'Planet' History

No, the Nystrup Gravel blog hasn't changed subject to astronomy, but a few facts about the gravel company's 'Planet' 6 hp self-propelled skip has come up. The vehicle was a unique specimen in the Danish industrial narrow gauge world, and I have been searching the archives for some answers to how the motorised skip came in service of the Nystrup Gravel company.

My 1/19 scale interpretation of the Nystrup Gravel 'Planet' was recently finished. Two employees review the result.

To begin with the 'Planet' 6 hp Motor Driven Truck, as it was called at the time of its development, was a lightweight industrial narrow-gauge self-propelled skip designed in the late 1920's. The typical customer was a small industrial enterprise that needed a cheap and lightweight motive power for a small industrial railway. The original Hibberd-vehicle used a smal skip frame fitted with a 6-horsepower engine. The standard model featured a flat platform, with options for a wooden box or a 1 cubic-yard standard skip available for users having different needs. As F.C. Hibberd & Co.’s factory in West London was bombed during World War 2, and the company's archives, original design blueprints, and historical records were destroyed, not much is known about these charming little motorised skips. 

Archive illustation showing a 'Planet' self-propelled skip almost identical to the one in use at Nystrup Gravel.

Considering the size of Nystrup Gravel's production the average spectator may think that the company had far too many locomotives. But in reality the company rarely had more than 3 servicable locomotives at a time. The years after the German occupation of Denmark were difficult years with much infrastructure and machinery totally worn out and very hard to replace. Consequently some of Nystrup Gravel's acquisitions during those early post-war years were 'buy what is available' and didn't last long - or were used very little. My recent research shows that the 'Planet' was exactly such an investment. Usefull when nothing else was available and falling out of use as soon as it could be replaced by better machinery. 

The only picture known to show the 6 hp 'Planet' at Nystrup Gravel. Photographed in the yard with a view over the meadows north of the gravel works. The number '12' is clearly visible on the cab front.

The United Kingdom was a major Danish trading partner before World War 2 cut off all connections. Due to a large Danish export of agricultural products the currency policies of the times made it profitable to buy British industrial products. This is clearly visible when glancing through the locomotives that Nystrup Gravel had: no less than 3 locos had UK origin. 

From 1944 to Autumn 1946 a Schöma built KML-5 worked on Nystrup Gravel. Supplied by the German authorities to speed up gravel production for military use, Nystrup Gravel held on to the loco as long as possible. When the owner in Germany, contractor Wilhelm Müller, took the case to court the company management finally let the loco go. 

In a very thorough search in the immediate post-war part of the company archives from Nystrup Gravel I found a preserved page from a local paper for Wedensday 14. November 1945. The article was headlined 'Lucky Nystrup Gravel' and is with a very high degree of probability a mention of how the 'Planet' came to Nystrup Gravel. For the community around Nystrup a new machine arriving to a local business was always good news and fortunately Nystrup Gravel director Holm never missed giving a tip to a local journalist. 

November 1945 - Nystrup and Denmark slowly recovering after the German occupation. Nystrup Gravel's little railway trying to cope with a lack of traction power.

In the article Nystrup Gravel Director Holm is quoted: “We received word that Askholm Hovedgaard (a large estate farm) had just decommissioned the track system used to transport manure from the cowsheds. The farm had a motorised skip in use, which we have now taken over. The self-propelled skip will be used by us to transport foundry sand.” Only few Danish farm used narrow gauge railways for internal transports of e.g. manure and the use of a motorised skip is unique for Askholm. The foundry sand product 'Multisand' was a result of the discovery of a small deposit of high quality sand in one of Nystrup's gravel pits. The sand was manually excavated to avoid contamination, refined and dried before it was loaded in 50 kg sacks. The volumes were minimal and usually only a train or two a week took away sand for refining. Consequently a single 'Planet' could keep the foundry sand production running leaving additional trains free for gravel transport. 

The newspaper also mentions that Nystrup Gravel since the liberation in May 1945 "has only had one steam locomotive and two diesel locomotives in service: one Danish and one German. The company’s large British diesel locomotive is not yet ready for service due to a shortage of spare parts". The German locomotive mentioned in the newspaper is most likely the Schöma provided by the German military and the large British diesel is without doubt the Fowler, Nystrup Gravel No. 8.

