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This loco arrived as a gift from the west of Scotland (otherwise known as the home of the Feegles) and so is to be given a Feegle name (actually the shortest one). It's a Simplex, built on a HGLW chassis with a body by 5inchrail.
The first job was to get it to go: there were a pair of hard wired AAA rechargeable cells under the engine cover, but no means that I could see to charge them, so they got whipped out and replaced by a battery box for 2 AAA batteries, which once connected brought the loco back to life.
Notice where the switch is?
The bodywork was built from VERY thin Plasticard and has suffered because of that: the horn also snapped off but will be replaced by a new one. The first job to be tackled was to repair the engine cover (whose joints were springing apart) with some epoxy on the inside..
A couple of short (and inexpensive) online shopping expeditions resulted in the srrival of multi-height couplings and a stock of new horns to progress the job a little further. Thanks to SLR Models for their ususal quick and efficient service.
Having pointed a rattle can at the multi-height couplings, made up a pair of coupling hooks (a good tight fit in the couplers) and cut the original big-chunk-of-wood-going-through-the-buffer-beam rear coupling off, the new couplings were attached..........
............... as was the new cab roof, with a new horn on the top. I'd quite forgotten how good plastic weld is: having fastened the (rather thicker and less "bendy") replacement roof in place with a rubber band, a brushful or two of weld was all it took - 20 minutes or so later, the cab roof was pronounced fixed.
A squirt of rattle can matt black paint into the lid of said can, 10 minutes with the paint brush, and there we were! I'm now awaiting the arrival of some buffer beam loco numbers from Endon Valley Custom Decals, following which I've got some name plates to make.
As you can see, the completed job is a bit rough and ready, but as it's a second-hand loco I'm more than happy with it.
Following a play with the computer (see HERE), a suitable set of nameplates were produced, the buffer beam numbers were applied and the loco ran its trials ar Butterley on 1st July, 2018.
It ran reasonably quietly, pulling this rake of Jurrasic wagons, turn and turn about with a steamer for the whole afternoon. The batteries were getting a little tired by the end of the session, but that was to be expected. Page Updated on 1st July, 2018 Back to Stock List Home |
