Fourth time lucky - 31/4 in N (Part 1)...

This is the fourth Class 31 to grace the rails of Paxton Road - and the curious amongst you might wonder what makes me think this one will have any longer on the layout than it's previous brethren...

It all started, in fact my whole British N gauge journey started with the Farish 31. The first locomotive to turn a wheel was 31131 in BR blue. This 31/1 was perhaps the perfect 'anywhere' model - they ran pretty much everywhere the Rats before them had done... but it was cleared out when I re-focused on Scottish themed (Lochdubh OR Speedlink) N (oh, plus Gerald Road!)... anyhow, I was never a massive fan of the original un-rebuilt bodywork with the raised body side band. Later 31130 arrived on a whim - and despite being the least useful was wonderful... I body swapped her for 31154 - theoretically very useful. Sadly also very boring...

Step in Kernow with a bargain - who can resist one - and Jerome K Jerome's Intercity Mainline livery lasted barely 20 minutes once in the house (unpacked, tested and then stripped down) before it's IPA bath to produce a clean, clear shell.

I had selected 31467 as my muse - this from the 1990 spotting book I have was BR blue - and that lasted until withdrawal in the late 90s. She gained a headlight in 92 or 93 and had received the grill and cowling which matched my donor... one of the things about the Farish model is the lack of character on the nose - I decided that rather than replicate every last detail, I would replace the larger of the handrails and add the guards on the screen wash jets - hoping this would lift the appearance enough to blend well with my other models.

Things progressed quickly - handrails and details were formed, the body was primed, yellow first, then blue, then gloss lacquer, then decals... she lives!

Posed on Lochdubh those nose details have really lifted the 'face' - those window frames were certainly a test of my steady hand - painted with a fine brush in black before the glazing was re-fitted... With the bodywork now complete, it's the turn of the chassis - needing new DG couplings before I can add the pipework - the ETH cable will be plugged in once the chassis and body are united.

Next? Wizard Models have finally received their re-stock of DGs so my order went in this week and hopefully these will be here soon - allowing her to progress again. In part 2 I will be fitting these, working out which pipework I can include without impeding operation and begin to bring the finish to life with weathering. 

When I began this N gauge journey I wasn't keen on the idea of repainting such tiny models. Now, several years later I see the practice part of my modelling life - and a good way to keep the skills sharp. Until next time, more soon...

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