Another photo of my model of Nystrup Gravel No. 12 here seen passing my version of one of the large wooden buildings at the company's works in Nystrup.

How long the self-propelled skip was in service at Nystrup is not known. When the Fowler got back into service and more locomotives was acquired its mission of keeping the foundry sand business going must have lost importance. Now a train or two a week could provide transport for the sand. As Nystrup Gravel kept much of its worn out equipment long after it fell out of use, it is possible that the 'Planet' stayed with the company well into the 1950's. No evidence of its sale or scrapping has been found so far.

'Planet' Self-Propelled Skip Finished

In the last 'Planet' post I had produced a model that worked and accomplished the first test runs. Construction wise cab and skip body still needed work and no work at all had been done on the driver figure. While some parts of the model had been primed, painting and weathering still needed to be done. Now the Loco Remote self-propelled skip is finished. The driver took more effort than anticipated and will only join the 'Planet' at a later stage.

A self-propelled skip is now in service on my little 1/19 scale Nystrup Gravel indoor layout. Here chief mechanic Petersen is inspecting the new arrival. Always sceptical with green enamel cup in hand.

I finished the final construction work on the skip in the cottage during the last days of my summer vacation. I never bring all my modelling supplies to the cottage and it's always exciting to find out if I miss something to finish a task. Usually I can manage (sometimes I have to resort to primitive work arounds) and this was also the case for the 'Planet'. I testfitted the figure I acquired with the skip in the cab. I decided that some modifications was needed and began building up putty at several locations. Later I found it necessary to change the pose of the left arm. 

The driver made by David Clavey and named 'Ben' is having a series of 'putty transplants'. Trousers are too slim fit for 1950's garments and the groin area much too 'stick two legs on a torso'-like for my taste. All employees at Nystrup Gravel were also required to have broad shoulders and that will be fixed as well. 

I replaced the original 3D printed wooden cab floor with a piece of plastic to represent a steel plate floor. My work with files and sand paper on the skip body is visible.

Having finished the majority of tasks on the frames I began working on the cab and skip body. Cab floor was replaced with a simple steel plate from plastic. The floor was enlarged toward the front to follow the side of the frames. Sanding took care of the worst traces of the printing process on the cab sides. I then added a few etched metal details to engine cover and cab side - representing a cover for oil checking and a manufacturer's plate. Boltheads were fitted on the outside of the cab representing fastenings for the brake and seat brackets. I decided against fitting home made levers between engine cover and seat as they would make placing and removing the driver figure too defficult. The on/off switch will be partly hidden by the figure's foot and masked by weathering. The petrol tank was detailed and fitted with a reworked pipe installation. Brake wheel was installed with only very little modification.

Working on the cab included fitting of a few etched metal items from the spares box. Modelling and sipping gin can be combined without serious side effects! 

The skip body was treated to a generous sanding down. The printing lines were - if not completely removed - then reduced, and the top edges were trimmed a little thinner and rounded a bit more. Strengthening corner edging was fitted from plastic and rivetheads glued on. A repaired damage on one side of the skip was illustrated with a piece of plasticard glued on.

The self-propelled skip is on its first test run on the layout and a railway enthusiast has shown up to photograph the event.

From the side with cab opening showing added etched parts and rebuilt petrol tank.

With the final parts added I continued the priming and painting part of the project. Limited priming with 'Chaos Black'  was begun halfway through assembly as I wanted the underside and lower sides primed before I installed electrical curcuits and electronics. in the end the model was finally primed and painted in 4 separate parts: frame, cab, engine cover and skip body. Frame, cab and engine received a coat of 'Chaos Black' primer and the outsides of the skip body a good layer of rust paint 'Rosteffekt' from the German brand Belton. The paint comes in a standard 400 ml spray can and has a slight texture when dried. The effect help me build up a well weathered, rusty skip body. 

Early Autumn and the grapes are ripe. The skip frame has had its last boltheads fitted (the small white dots) and is ready for final priming. The motor is covered with masking tape.

