Lister Running in Garden

One year after I started my first 16 mm scale kit I could celebrate taking my first loco in that scale in service. In 30 degrees C I laid a few track panels in a shady spot in the garden. With a single Hudson skip my I P Engineering Lister R made its first trip. Everything worked and the speed was easily controlled with the Tx22 controller.

Nystrup Gravel loco no. 3, a Lister R, pulling a single skip on a short provisionally laid garden line.

To celebrate the event I made a short film of the train traversing the 3 m of track. A short distance for the train but a giant leap for me. 16 mm scale, remote control and outside running, all new aspects in my modelling. See the short film below:

With almost every part attached to the loco I could no longer avoid getting the RC-equipment assembled and tested. With the instructions from RC Trains and the invaluable information available on the Peckforton Light Railway blog the proces proceeded without any trouble. With the cicuit finished I followed the instruction on how to bind the receiver to transmitter. Binding was easily achieved and with the transmitter on I could drive the motor and wheel assembly back and forth on the worktable.

The RC installation test assembled on the worktable. The RCT-Rx65c receiver can be seen fixed to the assembly in the lower left of the image.

With the electronic and mechanical matters functioning I was ready to prime and paint the loco and glue it to the motor unit. I used my favourite Chaos Black primer as I have found it to provide a good grip on most types of surfaces and to make a good foundation for the covering paints. The major colour is Vallejo Air's  71.285 'Imperial Japanese Army Dark Green'. It covered well on the primed parts and required only two light passes with the air brush.

Two images of the loco shortly before priming. During the building process I have added a number of home made parts far in excess of the number of kit parts I have used. Most are small details but seat box and floor plates are sizable items that are modelled on a Dutch Lister in the collection of the Decauville Smalspoor Museum in the Netherlands.

Detail painting was limited to the lids on petrol and oil tank and some decorative red on brake wheel and the gear lever.

After painting, battery and RC-equipment was fitted. It took some wrestling with wires and components, but in the end everything was fitted. Remaining work is now to finish painting the figure, adding weathering and a fixing a canvas cover for the open rear end of the bonnet. A few white metal parts for detailng is in the mail from Germany and I guess they will help to make my first 16 mm loco a good looking model once it is completely finished. Until then I will keeping enjoying running the loco on my provisional outdoor version of Nystrup Gravel. Fortunately the weather will stay hot and dry the next few days.