A 73 starts to look like a 73 and a 32 is painted

I have done some more work on my 73 class project, adding some more details. Just about to move on to the handrails, which is a little bit scary. 

Above you can see how bland the loco looked compared with adding a few extra details, such as window framing which help to create the "73" class look. 

I have sprayed my pair of 32s, 3214 and 3390 (not shown) once a bit of time is allowed for the paint to cure I will begin final assembly and testing. Tamiya flat black was used, Testors Gloss coat applied prior to fixing decals and Dullcoat was used to finish. 3214 has a little bit of red along the footplate to jazz it up a little. It was very tempting to spray one of them Crimson like 3265 is at the moment. 

Virtually Finished Non Air Hoppers

A string of N scale Non Air Hoppers

The finished string of the start of hopefully many hoppers stand ready for use behind NSWGR 1803 with matching S truck. The S truck has a bit of brass wire bent in such a way to hold onto the chain link coupling at the end of the 'string' of hoppers. 

Microscale letters were used to represent the different colliery letters.

Chain was used to couple the hoppers together permanently and enough slack is left so that a slight gap is allowed between the buffers. 

Closeup showing the brass chain used at the end of the string of hoppers.

Slow progress...on the Z19 with Baldwin Tender

Months go by and I do a bit here, and there on the loco that has sat on my workbench for quite some time now. The following photos show progress made on the body and the construction of the tender. 

The body is almost ready for final detailing, a drawbar needs to be fashioned to join the tender and engine. Pickups need to be fitted to the engine, but in a cool stroke of God's grace the engine has taken its first steps under its own power with pickups fitted to the tender. The piano wire link between tender and engine works! 

A recent scratch building review NSWGR Z19 Class

Stone Station Building

The finished freelance stone station - complete with garden.

NSWGR Brass Z19 Class

A Badgerbits Brass etched chassis forms the basis of this model, shown in its development in the following photos. A brass diesel bogie was taken for the gear box and Fleischmann wheels were used following turning down to a finer profile. 

Following assembly of the frames and soldering the bearings the wheels were tested for fitting and free turning. 

The near complete chassis is shown with rods attached, the rod pins are turned down nails. 

Testing the chassis with tender, no pickups had been installed at this stage. 

Progress is made on the footplate and cab, note another footplate in the foreground. Several were made at the same time because I intend on making multiple Z19's to various eccentricities, a Baldwin Tender version will hopefully follow...

The boiler with smokebox and firebox wrapping being soldered on. The boiler itself is brass tube with bolier bands turned into the side on the lathe. 

Soldering the splashers on was fairly straightforward, 

phosphor bronze for the splashers and nickel silver for the footplate. 

The largely completed footplate with cab and boiler fitted. Note the excess solder around the smokebox wrapper. 

Fabrication of the tender was difficult in respect to the coal bunker rails, soldered using a wooden jig with slots for the brass wire to ensure similar spacing, the excess wire was trimmed down at the ends and soldered as necessary. 

The largely complete body of the loco. 

Detail largely complete nearly ready for the paint shop. 

Note that more wire detail is yet to be added to the tender.