After priming with 'Chaos Black' and Belton rust I gave skip body and top plating on the frame an air brushed layer of Vallejo 'Chipping Medium'. This 'paint' will allow me to chip away overlaying paint layers with nothing but water, old toothbrush or cocktail stick. I have used the effect on my timber bogies and I wanted to try it on a skip as well. Once the chipping medium had dried I gave the 'Planet' a light cover of Vallejo 71.315 'Tyre Black' with the air brush. The exterior of the 'cab' was painted Vallejo 70.946 'Dark Red' with a brush to create a surface that looked as if the workers at Nystrup Gravel had smeared the paint on in a hurry. The black areas had minor fading added with lightly toned down black through the airbrush.

With the final paint on I began chipping away on the black areas. First applying water and after a few seconds picking the paint with cocktail sticks for very localised paint chips and a stiff brush and toothbrush for larger areas.

Chipping in its early phase. I'm aiming for some large areas without paint on the top plate and some smaller rusty scratches on the frame top in general. Water for wetting areas to be chipped in the picture's top. The model is placed on my IKEA painting turntable.

Test run on the layout. Things are beginning to look quite alright. And the 'Planet' still runs!

With the chipping done I added the number 12 on the front cab end with etched metal stencils. I used a stiff, shorthaired brush wiped almost free from paint to stipple on paint through the stencil. I then airbrushed the model with matt varnish to seal the current paintwork and to prevent the chipping medium to interfere in the last stage of painting/weathering. After varnishing I fitted the front buffer made from a scrap end of timber.

This is the single known photograph of the 'Planet' 6 hp self-propelled skip from the Nystrup Gravel company archives. Nothing is so far known about its history or years' of service, but I will be looking into old newspapers from the Nystrup area to see if I can find out more.

I then applied a black wash with heavily diluted oil paint followed by a localised rust wash. After that I added a few glossy oil spills, old engine grime around engine cover and petrol tank petrol pipe. Traces of wear were marked with a soft pencil and graphite powder. Finally dust was applied with a thin brown-grey paint heavily diluted and 'misted' over the relevant places. Where relevant glossy oil spillings were touched up to stand out. Finally I added gravel spill on top plate and in the inside bottom of the skip body, where 'cakes' of gravel often fasten. I added a starting handle and a small spanner under the skip body as a last finish.

The 'Planet' at the petrol pump for fueling. The worker is probably wondering why there is no seat in the cab. 

On the loading ramp photographed from a waiting lorry. The pole is still carrying an election poster from the March election for the Danish Parliament. The habit of keeping them hanging for far too long has obviously spread to model railways!

The 3D-printed kit has been a real pleasure to construct and the ease of assembly and installing the drive train and electronics surprised me. I have some extra rechargable batteries and a dedicated charger on their way from China. Once they arrive I look forward to some serious running sessions.

'Planet' Progress

I now have a self-propelled model of a self-propelled skip. The 'Planet' is moving! A rare and extremely swift process during a few days of modelling in the last week of my 3 week summer vacation has seen the small Loco Remote 'Planet' evolve from naked 3D printed parts to a running semi-finished state.

Current status on Nystrup Gravel's self-propelled skip: Ready for fitting of the upper works after having gone through its first test runs.

Only a few days ago I had little hope of finishing the self-propelled skip anytime soon, but vacations works wonders and with time enough on my hands, a simple kit and Loco Remote's user friendly mobile phone control solution less than a week on I have a running model ready for the layout at home. Not a finished one yet, but another piece of machinery will soon join the production of gravel and sand.

In my last post on the 'Planet' I had begun sanding parts and test fitting them together. From there the first parts were glued, new details were fitted, the drive line was tested and control interface established on my mobile phone. 

Loco Remote has done a lot of work in advance. On/off swith and connecting wires supplied finished. Wires attached to motor/gear box. Loco Remote Mini B unit supplied with kit. I have bought and clipped on the small 3.7 V LiPo battery. These gadgets power the skip in combination with my mobile phone.

Detailing in progress. New front buffer from plasticard. Bolt heads from hexagonal plastic stock and old 1/35 scale etched brass parts to top off the axle boxes. I had to remove a good deal of plastic on the front of the frame to add the new buffer type. The rear buffer will be a piece of wood as no coupling is fitted in that end of the vehicle.

