Tri-ang Transcontinental shunter refurbishment

A fiver? Of course I need a yellow Tri-ang shunter to add to my collection.

OK, there is a black dock shunter already in there but I didn't have the yellow version for shunting Giraffe Cars.

It's a clever model. The freelance body fits on a motor bogie used elsewhere in the range. The only addition is a light. Even the rear coupling fits on the body so the moulds for the motor bogie didn't need to be altered.

My model worked perfectly on Code 100 track but the knurled wheels aren't Code 75 friendly. I've oiled the bearings and cleaned the commutator with an evil fibre pen, but these things are bomb-proof so it's no surprise there.

After a bit of pondering, the body responded well to a scrub in the sink with warm soapy water. It looked quite nicely weathered and once you've cleaned it you can't go back. In the end though, this a toy and I felt it would prefer to be shiny as a new button.

The roof was looking a bit tired. I masked it with tape and kitchen foil before spraying with Halfords matt black. I tried satin, but the result was too shiny to my eyes.

Job done, a nice little shunter for the collection. It's probably worth a lot more than I paid for it now, but that's not the point. I have an attractive model for a bargain price.