I've not been to well again recently but I have slowly been working through some projects that should have been "easy wins".
First up is A1 2562 Isinglass.
This locomotive started out as a Dapol A3, Grand Parade, that was purchased as a returned item from the Dapol Open Day a couple of years ago for £35. The locomotive suffered from jammed valve gear and snapped loco/tender wires. Once these issues were put right, I removed the boiler handrails so that I could remove the super heater covers on the smoke box. The boiler pipe was transplanted to the other side and the resulting holes in the boiler carefully filled and patch painted - I've since transplanted the reversing gear as well. The original numbers and letters were removed and the areas where I'd accidentally broken through the paint were patch painted. I've also lined out the centers of the bogie wheels and painted in the black centers on the driving wheels. While it doesn't show up in the photographs, the cartazzi truck and tender frames have also been lined.
Next up is 2573, Harvester, in 1928-34 condition.
This model started from the same source as Isinglass and has been converted into a right hand drive example of an A3. The Westinghouse pump is a spare from a Dapol Terrier with a scratch build bracket and pipework. The loco and tender had not been connected when this photo was taken, hence the uneven level of the running plates.
A1 2568, Sceptre, in 1928-33 condition.
This locomotive was assembled from various spares and is still a work in progress. The chassis and running plate came from a BR liveried A3 which necessitated the repainting and lining of the splashers and lining out of the buffer beam. While in a similar condition to Harvester, this locomotive has been worked into an A1, using the same methods as for Isinglass.
A3 2796, Spearmint.
Another work in progress, and again assembled from various spares. The chassis/running plate comes from a spare chassis unit for the preserved Flying Scotsman model. I've removed the plaques printed onto the center splashers, but have yet to remove the warning flashes from the front of the running plate. The corridor tender is another spare item which I've back worked into a representation of the pre 1936 condition by carefully filing back the streamlined faring. As the tender body had been resprayed black and damaged as some point, I needed to do some remedial work before using my airbrush to paint it green today. Precision gloss LNER Doncaster Green is a pretty good match for the Dapol shade, and by mixing with a little matt varnish, it can be used to patch paint, as I've had to do on the cab sides. I've still got to purchase a spare corridor connector and boiler backhead, as well as some replacement screws, (and line out the tender!) so it'll be a little while before this one gets completed.
Other A1/A3s include Great Northern (needs nameplates), and Salmon Trout (another one assembled from spare parts) and will bring my fleet of "saved" Dapol A1/A3s to a total of twelve locomotives once they're all complete.