"Thompson D Class 4-4-0, The Morpeth: finished!"

You may recall some time ago, that I started work on building a model of Edward Thompson's lone D Class 4-4-0, no.62768 The Morpeth. 

Well, I say some time ago...I actually started talking about this project on the 14th October 2011! The initial build actually didn't take very long as I planned out the whole thing prior to the delivery of my Hornby Railroad D49 model. 

So, a short recap...

I started building the D Class on the 10th November 2011. I had concentrated on the running plate to begin with, cutting and shutting various components (you can read more about this stage of the build here).

Then started a procession of short and sweet blogs, ranging from detailing the smokebox door to fitting a new coupled wheelset. You can read on the physical side of the build here, here, here and finally here.

It's hard to believe that it would be over a year from the date this photograph was taken, before any more progress on the lone Thompson D Class model would be made!

I decided earlier this evening that the model simply had to be finished. It has been sitting in a corner looking decidedly dusty and forlorn, and to be quite frank that would never do! So I decided to finish it at last.

I used Modelmaster's Mixed Traffic lining out for the majority of the model. I won't be using those again, as the transfers were very wide (bizarrely incorporating a strip of clear transfer paper either side), and they gave a lot of trouble in trying to seal them. Fox Transfers boiler band, numerals and lettering were used.

The whole model was sealed with a few coats of Johnson's Klear, applied by airbrush. 

Overall, The Morpeth was a fun, cheap project to do, and has given me a truly unique model.

It's not a perfect model however, and on reflection, I have improved my skills somewhat since I started the project, and can do better than this now, but there's a palpable sense of satisfaction that I did it all myself, and that it's finally finished. One day I may try again and see if I can't beat this standard by some way.

I will have to have a line up of my Thompson design machines, to see what locomotives are missing from the overall line up. Off the top of my head, I need a Thompson Q1, a K5, a K1/1, one of the D20 rebuilds and a Thompson B2 to complete the set (I don't count Great Northern as it's very much in hand).

This model will now go into the queue for weathering, and will probably be done at the same time as no.61665 Leicester City B17, which I worked on recently.

I've yet to see a photograph of this unique machine looking anything other than well look after, whilst in BR livery, so it's unlikely to become too grimy. Just "one driver, carefully looked after" in over look!

I personally don't understand the vitriol aimed at it. It looks very Great Eastern, and very handsome to me! Edward Thompson may have been onto something with the aesthetics...

Until next time!