Tender Topics

Well, not much has happened on the model railway front.  Or any other front, for that matter.  I'm afraid that, this week, I've been preoccupied with other matters - that decision I can no longer put off, that alluded to last time - and consequently have had to spend a fair amount of time doing online research.  More information on this front if and when it develops.  There has been some progress with my jungle of a garden, thanks to the assistance of some very kind neighbours who have better tools than me and are better gardeners than me.  Slowly but surely, it is being cleared.  Maybe I'll start a garden railway when it is done.  In the meantime, I really need to get on with the one in the spare room.  As can be seen in the above photo, the only recent development is that 'Bibby Line' has finally acquired a correctly liveried tender.  This was achieved by swapping the old blue-liveried tender top with a green one which, amazingly, I got for a reasonable price in an eBay auction, (they usually go for ridiculous prices).

As with all modern model railway rolling stock, carrying out the swap wasn't straightforward.  Traditionally, tender tops were secured to the tender chassis with a single screw, (that is certainly the case with the Wrenn Merchant Navy, 'Clan Line', which is sitting on the next track to 'Bibby Line'), but this one required the removal of five screws and the dismantling of the whole assembly with retains the wheels in place.  Of course, it all had to be done in reverse to secure the new top in place.  And people wonder why I prefer the older models?  I'm holding onto the old blue top until the coronavirus crisis is finally over and swapmeets can be held again - this version is rarer than the green one and can fetch higher prices, (well, on eBay there are people asking lunatic prices for them - whether they get that price is another matter).  Hopefully, along with a few other surplus items, I'll be able to swap it for something else, probably spares for my old school locomotive fleet.  So, that's where I am right now,  trying to sift through contradictory advice as I ponder my next move.