A one step forward and two back moment this morning. Yesterday I spent some time finishing off piping up the rest of the 2 port oilboxe castings. This morning I pored over photographs to see where on the footplate these things were fitted. the upshot was that I was quite dismayed to find that of the 10 or 12 2 port oilboxes only possibly 2 of them were piped from the bottom as in the castings. The rest were piped from the back or inset into the footplate. I need to see if I can find a clear shot of the rear of the bracket supporting the front 4 port oil boxes as the instructions show a 2 port mounted to the inner side of the back of this bracket but I don’t know whether this was fitted by 1936 or if it’s a later addition. BR period photos show what appear to be two 4 ports back to back but they may be a 4 port on the front and two 2 ports side by side on the back.*

Now I need to decide whether I file off all the pipes and ‘nuts’ that I have added to those that don’t need them or whether I make some replacements and put the piped up versions in the spares box. I did a quick check through my spares box and kits to see if I had any suitable castings that I could swap them out for but I don’t.

Decisions, decisions…

Edited to add that I found a photo and I do need a couple piped up from the bottom.

Progress has been inhibited somewhat by another bout of cold but I have been working away at the sand box fillers which are mostly fitted but I have forgotten to take photos of them and the many oil boxes that are dotted about the footplate. I haven’t got them fitted yet, or to be more accurate I haven’t even finished piping them all up yet.

This is the process I went through to get the pipes fitted to them.

Starting with the castings, I cut them from the sprues and cleaned them up making sure that the backs were flat.

Next I soldered them to some lengths of coarse scale nickel rail that I have.

It was at this point where I realised that I had yet another sprue so the process started again…

Once soldered to the rail, the rail was supported on a parallel and held in place in the vice with a small offcut from a brass plug pin.

Initially I tried to drill out the cast ‘nuts’ on the bottom of the oil boxes but they were so misshapen that I ended up filing/milling them down to witness marks and redrilling. I soldered in short lengths of micro bore tubing which I had filed to a hex and them some lengths of 28 gauge brass beading wire.

In hindsight I am not sure that on most of them it was worth the effort of filing the hex but I know it’s there…

Still plugging away at the small details but it’s moving forward and that’s what matters.

I got the top feed fitted to the boiler which in the period being modelled is domeless so one less bit to worry about. Then I added the covers for the pipework underneath and two circular covers on top of the boiler. – Since starting to post this I have re-read the instructions and realised that I have fitted the wrong etched covers under the top feed so they will have to come off and be swapped.

I still have the pipes to fit where they come out of the sides but as they disappear into the centre splashers I need to wait until the boiler is mounted to fit those.

Next I have been working on the front end of the footplate where there is a surprising amount going on and photos are invaluable here as the instructions are not that easy to follow.

Initially I fitted all the lamp irons the same way around but noted that the two outer ones are nfact reversed. Fitting the steps to the curve of the footplate was fun. The first one went into place really easy and first time. I tinned them and used the RSU from the back with the footplate on it’s edge and clamped to the workbench to stop it moving away as I held the footstep in position. The second one took three or four attempts to get it in the right place…

Still much to do but we are getting there.