Quarry Hunslet in 009: soldering...

I had every intention of finishing off my Andrew Barclay before starting Dorothea but these things happen and the Brian Madge Hunslet box was calling and I found myself digging out the soldering iron...

This is the result of an hour and a halfs work - so you should get the idea that this is a straight forward kit. The footplate is just five pieces, eagle eyed readers may note I've managed to solder it together upside down so have a few holes to fill and others to make - but it's strong and solid as I soldered it together. I'm using the deeper buffer beams as my Hunslet doesn't have to deal with being loaded on and off inclines!

The cab is fiddly though. Brian has opted for laminations which is a great way to preserve the fine detail - but the inner cab, instead of being fold up, is made of seperate pieces that must be soldered together. This isn't difficult to achieve, but to get the damn thing straight can be a pain and took several attempts so I pity anyone who tries with superglue!

The chassis print as provided after a coat of matt black, is awaiting the fitting of pickups and motor, then I'll have a working locomotive. So next after that is the drive gear that doesn't look too complicated if a little fiddly.

So I'm really pleased with the basic kit and am enjoying putting it togther. Brian should be applauded on a well thought out and executed piece of engineering - top work! More soon...