Sunny Sunday (13) - running session - GVT loco's first outing...

I decided to start with running the Bagnall 2-8-2 and some bogey coaches. ..

the loco kept derailing, so did the van and the brake coach (some heat problems I expect). I gave up on the loco - later inspection showed a trailing bogey had come loose and was causing most of the problems.

I swapped to the single Fairlie, much better and minimal derailments

Finally set up a train to run with the completed GVT loco

Glyn, looking nice in its all black livery...

the loco ran really well with no problems....

Signal box move...

 I didn't get a chance to run a train yesterday; but in the evening after watering the garden in the cooler evening air I moved the signal box....

The old position of the signal box, now has a foot pad for safe access to the grass area in the centre of the layout. Last time I tried to get across here with my large stride I knocked over the signal box and cut my ankle, so the new scheme is much safer.

The new location for the signal box, right next to the station, it fits in quite nicely....

LocoWorks - GVT Loco (5) - last bits and ...

At the rear of the cab, frames for the window

A little trim to fill the gap between the cab front and roof; frames for the windows...

a small coal bunker in the back of the cab....

Filled the gaps with some Millput, added some thin cosmetic plates to hide the mess where the couplings were orginally

A start on the cab backplate....

final cab backplate, just approx right shape with some bits on it. This will be hidden in the cab once the roof is on so very basic look will do...

and thats the last bits done and today it got a coat of primer....

final coat in black livery, couplings, nameplates, some crew and it'll be ready for service....😀

Sunny Sunday (12) - short works train...

 Moving a ballast wagon.... Playmobil RC diesel on duty..

Sunny Sunday (11) - Tanker wagons...

Two newly acquired HLW small tanker wagons get their first run out on the garden layout...

 Diesel No1 Kingfisher, pulls the train....

Sunny Sunday (10) - GVT loco trial run....

 Looking good in the sun-shine, the GVT loco...

running round.....

nice to get to the point where I have the loco running 😀

LocoWorks - GVT Loco (4) - mostly complete ?

 The fiddling, fettling and faffing continues....

Strengtheners added to the interior of the front....

the top of the front was not level, so a little bit of plasticard added.....

strengtheners for the cab sides....( I knew those mini g-clamps I bought 5 years ago would come in useful)

Initial tidy up of window size and shape....

strengthener for the front of the cab...

beading round the cab door area ...

The back of the cab strengthened..

Improving the cab door definition and adding a door knob..

making the frame for the roof... (which lifts out, so I can put the roof on and take it off)

Roof top added and a view of the whole loco...

mostly complete, but quite a few things left to do..

• trim on underside of roof
• internal cab detail (backplate, coal bunker etc)
• front and back cab window frames
• fill in the holes and sand off
• a simple way to secure the chassis to the loco body
• some loco crew
• aftre that its off to the paint shop ....

Sunny Sunday (9) - Single Fairlie ....

 I've got round to cleaning the track on the garden layout.  Over the last week I've had a short session each evening with the track rubber.

Today I got out the track powered Single Fairlie loco for a run ... (some 'sticky' track needed cleaning, after that all running well...)

LocoWorks - GVT Loco (3) - Skirts...

'The Side-Skirts' 

I re-inforced the thin cardboard skirts with some 0.5mm plasticard, then put some bracing in....

I made the inside strengthener 2mm wider so that I could add a strip of beading to the bottom of the skirt

nice to get the front part of the loco body back on and secure..

Beading round the top of the side skirts added plus the hinged access panels.....

the beading at the rear of the loco, I'm going to have to fill that hole up (it was where a large on/off switch was)

Bracing...

To make the upper part of the loco more robust I've put a cross piece in to brace it, and fixed it to the side tanks for extra strength.

New arrivals...

 A Sylvan Families tram, £5 at a charity shop - could be the bare bones a small rail-car

Two Hartland Loco Works tank wagons, they need some assembly tweaking.

Sunny Sunday (8) - short mixed train again ....

 Diesel loco with van and bogey coach....