Far from the madding crowd - Building a metropolitan Bo-Bo
Prepared by Stewart Ingram Originator Bob Bunker
Proudly sporting an “Aldgate” headboard, and despite the lack of conductor rails, Metropolitan Electric no 10 “William Ewart Gladstone” stands incongruously bathed in tropical sunshine and surrounded by exotic plants on my garden layout here in Hong Kong.
“Some corner of a foreign field / That is forever Metroland”
Made from a Ken De Groome kit, this has given a lot of fun, and was a real pleasure to make. “A kit that almost assembles itself” – it is very straightforward to make up – the sides are mainly laminations, and so can be pinned to a flat board and then run around with a soldering iron – and the curved ends are pre-formed (without rolling equipment it would be difficult to get the curvature right.) Instructions are straightforward and comprehensive, and everything fits perfectly.
Ken is also a most helpful chap, and a pleasure to deal with.
Tamiya maroon in a spray can seemed pretty well the right colour, and the lining was done with Fox strips. That bit is very fiddly, but if you don’t want to do it, there are plenty of livery variations without lining to choose from. Transfers were from Radley, and nameplates from Guilplates.
Not perhaps one of the prettiest locos ever designed, they are however imbued with great charm, and have been favourites of mine ever since we lived in England and I commuted from Rickmansworth.
The model is set up for radio control, with the receiver mounted up in the resin roof.
I have fitted one of Peter Spoerer’s amazing soundcards, which gives electric whine synchronised with the motor, plus air brakes, a whistle and a trundling compressor, and the centre windows are unglazed for the benefit of the internal speaker.
A kit that I can wholeheartedly recommend.
Bob Bunker - Hong Kong