Odsock's Lister

Although my intention had been to use the Abbey Light Railway style Simplex on 'odsock Corner the reality is that it may be a little too big for some of the clearances. It does get around but only just, so something a little smaller would be more suitable. That same Christmas a couple of years ago I also received a print from the same source (FK3D) for a Lister, and I have now started to work it up into a useful locomotive. 

The print doesn't need much work, most of what I have done isn't really visible, but I did find that I had to scrape away a bit of material underneath to get the Kato 'core' to fit. Part of me thinks that it ought to go in a bit further but I don't want to push my luck... As always a coat of grey primer really enhances the print, there is a lot of detail on there that you cannot see when it is reflecting the light!

Underneath the squeezed in Kato chassis is visible. I have drilled out part of the balance weights at either end of the body, but for different reasons. The right-hand end was in order to add 'liquid lead' as part of a scheme to counter-balance a whitemetal driver (the bonnet also had a suitable compartment opened up and filled). The left-hand end was to reduce the weight a little, although it could be used for weight if another driver is ever used. The weights were secured with slow-setting epoxy.

The body separated from the chassis. As the base plate used was from a 11-108 chassis, moulded in shiny grey plastic, I have carefully prepared it with 1200-grit wet and dry, cleaned it up, primed with plastic primer and then top-coated with matt black aerosol paint to get a hard-wearing, matt finish. The 3D printed top clip, that holds the motor in place, was also treated to this finish, as both are visible at certain angles.

The driver is from the 'Heroes of the Footplate' range and is a casting I've had many years, his right arm is adjustable and has been in a number of different positions as he's been offered up to different locos over time. Adjusted again, it sits naturally over a control lever. His right foot is on a pedal that had actually broken off the print, it was shortened to suit before being added back in place. I had to build up his posterior with Milliput to sit neatly in the tractor style seat. He's held in place by a combination of holes in the footplate to accommodate 0.5mm brass wire in his feet, and a rather painful looking spike in the centre column of the seat...

Whilst I said I hadn't done much to modify the print there was one thing that I did change. The tops of the axle 'W' plates had triangular cutouts where they should have continuous sloped sides, so these were filled in with Milliput and carefully smoothed to shape. The only other thing I changed was to replace the gear lever with a Peco track pin with a touch of epoxy to shape the head, as the original seemingly "vanished"...

Painting has now commenced, so the usual rule applies until you see it again!

Colin