Thursday, August 13, 2009

Yet another Garratt


Initial Garratt Bits
Originally uploaded by Phil_Parker
Oh, look, some bits for a O gauge industrial Garratt.

Yes, one down, one to go. All thoughts of having the model in a state of near completion in time for the weekend events have long been forgotten. The best I can do is assemble some lumps of locomotive to talk about on the stand.

However, there is one important thing about this model - it's mine. I'm finally getting to build myself an O gauge Garratt. That I get to keep. Forever.

And that means the project has a different emphasis. Instead of simply assembling the etches (first model) or building the best looking loco I can within the time available (second model), I can fiddle with this all I like. If I want to alter or even replace parts, I will.

One of my influences will be pictures of the locos produced by The Model Company of New Zealand and advertised in Model Railway Journal back in 1995. These models were hand built, scratch built engines of the highest quality - and price, the magazine noted "Obviously handbuilt RTR models will cost a few thousand pounds". I drooled over these but even now wouldn't have a hope of affording such beautiful workmanship, but I can do my level best to reproduce it with the help of the kit !

Of course, not having a deadline helps. The plan will be a do a bit, put it away, leave it for a while and then do a bit more. I'll be basing the model on William Francis, not least because I should be able to take some photos of the prototype over the weekend to clear up some of the pipework mysteries. Whether I name the model thus (plates have been tracked down and ordered from Guilplates), I'm not sure yet. I fancy a red liver with black lining rather than anything the loco would have carried in real life. And it's my choo choo so I'll paint it any colour I want, which won't be the colour the prototype is at the moment !

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