all has to be scratch built, links, cranks, rods etc, bahh! Also added the boiler feed pipes, there's some quite prominent flange fixings behind the name plates, none are supplied so a quick whizz on the lathe produced a couple of suitable discs. They should really have four bolt heads on each side but I can'd find any small enough at the moment. Finally added the nameplate backing plates, makes it easier to fix the finished nameplates on with adhesive.
Temporary cab roof placement, there's a little curl in it but it flattens out nice and square when held in place, before that though I'll need to add the rivets, ventilator covers and runners and attempt to add the rain gutter/strip across the rear. The solder on the cab side is a reminder that I need to just tweak the cutout beading and make it flat, it was flat but seems to have sprung up a touch at the rear, that was a faff cutting, drilling and bending to fit.
The side view also shows how the backhead now blocks the view across the cab, previously you could see completely across as the original backhead was only 4 mm deep, not even the depth of the front side pillar.
During the week the ride height was tweaked, the engine had a slight left roll, the footplate being about ½ a mm or so high on the RH side, this kicked up the fall plate and left a gap under this side where it met the tender footplate, but it's all good now.
Another front view, must straighten than darn hand rail, too much handling, mind the real engines are often quite beat up in their later years. The vacuum hose casting was too short and needed an extension above the buffer beam fixing.
LH view, just need to add the smokebox door number plate mount, a three way oiler and step on the outside of the RH buffer, that'll go on last as it'll then become the lowest point of the footplate assembly and prone to damage or breakage.
Overall it needs a jolly good scrub, I'll do that once the last details are on I think.
Mick D