Thursday, September 23, 2010

Where we’re at:

K1 is receiving much attention in the southern workshops.  I built it up to a stage where I felt Dad would be far better at finishing off the valve gear and fiddly bits.  She should be ready for expoNG, but perhaps only in the base matt black she ran in for a while:

K1 valve gear 001 K1 valve gear 002 

Dad has also painted the buffet car, which is really coming together, when married to the interior I built.

 K1 valve gear 004

I’ve been experimenting with greys and blacks to find the right roof colours:

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and fabricating endless sets of handrails for the saloons… I am 3 short as I lent too much nickel silver wire to Dad!

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I’ve also continued detailing 87 with more pipework added…

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and have been working on 143 to make her more like the real one – oil tank in bunker, steam pipe covers, copper not black piping, handrails finishing half way across the smokebox etc.  There are however a couple of serious differences which will not be able to be sorted before expoNG.  For example the whistle, top feed, steam turret and safety valves are all (yes ALL) in the wrong place on the boiler.  Whoever made this I suspect has soldered them on and thus removal to their correct positions would be a major job, necessitating repainting and a whole load of re-piping.  Too much before expoNG – sorry to all crazy rivet counters!

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A number of carriages have also been painted, including the bugs which are now ivory inside with red cushions and people are about to be added inside too.

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