The rebuild of 42213 into 42220 is progressing slowly, with the unnecessary grills having been removed and the location of the additional grill marked out (hopefully I've got it right)
A couple of other projects have since arrived on the workbench as well since the last update. Among these has been a challenge from a fellow railway modeller to scratchbuild or kitbash a passenger carriage, which has led to the decision to model L393, formerly Russell First Class Saloon No.17, the first bogie passenger car in NSW, as it was in department service C.1957, when it was rebuilt with an underframe from a Thow BHG goods brake van. Fortunately the prototype still survives in close to c.1957 condition at the Goulburn Roundhouse Museum. I would like to thank the staff at the museum for allowing me to measure it up for this model.
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| L393 (L21 at this time) shortly after preservation at Goulburn Roundhouse. Photo credit to Doug Williams |
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| Situation normal: A mess. |
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| Next step: Brake gear and underfloor detailing. |
The underframe has been scratchbuilt using Albion Alloys brass channel section and K&S brass sheet with 0.5mm brass wire forming the truss rods and sitting on whitemetal Protype 2AA bogies. The body will be built using timber sections from Kappler Scale Lumber.
Other projects that have arrived include an aborted BRS buffet car conversion from another modeller. It has now had the three windows blanked out while it now sits and I suss out a donor to fill the gap left by cleaning up the half windows which need to be redone.
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| It's a start. |
More recently a brace of HGM and GP open wagons have arrived with a CFX 2nd class Pullman and a trio of Lima 12 wheelers with some broken crownlights and other small ailments, among them one suffering an underframe and roof hot glue gunned in place. All have now been dismantled and will undergo surgery to rectify the broken crownlights.
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| Busy, busy, busy. |
The workshops has also been plenty busy in the louvre van department as well with a GLV and one of AndIan Models brilliant BLV louvre van kits finding it's way into the workshops
In the time since my last post, I've also become involved with 12 inch to the foot railways, volunteering at Lithgow State Mine Railway and this Saturday just gone, had the honour of being part of the team that fired ex BHP diesel loco D34 into the life for the first time since going into open storage at Steelhaven loco depot. Video of the occasion can be found here, thanks to Peter Durrant for uploading the video to the LSMR Facebook group.
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| Dragging D34 into the sun for final preparations |
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| Firing into life for the first time in preservation |
And in case you're wondering what happened to that Kingswood that's provided so much distraction, it's still there, slowly being restored.
So it's back to the grindstone now. Happy modelling.
