Commission: Something rather cli-shayed in 1/12...

In early 2021 I built a curious but charming locomotive for a customer and all round good chap based upon a 'what if' combining miniature railways and Paddington Bear...

I never know what to expect in terms of 'the next' model and a few emails with video and photos of a fantastic home built contraption on the 'Locust Heights and Western' looked fantastically intriguing although I couldn't for the life of me work out how to build something like that in the smaller scales. 

However the conversation turned to commission, and never one to sh(a)y away from a challenge I thought we could probably achieve something of a bodge but with all the charm of the prototype. We looked at chassis options first and I settled on the GE45T by Bachmann in G scale. That problem sorted work then turned to how to recreate the distinctive bodywork. A test build showed it was possible in balsa wood sections, so some 3D printed stake pockets were sourced and the chassis and frames built up. 

The 'shay' drive is a 3D printed part from Etsy, and the water barrels came from eBay (they are 1/12). The vertical boiler is in fact a metal water bottle and the chimney and arrestor are sections of plastic funnel. Details came from the bits box and scratch building, and the results are finished off by an etched 'Wallace and Gromit' works plate and nameplate (the Empress of Blandings, if you'll recall, is actually a Pig I believe!).

Under the wood pile is a battery box with radio and sound card, and a MASSIVE speaker is housed under the frames between the trucks. This thing will certainly make a racket, and the slightly dubious steam sound actually works really well sped up as the chatter of the Shay cylinders, certainly more than passable out in the garden.

The result of all this hard work is another 'one off' for sure, and something truly unique. I loved working on such a creative commission, and the blend of engineering with caricature seems just about believable. If you have a model you'd like me to breathe life into why not get in touch for personal commission. All my modelling is a blend of materials, method and love - and I hope the results speak for themselves. You can contact me here on the website, on Facebook or the forums. Until next time, more soon...

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