Ivatt 2-6-2 Mickey Mouse tank engine in 7mm scale

Talking of IOW rails, I went there once when the old tube car stock was running with all varnished interior woodwork and green seats, I was suprised to learn that the ballast used on the tracks was graded sea stones or beach shingle.

 

Yes welcome back Rob and looking forward to seeing what you will be working on in your new space.

 

This last week saw a final push to finish dressing the bodyshell, vac pipes now swapped for the correct style ones, all oilfeeds and plumbing now in place and the back end now completed with addition of lamp brackets... need to get the backhead detailing done and fit the reverser and a few other cab details.

 

And the back end complete... plenty of cleaning up to do yet.

 

technically speaking the bunker ladder is wrong because I cut a wrung off as the whole thing was oversize... it looks reasonably ok now and as I said earlier I just hadn't got the drive to scratch a new one to the correct dimenstions. This kit really is pushing me to the limits.

 

So now its back onto the chassis and lots more to do there, all valve and eccentric motion to be fitted yet along with the new lost wax motion brackets, tank water pipes and sieve boxes to be scratch made and plumbed to the injectors, rear gusset strengthener to be fitted and cylinder drain cocks. I've already made up the motor mount and gear box ready for fitting and then I can test the motion under power on the rolling road. Finally I need to order in the build plates and smokebox number plate from Seven Mill Nameplates, best get some black paint ordered along with a mixed traffic lining kit.

 

This loco will look good in Leek station with three Stanier Period 2 non corridors coaches me thinks.

 

Yup I know Toto but this one really pales into insignificance compared to the amount of research we've had to do over the next project, the build to be featured here as usual.

 

Had a reasonably productive day on the bench today, I managed to complete putting all the bits on the body of this loco,window bezels and windshields have been scratch from scrap etch and even managed to get them to turn but then promptly overheated one side and its now seized solid.Ah well never mind the other side still works. reversing gear now fitted and I managed to relocate the handbrake column onto the correct side of the cab... it meant butchering the nice A.C.M.E etches which make up the bulkhead lockers on the bunker, but then the locker etch followed a certain by now familiar tradition of inaccuracy.

 

I'm much happier with the general fit of the cab roof profile now and think it will pass muster with a tad more tweaking along the edges.,

 

I even managed to form the tiny tank vent brackets ... you can just make them out by the top corner of the cab spectacle windows.

 

So that's what this beast looks like now, the backhead is being detailed and so I can say the body is just about finished... except I've fitted an incorrect size smokebox door which came with this kit, the diameter is 2mm too much and so it will have to come off. A new correct size Ivatt one is on order and once that is fitted and dressed it really will see the body completed. I could have done without this but heyho never mind. Lots of cleaning down to do yet and plenty of stoppering up of gaps and joints. Next step back on with the frame dressing and fitting the rest of the motion and valve gear, cylinder drain cocks, injectors and pipework to complete and the rear gusset strengtheners.

 

Strangely enough this loco ain't that big size wise, it just looks big and there isn't a magic amount of space available inside the firebox or rear axle area to fit something big, I think an 1833 spec motor would fit just about. Also its not as if the option to open out the inside faces of the side tanks and footplate would work because the design integrity of this will be weakened. So its going to be an 1833 and I'll make it DCC ready as well.

 

So the final hurdle to complete the Great ACME Challenge was the arrival this morning of the new correct Ivatt design smokebox door, I should really have noticed that the one I'd fitted from the kit of bits was more suited to a BR Standard class 2 or class 3 tank, whether it would actually have fitted that type of engine is another matter entirely. Now when I feel up to to job it will be a case of drilling out the old door, cleaning up the barrel and fitting the new door once its been dressed with handles, lamp iron, number plate and grab rail. Anyway here is the comparison shot and the difference is very plain to see.

 

.........................should have gone to SpecSavers Gary