A belated Happy New year to you all, I trust that everyone had a good Christmas as well.
End of Term Report for 2025
Finished 5 coaches, one of which was completed during the year. All Comet
Built & finished 3 pieces of rolling stock.
Built 2 engines, one of which will have to have a reworked chassis, the other hits the rails at Barrow Road tomorrow. Which means that the 16xx has been completed. Everything has been tightened and it still moves sweetly. The secret to a sweetly running chassis - is in the design, thank you Mr Newitt - brilliant stuff. And thank you Nucast.
Why the delay...
Having visited Father Christmas, all my Grandchildren decided to pass on
all their germs in one big hit. Woke up on the Monday morning wondering which part of me didn't hurt! Two and a half weeks later (and several large doses of penicillin)...things returned to normal. It comes to something when your favorite brew turns your stomach (coffee), tea had the same effect, so Bovril has been my taste buds saviour during this most uncomfortable time.
On the plus side my 3D printer arrived (for my B'day) and lots of filament came from my son (who now thinks he has shares in it) and some replacement wheels from my daughter (Grange).
I've worked my way thru the outstandings and all that's left are the wheel balance weights and the front sanding pipes to be installed. A bit of tidying up of edges and a little bit of paint on the brakes and brake rods.
Pick ups - not sure about these, but see what happens tomorrow.
Pictures of the completed model, now that I'm looking at the hose pipe, it does seem enormous!
So there we have it, 1610 completed and has a really good chance of getting round Barrow Road without falling in the water...or at least I hope it does.

Unbelievably, there were no more surprises finishing off, which makes this a rather unique model!
The acid test of any kit, is, would you build another one? I'd have to split my answer, the chassis - yes, the whitemetal kit - not so much. A lot of work has gone into making this look like the prototype and I'm pleased with the way this has finished. I'll let you know how it runs, or maybe not

.
And now for your delectation, a rework of the Grange chassis...
Lastly, my thanks to the Moderators of this site who do so much to feed our steamy habit over the last 12 months, thank you Gentlemen. Here's to another years modeling, may your irons never grow cold.
Stay safe
Mike.