Stuart Firth
I have, once or twice, wondered if Geoff is up there having his fun with me, but it can’t be that as he was the kindest man on Earth. Therefore the problems I have had with this kit can only be due to my own incompetence…
Still, we now have a brass running plate, with brass L-section valences, and the white metal buffer beams, and the body is starting to go back together. Chimney, dome and cab rear are only sitting in place at present but at least they now fit, and the dome was miles out when I first offered it up. The next step will be to get the body into one piece and set it aside for a while so the chassis can be completed. At the moment it is rather nose-heavy and I wish I had set the pivot for the compensation beam further forward, because it does help to stabilise a loco. Probably the first time I have really needed to do this and I didn’t bother. Only myself to blame you see. The more prosaic solution will be to try to pack in as much weight aft as possible.
