Ready To Run Revisions

Himself likes to tinker - it's been a lifelong habit.

As soon as we received our Bachmann Baldwin 590 he was pulling it apart - as much as he dared! -to see how it worked.

So it was little surprise to me when he said he wanted add some extra details to make it look more authentically like the Col. Stephens hand-me-down.

One of the features which stands out in the photographs from the time, and isn't included on the Bachmann model, is the homemade cab back sheet, which was no doubt added to provide protection from the liquid sunshine in the top left hand corner of Wales.

In the spirit of (I presume) the fitters at Dinas, he's knocked up something in styrene which can be clipped into position.

He hasn't been able to figure out a way of doing the same for the side extensions without permanently fixing them to the body, but a quick search of the web brings up pictures where it only had the rear part fitted.

My main concern is that it looks far too clean and shiny for 590, but then we are modelling the railway in the present day when the locomotives do, by and large, look immaculate.

(Although it has to be said the WHR Garratts do tend to look a little more 'honest' in daily service than the pampered fleet on the FR.)

Baldwin At Beddgelert

There was something very exciting in the post while I was away on my summer holidays, something that until very recently I never thought I would see - a stunning ready-to-run 009 locomotive.

Usually there's not a lot to look forward to when you return home but this time I was full of anticipation for getting to take a look at our Bachmann Baldwin 4-6-0.

Most of Bron Hebog is set up for testing and fettling of the board joints at Himself's place at the moment so we've actually had the chance to give it a proper test and have some fun taking a few snaps.

It's been 80 years since a Baldwin was last seen at Beddgelert.

I do hope it won't be too much longer before either 778 or the pretend 590 being restored for the WHHR can play out these scenes for real.