Garden and railway complete re-hash

K17 bash nearly finished, tender bunker fixed just needs a coal load and handrails, Loco front drawbar now also fixed. Sand dome still needs a sand filler lid. Now ....where are the decals ? In this house somewhere but "where!" is the 60,000 dollar question !!

Looking great Davy! I hope the weather there holds out long enough for you to get it on the tracks!

@mike g. posted:

Looking great Davy! I hope the weather there holds out long enough for you to get it on the tracks!

Good morning Mike, will be hard pushed this week Mike ,wet today and forecast ahead...wet wet wet !!  If I get a dry hour at some point I'll hopefully get her out for a spin. Before that I need to pull the loco body off and re-hash the wiring loom a bit and fit the smoke unit. Unfortunately in this case its not a pulsed smoke unit like my German outline engines.But I suppose its better than no smoke at all.The sound unit is pretty decent though.

It looks very nice!!  You are almost there.

Hi Guys,well can't find the decal sheet for the K17 so not much more I can do with it for now.However while am in G scale bashing mode tonight I started to the next project which is converting my Aristocraft basic B&O P7 model to Engine number 5309 as she was in her later years of service. Have done one of these before .Involves rehashing the walkways and the front steps etc., and quite a few other bits and pieces of detail. However I'll get there ! Started on the walkways .

Hi guys, well have made new steps for one side of the P7. Aristocraft made these P7 models more or less in their original build format. However for the P7c and P7e rebuilds the front ends were modified.I've used ordinary sheet plastic for the walk board extension but it will get a layer of chequerplate plastic on top which should bring it pretty much level with the original Aristo walk board.

That is certainly a nice looking job!

@Mark Boyce posted:

That is certainly a nice looking job!

Hi Mark, doin these steps has to be the most annoying fernickety pain in the butt job I'll do on this whole loco . They ain't perfect but they ain't bad . Cuttin out the holes on the sides of the angle plates was a real pain. Just used a sharp pointed scalpel. Then tryin to glue the ****ed steps in place while the glue stuck to my fingers more than the steps........however its done !! No pain no gain Well I'm doin no more tonight. My patience and concentration reserves are all used up for this day !

Davy, just looking at them, I know I would have had as tough a time doing them as you did.  So I'm not the only one who has trouble with things like that. 

@Mark Boyce posted:

Davy, just looking at them, I know I would have had as tough a time doing them as you did.  So I'm not the only one who has trouble with things like that. 

Hi Mark, why couldn't the B&O shops just have built those steps with ordinary solid plate sides ?? never mind , everything else that needs done will be (famous last words !) plain sailing !

Morning guys, next job is straightening out the rear walkboard. |This was another alteration applied to the B&O  P7c and P7e sublasses. One side done , one to go !

Hi Guys, well the B&O P7 progresses.  yesterday I managed to get the rear walkplate modified as per prototype. Also made a start to the air pump shield up front. Still have a bitta work to do on that and also need to make a couple of convincing air pumps for under the smoke box. Once thats all done not really that much to be done in the detailing department ,just fix new handrails at the front etc. Then the loco is off to get a sound decoder and smoke unit fitted. Once I get it back it will then get its final paint and decals.

Hi Guys, well had a look at westinghouse pumps and thought oh oh !! ain't even attempting to reproduce that mechanical concoction so took 8 bits of plastic pipe, two plastic straws and 4 bits of plastic sheet. Cut and shaped and glued to look sumthing vaguely like pumps. Behind the shield and painted I'm sure they'll look sufficently business like and will fill the necessary space .

Davy, I don't blame you!  I wouldn't even attempt it either.  Your rendition should be fine considering paint and a shield.  Looking good!!

@Mark Boyce posted:

Davy, I don't blame you!  I wouldn't even attempt it either.  Your rendition should be fine considering paint and a shield.  Looking good!!

Hi Mark, as long as the finished article captures the essence of the real thing than I'm happy with that. Just took this last picture for tonight. Got the pump shield put together and primered. The loco is booked in to go to Scottish Garden Railways in Stirling to get decoder and sound etc fitted on Sunday. I've also got lettering decals ordered from the states and a pal has printed me a sheet of B&O roundels for the pump shield. I was gonna do the loco in black as 106 (ex 5308) ,as P7 106 was supposed to be the only P7 ever to have carried black livery at the very end of her working days but I might just re-do her in all over royal blue as 5309 or 5317 . we'll see. Anyway ,bed time. catch you later  D

Hi Guys, well last bit of detail done this morning before the loco goes for decoder fitting. I believe the gadget forward of the stack is a feedwater heater ?? ,anyway again a guestimated  approximation dimension wise. I made and shaped  the basic box in balsa wood then faced it with thin plastic buffed to shape. well that'll be the last progress report till I get the loco back from getting the electrics fitted .

IT looks great!!

Hi guys ,well the pacific loco is away to get the decoder and sound unit fitted. However I managed to get the K17 2-6-0 out into the garden for a quick run between showers. So heres a very short film. Was just using a 12v DC controller . Quite pleased with the wee loco though. The decal sheets arrived from America this morning so am just about to get her tarted up in her B&O lettering. Then all she needs is a coal load in the tender and a couplka handrails fitted.

Very nice Davy! Congratulations on the maiden run!