Chuffed by steam pipe

Along the footplate of the C15 tank engine, there is a steam pipe. The instructions suggest making it from a length of 1.2mm diameter wire. There is also some mention of cotter pins to represent the clips that on the prototype, would hold it in place.

I identified the wire, cut it to length and then looked at the clips. While I have some split pins that would do the job, I fancied that a method used for 4mm scale downpipes would work on this 7mm scale model locomotive.

Where there should be a clip, a length of 5 amp fuse wire is wrapped twice around the "pipe"and the tail at the back twisted tight. Then this is flooded with solder and the tail removed - on the downpipe it would go through a hole drilled in the building - and the back filed flat.

A few spots of heat from the RSU and it's a nice neat job. The pipe really is held in place by the clips, just not quite in the same way as in real life.