[GVT] Kerr-Stuart loco – part 3

Hi folks,

it’s time to show the third part of the Kerr-Stuart loco.

Today’s post shows the cab and changes I did. Since the die cast cab adds a lot of weight to the back of the loco, I had issues to keep the overall balance. I added lead pieces to the side tanks. The right block is made from styrene and will hold the screws to mount the cab to the frame.

Once the inside walls were glued to the water tanks, I filled the gaps with putty and filed the open section flat. Next, I removed the rear coal bunker. As I had to lengthen the back wall down to the frame, I used styrene again, so reduce weight at this end.

I also replaced the die cast roof with thin sheet metal. All parts are glued together with epoxy and I used putty on all gaps to get a smooth body shell.

Since white metal doesn’t hold paint very well, I spend a coat of primer first before painting the loco in oxide red. I used the airbrush for most painting work. The black sections are hand-painted with a pencil. I also made a special lining-pencil and hand-painted the yellow lining. It took me some while and I had to correct it a couple of times, but finally, I’m very happy with the result. A final clear coat secures the paint.

At least, here’s a photo from the underside, showing the loading-socket at the top left. The center-slot is connected to plus, while the outers are minus. Therefore, it’s equal which was the plug is connected. Opposite to the socket is a tiny SMD-power-switch. The switch is wired that way, that the loco has to be turned off to load the battery. Additional the battery includes a saftey-PC-board to protect the battery from damage.

The used battery features 90mAh and lasts for 80 minutes continuous running. Charging with an external charger takes approx. 50 minutes.

Next post will show my new homemade Deltang transmitter I made to operate the small 009 locos.