I had planned to divert from the instructions but it turned out that only a few things had to be added out of sequence to make me comfortable. I'm sure it is possible to assemble the model entirely after the supplied instructions.

I thought the top of the frame looked a little bare, so I built a haphazardly applied cover over what would have been a usual open skip chassis with brake hangers and chain transmission. One steel plate and a piece of steel with tread plate pattern make up the covering to ensure no lost gravel gets in the working parts of the 'Planet'. New springs were made from copper wire and AC-glued in place. With the trunnions to carry the skip body glued in place I was ready to prime the underside and sides of the model in preparation for fitting the drive line.

Ready for a coat of my usual primer 'Chaos Black' from Games Workshop.

Primed, wheel sets and O-rings fitted. Mini B-unit fastened between the axles, motor/gear box to the left and battery (still unattached) to the right.

As per the instructions I fitted the electrical components, wheel sets and O-rings. With the power switched 'on' and connection made on the mobile my little 'Planet' took off on my short test track. As the track was very short I soon dispensed with track and simply ran the model on the table. A clear advantage to battery powered railway models over rail powered!

The next task is getting the upper parts ready for priming and painting. The skip body needs sanding and fitting of a few details and the cab area is also in need of a little improvement to create my own personal version of a great kit from Loco Remote. 

'Planet' Motorised Skip

Vacation. The time where one can relax and enjoy a hobby. I have begun to prepare for assembly and detailing the Loco Remote F. C. Hibberd & Co Ltd 'Planet' 6 hp self-propelled skip. A 3D printed kit that was marketed for a limited time frame in 2023-2024 and that I was instantly tempted by. A small, simple vehicle that would be very much at home on Nystrup Gravel's railway. 

A view of the main parts for the 'Planet' self-propelled skip. New table cloth in the cottage means a shift from the chequered cloth.

As readers that have followed the blog for a long time may remember I bought a 'Planet' in Feburary 2024 and examined it briefly. Since then it has been in storage. Now it's out of the cupboard and the first stage in its construction has begun. 

As I found out during my first look at the parts, some of the printing is a little coarse with the layers of the printing clearly visible. That is one of the things I will have to attend to during the build process. As usual I will also add and replace detail on the kit. 

A side frame part directly from the box. Lots of 'striping' from the printing process and springs in a condition I have to replace.

Some work done on one part with an original for comparison.

While sanding some of the main parts like side frames I have been making a list of what I plan to add or replace on the kit. As usual the list, I may be shorten or lengthen it depending on my mood as the build progresses. So far the list looks like this:

• Sanding away the worst traces from the printing process
• Replacing bolt heads
• Adding metal springs for the axle boxes
• Rebuilding floor under the skip body
• Rebuilding and detailing the driver's position
• New buffers
• Detailing skip body
• Modifying driver figure.

Not too different from what I usually do to my models. I hope to build the 'Planet' next to my Baguley-Drewry that should be in a an almost finished condition by Christmas. 

Test assembly with wheel sets inserted in axle boxes.

Holds together quite well withou glue!

There is a lot more sanding to do before parts will be glued together, and I have some reservations with Loco Remote's assembly sequence and will probably differ a bit along the way. 

Baguley-Drewry Progress

The 1/19 scale Baguley-Drewry loco is having a rough time. Some rather serious changes have been inflicted with tools I'm not usually using for building models. The frames have been stripped of the original couplings and moulded-on details on the frame ends. New scratchbuilt buffers/coupling are being designed and I'm exploring how best to position battery and Loco Remote equipment. All part of the first stage in the loco's transformation.

A snapshot of the sawed-off Baguley-Drewry on the layout. The developments on the large diesel loco has attracted the attention of a railway enthusiast using his simple box camera to snap a photo of the locomotive.

As the loco was used primarily with standard steel skips at Nystrup Gravel the buffers installed at the sugar beet railways were exchanged with something resembling a standard buffer/coupling from Danish loco producer Nagbøl Machineworks. Probably items that the workshop at Nystrup made themselves. In model I will be making the buffers from plasticard that will be bolted/glued to the frame. To ease painting and handling during use of the saw I removed the sidesteps. Easily done as they were simply bolted in place.  

