- A Diamond in the Rough -
by Daniel Thomas
Lucy Diamond is a freelance 009 scale narrow gauge Kitson & Co steam locomotive which has been constructed for my (yet to be built) fictional narrow gauge railway, the Brecon and Ystalyfera Railway. The overall aesthetics of Lucy Diamond were inspired by the 2-6-4T locomotives from the Leek and Manifold Light Railway, which were also built by Kitson, an example of which is shown in the picture above.
Building 'Lucy Diamond'
Lucy Diamond has been constructed using a Chris Ward 3D bodyshell (shown on the left), which has been designed for use with the Fleishmann 7000 N gauge chassis. The bodyshell has been con- siderably altered compared to the original 3D print in order to im- prove its realism and likeness to a Kitson built locomotive.
In the first stage of construction, the 3D printed chimney was cut off and replaced with a white metal casting from the GEM range to give a more industrial appearance. The cab roof was raised by approximately 3mm so the loco fitted better with the loading gauge and other rolling stock. Next, a brass smoke box door dart was added to the smoke box door together with brass handrail knobs, brass handrails, etched brass lamp irons, and a white metal vacuum brake pipe.
More details were soon added to enhance it even further. It was equipped with headlamps and a Stone`s turbo generator to give it a feeling of brutal industrial elegance. I also utilised fuse wire to create the pipework, and electrical conduit as it is easy to bend and cut. The naff 3D printed spectacle plates were eventually replaced with some much nicer looking brass ones. Interior cab detail was made out of fuse wire and other metal offcuts, to represent cab pipework and controls. The final additions were fitting more detailed 009 couplings, a whistle, and two scratch built sandboxes with brass lamp irons glued to them on to the front footplate.
Once all the required detail components were glued onto Lucy Diamond. I used a combination of brush paints (Railmatch, Humbrol and Lifecolour etc) and spray-paints (Tamiya and Halfords) to paint her up into the initial colour scheme. I have also taken the roof off at this stage (it has since been glued onto the cab) to show how much detail has been incorporated into the cab, and to paint the cab interior.
The final major stages to finishing the model were to initially give it a coat of gloss varnish, so that transfers could be applied. Next, the Nameplates, which were custom made by Narrow Planet were glued onto the mod- el. I then added a layer of paint to represent dirt, that was then wiped away to highlight the areas of the locomo- tive that the cleaners didn't clean. Testers Dullcote lacquer was then misted over the model to protect the sur- face. Weathering powders were then applied to represent rusting areas and dust build up. Real crushed coal was then added to the bunkers, a shovel was glued to the top of the coal, and fireirons and other tools were hung off the rear lamp irons. A white metal bucket casting with separate replacement handle was glued on the right side of the locos foot plate. The penultimate and final touches were to add a driver in the cab and to glaze the windows with Deluxe Materials glue n glaze. All this work on the model took me 3 MONTHS to do in my spare time, and as my first painted narrow gauge locomotive, I am very pleased with the outcome.