7mm D6315 "The Cornishman"

[SteveO]

Cruel close-ups follow – Steve Beattie, look away now...

The two ends, both slightly different. The roof profile is not as bad as I thought but the window apertures are. One of them looks like it's raising an eyebrow:





More revealing shots, this time a plan and profile view:

 

[mickoo]

Euwww, that guttering has seriously deformed at one end over the drivers side window. The engine room roof looks from what I can see above as passable, the cab roof needs some work but as you say, the windscreen is the biggest area that can be improved.

If it were I, I'd sand those windscreen edges smooth, then whip up a etched front screen and fix that one and blend it in, after cutting the resin back so that it did not show through the new etch and leave enough space inside for affixing glazing. Now I appreciate that might not be your chosen path, but for me that'd be the way I'd proceed.

 

[Simon]

The windows vary a bit (charmingly handcrafted I'd call it) but what I think would really improve the look of that body is filling and re-profiling the "corners" to lose that "drop" in the side elevation and to render the distance between windscreen frames and roof profile a bit more parallelish , or at least not reducing to such a "pointy shape" in the corners

There's something a bit weird going on with the windows in the drivers doors too.

Worth persevering with I'd have thought, concentrate on getting the basic shapes and proportions right then worry about correcting details etc.

Keep going

Simon

Who must get back to some modelling...

 

[SteveO]

Euwww, that guttering has seriously deformed at one end over the drivers side window. The engine room roof looks from what I can see above as passable, the cab roof needs some work but as you say, the windscreen is the biggest area that can be improved.

If it were I, I'd sand those windscreen edges smooth, then whip up a etched front screen and fix that one and blend it in, after cutting the resin back so that it did not show through the new etch and leave enough space inside for affixing glazing. Now I appreciate that might not be your chosen path, but for me that'd be the way I'd proceed.

That's not bad advice and something that's probably on the agenda if this is going to be anything more than a tatty purse made from the runt of the pig's litter. Thanks.

The windows vary a bit (charmingly handcrafted I'd call it) but what I think would really improve the look of that body is filling and re-profiling the "corners" to lose that "drop" in the side elevation and to render the distance between windscreen frames and roof profile a bit more parallelish , or at least not reducing to such a "pointy shape" in the corners

There's something a bit weird going on with the windows in the drivers doors too.

Worth persevering with I'd have thought, concentrate on getting the basic shapes and proportions right then worry about correcting details etc.

Keep going

Simon

Who must get back to some modelling...

I fear you may be being too complimentary! I think there's a fair amount of work reshaping the crucial parts of this loco – it's delightfully ugly face. I've got a few good prototype pictures I can use for reference now so, along with the nose details, I can work out the best way to solve these cab niggles.

I'm looking forward to seeing your G1 on the bench to put some oomph into this one – not that this is ever going to compete!

All the discussion about the nose & windscreens does highlight just how critical those areas are to the 'look' of diesels locomotives. It was those areas I struggled with on my brass 22, & never really got anywhere close in the end. I thought the resin body might've had the edge over the brass kit in that regard, but perhaps not..?

I think you did a cracking job on that and was not far off at all. You're too modest. I definitely agree with what you've said about this one though!

Update in a few days...

 

[SteveO]

...Interestingly he photographed the same loco being towed towards Bath Road (Swindon?) at Pyle Hill on Dec 31st with accident damage to the "longitudinally opposite" corner, covered by a tarpaulin, trailing D831 and being hauled by an unidentified Warship...

Simon, since you mentioned this I've been meaning to ask whether you can send a pic over for my private study? I've since been sent a lovely pic of 6315 pulling a single Collett coach at Perranporth, which I'll PM to you now for your own research.

The picture was taken at some point during 1960 and is a bit grotty so I'm going to assume it was between summer and autumn. Before summer it would have been in fairly good condition being new, and would have been maintained while on The Cornishman, I assume, and this has been taken before OHLE flashes were applied – on or before winter 1960, when it was photographed by your friend being towed for repairs.

Cheers, Steve

 

[Simon]

Hi Steve

Will happily do so, the Perranporth picture is really nice, thanks very much. Pulling a single B set type coach too - I happen to have most of the etches for something very similar in 1/32

I'll try and do it tonight, if I can remember how to talk to the Epson scanner at home...

Simon