Taking steps to make the Jinty work better

My Jinty is a silky smooth runner. With it's Mashima motor, High-Level gearbox and flexi-chassis all the ingrediants have some together to make a model that works as well as I'd like.

Comparing it with the Triang TT version is like comparing brussel sprouts and banana. They might both be good for you and therefore desirable, but one doesn't taste very nice.

Once in a while though, it all goes wrong. The locomotive stops. Dead.

And I know what the problem is. The front steps get bent in slightly and jam the con rods. A quick tweak with the fingers and all is back to normal again. It's one of the downsides of 14.2mm gauge and probably P4 as well (for you larger scale modellers), limited clearances.

Mind you, the loco has cured the problem itself now. By the end of the show, the steps fell off and now I have to work out how to solder them back without requiring a repaint.