Things presently on my workbench - I seem to have a glut of almost-finished models just at the moment.
When the Bachmann O4 first came out, I recall saying that we ought to get hold of one for Corfe and convert it to an ROD example just back from France. Several hundred were hired out to the different railways while the locos they'd sent for the war effort were repaired or replaced. Corfe falls exactly into the 1919-22 timespan where they'd have been seen so it was really a no brainer. If there had been suitable buffers available I'd have done one a long time ago, but Bachmann have now saved me the trouble. This is an the LNWR example with replacement plates from 247. It would have been a straightforward paint and renumber, but I've had awful problems with paint reacting. Only on the cab sides and tender rear, though, which makes me think it's to do with the printing process. Whatever they've got on there is tenacious - it's had 3 strips and repaints and it's still visible, but with weathering it'll have to do. This is almost done - weathering, crew, fire irons and it's about there. As like the rest of the National Trust we're now closed for the foreseeable future, there's no real rush.
I did a few pacifics for Grantham last year and the year before and found I had enough bits left to make another A1. So why not the only A1 which remained an A1 - Great Northern herself. So far this has only had plates and a renumber, I need to check there's nothing unique to this loco which needs doing.
This rebuilt Howlden was illustrated back upthread. I kept as many original parts as possible, including the roof, which has acquired that rather perky angle at one end. I'm not sure whether I can do anything about that now. Grab handles and no smoking labels to add and an interior to make.
I'm on with glazing the quad set at the moment - it's laborious but we're getting there. Then there's the same finishing touches and four more interiors to make.
I thought we might have seen more of these in this forum - Bill B's resin 6 wheelers. I know Mr King has one or two about his person. All in all they're a good thing and this one has been easy to put together. I did manage, despite taking care, to break some of the bearing holders and will probably use brass ones next time. I also broke off part of the brake gear putting that together. You will see that the floor unit has adopted a slight curve - gluing it to the body will cure that - and the roof has done the same. Again, once clipped into place I don't see a problem. The glazing slides into slots in the sides; excellent idea and looks great but I had to trim a gnat's crotchet off each piece before it would slide in flat. I chose to remove the moulded door handles and replace with brass; having tried the cast commode handles (picture 1) I think I'll replace with MJT (picture 2). The body also required slight chamfering at one end before it slid over the floor unit as intended.
All in all I liked this - enough modelling required to be satisfying and personalised, but way less effort than a full kit. I have a BT to finish and I wouldn't think twice about some more.
There have had to be some wagons. The IMP I acquired a while ago and it's been hanging around for a while. The GC coal wagon came out from 51L earlier in the year.
Bachmann grain hoppers are not easy to find, but the 'Worthington' variant seems not to have sold as well as expected and you can pick them up for less than the others. Once the extra walkways are removed they're a straightforward paint and letter. Transfers by CCT.
And finally..... I have no recollection of how I acquired this, undoubtedly in a job lot somewhere, but I fancied a bit of variety and found that this is a Riley Monaco, a vehicle of 1934 origins. I know a layout where it would be right at home... colour scheme from a preserved example on the net (hope it's accurate) and all I need to now is find somewhere to park it where the stream of Faller variants can't run into it.
)
