Just one more cinder guard to glaze and she’s done
David Andrews Princess – Princess Marie LouiseDavid Andrews Princess – Princess Marie LouiseDavid Andrews Princess – Princess Marie LouiseDavid Andrews Princess – Princess Marie LouiseDavid Andrews Princess – Princess Marie Louise
Stepping back to my last post on this where made a start on the tender.
It was at this point that I realised that I was missing the whitemetal castings for the tender. All the brass ones were present and the whitemetal castings for the loco were there but I couldn’t find those for the tender. Now I bought the kit second hand at a decent price so i wasn’t too perturbed. I knew that I had drawn up the dome and water filler having turned replacements for the Princess and a look through my spares box revealed that I had a few bits in hand.
Stanier Tender Spares
At this point I was really only missing brake hangers, Axleboxes and springs and the water scoop. I had a feeling that I might have some etches for the brake hangers elft from the Princess as I had used cast replacements on the tender. an I had some 3D printed shoes so I set of looking for those. I looked through one box of etched spares without finding them and then looked at another small box on my bench. Having picked up that box and searched it to no avail I noticed a round plastic tub that it had been sat on. Opening that revealed the missing tender castings. So now I have everything I need I just need to get back on with it.
Progress has been steady due to my temporary promotion to head cook and bottle washer but this afternoon I was able to fit the loco body after first making sure that the chassis and tender ran without issue. I still need to test run with the body in place and fit a few final details but she’s certainly looking pretty.
Paint job by Warren Haywood
Princess Marie LouiseModified by CombineZP
The photos are not in the best setting but I am not geared up to take photos of something so big in my light tent.
Still to fit are front buffer and coupling, backhead, cab doors, and glaze the cinder guards.
As an aside I was recently discussing cab dials with Chris Simpson and I thought that I would share my solution to the issue. I didn’t send the backhead to Warren as I had already painted it and so I had largely forgotten about the dials themselves until test fitting the backhead after paint. They were still just brass turnings. So I carefully put in a spot of Vallejo grey primer into each face and let that dry for a couple of days then I added a top coat of Vallejo Arctic White. The discussion with Chris had been around printed ones but my struggle was really getting them cut out and although I am sure that I could have probably turned a too, to do it I elected to use a 0.5mm propelling pencil and draw in the graduations and hands of the dials and I am quite pleased with how they came out and will use the method again.
