Porthgain in 009: buffer beams...

Progress continues on Porthgain, albeit slowly...

The buffer beams have been fitted which have visually balanced the model a great deal, these are 40thou plasticard. I have also added smokebox supports in 15thou and used some styrene microstrip around the side tanks and along the side of the cab. 

Here you can see her posed with two stable mates - my ficticious Bagnall IST and the larger Manning Wardle 'Quintus'. My intention is to use her Creech Bottom for now, rather than build a purpose built layout. After extensive running in the chassis is really sweet - and with some added weight (yet to add) it's performance will improve still further.

The open cab is going to allow me to fit a decent backhead around the motor, and the gauges and levers can feature visibly on the cab front sheet. I've no photos so this may well be a work of fiction!

I really can't put off doing the cab bunker any longer now so that is the next job. More soon...