Sometimes you wish that real railways were more like models. This thought often pops into my head when it’s time to add couplings. What were they thinking with these chains or screw couplings ? Even the Americans managed to use something better (at least for modelling purposes) on locomotives and wagons, and this is a nation who can’t spell the word axe !
The model Armstrong locomotive is to work with Bachmann coupling fitted stock, so I have to get a wire loop fitted at the right height. Normally this isn’t too big a problem but in this case the front bogie gets in the way.
Ideally the loop would be soldered to the back of the buffer beam and come out underneath it. I’ve no space for this, as the GWR didn’t design a nice gap between buffer beam and bogie top, so it has to be fixed to the front in the least obtrusive manner possible. I filled the thin brass flatter to reduce the impact. One “leg” is next to the vacuum pipe as well for extra camouflage.
Once painted my non-prototypical addition won’t show too badly. It will definitely be less obtrusive than the plastic version fitted to RTR stock.
All of this would have been a lot easier if I’d remembered to do it before priming the model. I do this partly so I can get a proper look at how the model progresses. Normally I don’t realise I have forgotten a big bit though… Still at least I spotted everything before the proper paint went on. I hope.
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