32 bits and pieces.

Now that the paint shop has closed after all the work orders have been filled it's back to the 'Large' for some more work on the 32, Which I have been advised will be numbered 3265 and plated "Hunter" in honour of it's recently 'reborn' big cousin.

This pic shows the headlight, after it's return from the milling shop, having been bored out to allow fitting of the 3 mm yellow gold LED from Gywdir Valley Models. Initially I though with a headlight body this size I would be fitting the 5mm LED, not so. Even the 3 mm had to have the front filed a little to fit. I drilled two small holes in the rear of the head light and poked the terminals from the LED through, making sure that they did not touch the headlight body anywhere and then put a large drop of 'liquid insulation tape' into the headlight from the front and poked the LED through. As the terminals passed through the holes they dragged some insul-goop with them and insulated the terminals from the headlight body. After sitting in the vice for a while the goop went 'off' and the LED now sits securely in the headlight. Later I will fill the gap with clear resin to give it the glazed look. I will clip the terminals as close as I dare and fit leads to run back to the decoder prior to fitting the headlight to the loco smoke box.

Work on the tender included the fitting of additional pickups, as Ray Pilgrim did on 3822 (see other post), to ensure better signal to the decoder, using 0.5mm phospher bronze spring wire and soldered to the underside of the bogie spreader. The bogies a electrically connected via the black wire you can see passing over the speaker grill, simply by soldering this to the top of the bogie spreader. This wire was purchased at Casula Hobbies and is from the DCC manufacturer TCS, it is 36 gauge ! very fine stuff.


I have since fitted the motor and gearbox to the loco, connected the motor wires and the pickup wires to the tender and the locomotive frame as well. All being well 3265 should have its first test run very soon. Unlike it's larger cousin the last thing I want to see is any smoke when I open up the 'throttle'.

From the paint shop (Plow vans 2)

From my previous plow van post here is the just about finished items plus NQOY kit from Casula Hobbies (waiting on decals for it).

The two plow vans actually share the same coding (NZBF) but are from different periods. The blue one being the later version. This was finished in Railey Paints FreightRail Blue enamel and Bakers Grotty Black enamel with the handrails done in Floquil Reefer White laquer and finished off with Dulcote.

The older plow was finished in Bakers PerWay Cream and Old Black enamel and weathered with a mix Humbrol brown and a dash of orange for that western NSW look, as per the supplied photo in the kit. All the handrails and roof plumbing are scratch built from .05 brass wire and primed with etch primer first. The NQOY was grey primed first, then some Grotty Black, some FreightRail Blue and weathered with Humbrol brown. After decaling it will be Dulcoted.

Hopefully now I can get stuck into the 32 and get it into service!

Its arrived !!!

Just after I said "not much to report" it's turned up! Crawled into bed just after 7am, after night shift and about 7.30 Francine says "I think your shed's here" Well that's worth getting up for!...I think?












Well that's it, can't say I can see 5 1/2 K in that little pile of bits but time will tell. I should mention that there is an entry door kit, 4 boxes of hardware and the insulation just out of shot, but still! Now where did I leave that concrete trowel??