NAME THAT LOCO... REVEALED!

War Department loco kit nears completion

Hats off to Jaymes and Duncan who correctly guessed the identity of this mystery loco, currently under construction in the Dent workshops. I'm genuinely impressed with how they worked it out from the previous posts - well done chaps!

Jaymes is marginally ahead on points for also guessing the brand of the kit - Mercian Models. This is the first kit from this stable that I've had the pleasure of working on, and it has proved an enjoyable experience. Everything fits where it's meant to, with no surprises or complications. Another welcome feature is the ability to buy a complete kit package, including wheels, motor and gearbox. Indeed, the only extra materials that I've employed so far is a few strips of PCB board to mount the wiper pickups on, which are also provided, along with wires (paint and transfers will have to be sourced). There are a number of alternative parts to suit different prototypes, so choosing a specific subject and finding a number of reference images is recommended. Having said that, I've decided not to represent one specific loco, aiming simply to show readers how to get the best from the kit.

Look out for the full demo build, along with a full profile of the prototypes in Model Rail magazine, issue 197, out in early June.

Mercian Models offers the Barclay WD 0-4-0 as a complete kit package, or just the loco parts only if you prefer sourcing your own wheels, motor and gears.