More Tender Topics

As part of my ongoing strategy of keeping the reader(s) of this blog off-kilter, I thought I would make a sudden return to the world of model railways for today's post.  What we have here is a resin cast of a Hornby Dublo/Wrenn tender top for their rebuilt West Country model.  As you will doubtless recall, I've been assembling one of these models from bits acquired online, but I was still short of a tender.  Consequently, it has been running with a tender borrowed from another West Country that I'm restoring.  As tenders for these models, either complete or in parts, seem to be going for ludicrous prices ob eBay, I had been planning to try and modify the tender from the old Triang Battle of Britain model, as these are usually obtainable second hand for far lower prices.  But then I saw this on eBay going for a fraction of the cost of the original part.  While it isn't perfect and will need some work doing on it, I'm very pleased with this acquisition, which will now form the basis for the new tender.

The main question now is whether to try mounting this new body on an original Dublo/Wrenn chassis, or try using the Triang version.  Again, original chassis' seem to be going for insane prices second hand.  It is still possible, however, to obtain new castings of this chassis, apparently produced from the original moulds.  While these aren't as cheap as the resin tender top, they are a lot cheaper than the second hand ones.  So that could be the solution - a new original tender constructed from reproduction parts.  Anyway, the tender top, as delivered, is seen above posed in front of 'Barnstaple' and its borrowed tender, (which itself still needs work doing on it before it is complete).  You never know, I might finally be within sight of getting both of these West Country projects completed.  It's been a long haul, with lots of false starts and errors on my part, but finally I seem to be getting there.