Apologies to regular readers for the delay of this post, it has been a busy week and as a result have had very little train time.  But fortunately the weekend is here now!

Gradually moving away from my western theme and back to Southern, one of my DCC fitted terriers took charge of the GWR Clerestory Rake.  This example is 3 Bodiam, in Kent and East Sussex Railway colours.  This is my oldest working model in my collection; that is in terms of the prototype’s age.  This locomotive was built in 1872 and is therefore 140 years old this year!  It remains on the preserved Kent and East Sussex Railway, where it worked through much of it’s career.

These models are surprisingly easy to convert to DCC, with adequate space in the smokebox for a small decoder, (once the smokebox is drilled out from the inside and the weight removed).  They are not dcc ready so require soldering. If you have not done this before, find some old cable of no value and have a go – it’s easier than you might think.  Just take care not to burn yourself – it hurts a lot (yes I am speaking from experience!)