Kit 30B - The Road Loco Roof

It has arrived!!

I have everyhting to finish the engine except the time !!!!!!

Lynn may be fitting hers already unless it is still in the deleivery van.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Brian

Yep, the final kit has arrived, Santa is very efficient this year

Usual high quality of finish, all birch ply laser cut.

Bit pushed for time today so didnt manage to get any paint on....





Only kidding... its quite easy to dry assemble to get a feel for it on the engine as wanted to see what it would be like driving..... Not a chance, its already dangerous enough on a steam engine on the road, without the view obscured, plus I like to see the moving bits. Dont know how you Showmans guys will cope. I might consider an option I have seen which use extensions on the uprights to raise the roof by another foot or so, which would be quite easy to do with a piece of rod the same size with a socket and plug arrangment not making it permanant. I will give it a try and see how it looks.

i do not think showmans are getting 30B until next year

also looks like you still need to refit the blast pipe

Picking up the front section of the pipe tomorrow as I have had it black nickel plated as the chimney was off and it was the ideal time to finish off one or two jobs. Will also pick up the blacked shovel and footrests as well as The Colemans motion all clear plated so he can construct over Xmas.

This is for Kev as he asked but I don't think he will be able to do this now.

I have done a test fitting of the roof boards where I leave the centre 5 planks short at the rear of the roof. They finish half way across the first cross member from the rear edge. When sat on the seat it gives you a perfect view to the pressure gauge, water gauge, fire hole and all the controls just by glancing down when looking across the top of the roof to the road ahead. I intend to cut the excess material off the 5 planks and use them to make a roof panel that fits the hole.

I am unable to post a picture right now as I am adding this post from my phone but util I can I hope it makes sense to the road loco builders out there.

Here are a couple of pictures showing what I tried to describe in my previous post. Please excuse my daughter's bad hair day, I grabbed her as she was the nearest person at the time

The view from my perspective is ideal and I have tried to replicate the reach for the controls and it will be interesting to see if it works. Maybe for going around a rally site in bottom gear it is fine but for road work not see easy. I will go ahead with this modification and see how I manage.

Sorry to those who already assembled their roofs, this mod only works before you fix planks and paint them.