Building a 3 1/2" gauge Duchess

Building a 3 1/2" Duchess

A members 3 1/2" gauge Duchess, this was purchased as a rolling chassis for the tender and a rolling chassis of the loco without motion work about 14 months ago. The tender was tackled first starting with the frames which needed totally reworking, the body was then produced from sheet brass and to finish it off a few detailing bits were added to make a very nice looking tender. Next he will be starting on the loco chassis

The engine seen here as purchased

This is the original casting for the tender axle box and spring as you can see it's not very attractive

As you can see the top frame is an original the bottom one is the modified one what a difference

This is a good shot of the tender body held together without a side so you can see the internals

This is the finished axle box and spring looking a little more towards the full size loco

The rolling chassis all together ready for the body detailing rivets and footsteps add to the apperance

The tender finished apart from paint with all the detail added it really looks smart just the engine to go!

61 years of model engineering in Sussex

The East Grinstead Model Engineers