Work has taken most of my time recently & modelling has taken a back seat for a while. The other thing has been christmas looming into view. I don't like it, my best friend took his life at Christmas some years ago & I just don't like it anymore so that's been playing on my mind.
This year was alway a very sad one in that I lost another of my friends, Wendy.
Wendy came to me earlier this year to see if I could build a loco for her dad who was terminally ill. A few days after she had given me a couple of kits he passed away, I was told to build to continue the builds at my own pace. Not long after Wendy passed too & so the kits were on the shelf. I made a promise that I would see them to the end as a tribute to both Wendy & her dad.
I had previously taken a look at a metro tank & after taking another look the chassis needs a rebuild as its been made a mess of by whoever originally started it.
The other kit I was given was a 1076 class pannier with outside cranks which had been started but it also had a load of etched brass parts for a chassis & footplate / cabs. This kit is m&l premier which I believe Alan Gibson took over which might explain the etched parts.
I've been thinking about my friends as I do as Christmas approaches & it's time to put one of these locos together. The pannier tank has had some work done this evening.
I started out by making up 4 hornblocks ready to go into the chassis. I've also riveted all the frames & footplate so it is nicely etched rather than chunky white metal. I've also made up the pannier tank from the casting & added the cab rear spectical plate to the bunker. I'm going to mate the best of the white metal parts with the etched parts I have to create a finer model in em gauge. In the box was some old romfords & a set of gibson wheels with cranks which I intend to use for the finished model.
I am going to have to shorten the tank about 1.5mm so it actually fits & a few mods to the etched cab & white metal rear spectical plate so that the 2 mate together correctly. I think the approach I'm taking is a good mix of using the best parts in the box to create a really lovely model. It's a real labour of love this one & I'm taking my time with this to make sure it is right in every aspect.
Si
Music tonight comes courtesy of this fine band