Thanks guys,

I was going with British Rail Green with more black and yellow chevrons on the front and at the rear of the cab.

Pink…? I just cant get my head around that at the moment, I,m hoping it will be forgotten and go away but knowing the great grand daughters it probably wont.

Ron

Well I,ve made a start on the body, built the basics of the front section. It will be based on a 08 (ish) shunter, I know it looks like a box on wheels, but if you take the detail off an 08 thats what your left with (see picture in previous post).

So lots of detail to add, well when I say lots, enough to make it at least look like something realistic.

The next stage is to add the rear section/cab, the body so far is a combination of 6mm MDF, pine quarter quadrant and 0.8 mm modelling ply. I,ve added the engine access door panels to each side and also fixed the cab front.

Ron

p.s. Although its not intended as a scale loco I think I will lose the buffer plates, they just dont look right. 

Edited By Ron Laden on 19/08/2018 10:32:33

Edited By Ron Laden on 19/08/2018 10:39:56

I,ve managed to get the bare bones of the cab area together, doors still to make, window frames and trims to do plus make and fit the roof. Still a lot of detail to do but its coming together and most importantly its fun.

Ron

Cab roof, doors and window frames added, next job is the front radiator grill and fins.

p.s. Forgot to say, Mentioning radiator fins I need to treat myself to a Costa coffee and whilst there sneak away a handful of wooden coffee stirrers….

Edited By Ron Laden on 23/08/2018 10:17:52

Some more added, fuel tanks and side boxes, cab door panel and handrails, cab roof vent. The vent panels which sit in front of the fuel tanks are next, once these are done thats pretty much the main build of the body finished. Its then surface detail and the chassis needs buffers which I aim to turn from aluminium plus the clevis couplings which I will either buy or make.

Found some 12 volt – 5mm white led,s which come in a small lens housing so I may get those for the front lights, will just need to make the lamp bodies. Also seen a 12 volt classic motorcycle horn (low tone) which I,m thinking could sound about right for a shunter.

Thanks John, I must admit I was sort of warming to a pink version just for fun and to keep the grand daughters happy but when they liked the grey version with the "cool yellow and black zig zags….lol" I was let off the hook.

Re driving control, I was thinking a control panel mounted in the cab but having said that it wouldnt be difficult to make a plug in control box. I would only need to extend the speed controller cables for the rotary speed pot and the fwd/rev switch, I could also add the horn and light switches. I can see that a control box on an extension would be more comfortable and save leaning forward all the time.

Ron

Edited By Ron Laden on 13/09/2018 10:24:30

Again, not too much workshop time this week but I have added some pipe work to the front plus I have also weathered the front a tad to lose that new look.

Painting is next and I plan to use the method I have used on numerous scratch built R/C aircraft over the years as it works really well.

I have started with a primer coat which will be cut back with 800 paper (dry) then a coat of filler primer, filler primer is excellent for losing small imperfections and can hide a multitude of sins and again it is cut back with 800. Then the first layer of top coat, cut back with 1200 paper (dry) then the final top coat. Finally a coat of acrylic clear satin varnish, I dont use matt for anything that is regularly handled and gloss to me just looks over the top. All the painting is with aerosols (auto paint) and when it comes to top coat colours there is a massive range.

Edited By Ron Laden on 27/09/2018 16:24:41

Amazing how buffers transform a chassis