I used a fine toothed metal saw to cut of the lifting brackets and the rectangular protrusions on the frame ends. To enable a trouble free use of the saw and to minimise risk of damage to the model, it was solidly clamped to the worktable before the saw was used. I mounted the loco on two scraps of surplus board to take the pressure from the clamps and avoiding damage to the loco's wheels and bearings. The loco's motor was wrapped in masking tape to keep metal debris out of it. After sawing I cleaned up the resulting minor unevenness and flash with a file.

All 4 steps were removed. That will ease painting of the steps as well as frame details. I used a new set of tools that will make much of my assembly work on 1/19 models easier and safer.

With a fine toothed metal saw I cut of the lifting brackets and the rectangular protrusions with a, too me at least, unknown function. The centre coupling had been unbolted and removed before the saw was applied.

Apart from cleaning the loco from unwanted parts I have been giving some thoughts to where battery, wiring and Loco Remote unit could best be placed and how lamps and warning lights will be installed. The grand plan isn't there yet, but the basics have been decided. A 9 V battery fits between the frames in the forward part of the loco. From there wires will lead to the Loco Remote placed under the bonnet and from there to the motor.

The Baguley-Drewry seen from below with the rechargable battery in the front end of the frames. I will need to find room for an on/off switch somewhere close by. That shouldn't be impossible.

Side view of the loco with the Loco Remote unit placed in its future location. There seems to resonable room for wires and perhaps even for an extra feature with added lights.

With the first task completed on the rebuilding of the Baguley-Drewry I consider me off with a rather decent start on the project. Particularly removing the cast on parts on the frame ends had worried me a good deal, but with a good plan and careful use of the saw the result didn't turn out bad. Next project is making the buffers and adding a few details to the frames before installing battery and Loco Remote.

Baguley-Drewry E 10

Back during the Covid 19 period in 2021 I bought an Accucraft Baguley-Drewry 6 wheel loco in 32 mm gauge in a relatively good bargain on eBay. I wanted a Baguley-Drewry because a loco of that type worked in Denmark and ended its career at Nystrup Gravel. Now the model is on the worktable for conversion into the Nystrup Gravel version from the early 1950's.

The recently finished TU4 is ready to go on a shelf while the Baguley-Drewry will be 'living' on the workbench for some time.

The 150 hp Baguley-Drewry locos were built and marketed for e.g. sugar cane lines Africa, Australia and the Pacific area from 1948-1949. The locos did good service until they became too small for the longer and longer cane trains, some surviving a little longer in use as shunters at the mills. A single 150 hp Baguley-Drewry loco came to Denmark in 1949 working as E 10 at the sugar factory in Saxkøbing for a few years before being regauged and doing limited service on the Nystrup Gravel line.

Not the E 10, but one of Saxkøbing Sugar Factory's 16 ton 8-couplers from Frichs, Denmark. The Baguley-Drewry E 10 was painted in the same characteristic livery of light blue and ivory.

I began work on the model back in november 2021 with removing current collecting gear and test running the loco on battery power with an interim battery installation. Since then the loco has been standing in a cupboard. Now it's been taken out to be my current major project, and the list of planned modifications is quite substantial:

• removal of the original coupling gear and adding new scratchbuilt ones
• working headlight front and rear
• 3 red warning lights arranged in a triangle on each cab side
• new warning horn 
• new radiator cover
• hinges and handles on bonnet doors
• adding manufacturer's sign on bonnet front
• lid for sand box on bonnet top
• jack and brackets for mounting
• battery installation
• fitting Loco Remote Maxi control unit
• adding rudimentary cab interior and floor
• driver figure
• total repaint and custom designed decals

While the list is overwhelmingly long, only the installation of the 3 warning lights on each side of the loco will be a new challenge. I'm sure the wiring job will see me sweat, though! 

The old radiator cover has been cut out with the Proxxon's cutting disc. The remaining pieces will be removed with knife and sanding stick. On the top of the bonnet I have cut away the old handrails and horn. Sanding is in progress.

I have removed the old horn and handrails on the bonnet and cut away the old radiator cover, and I will be working my way slowly through designing and adding parts in the coming months. It's unthinkable that I shouldn't fall for the temptation to add in between-projects, and the Baguley-Drewry is probably destined to become a long drawn out project. I hope you will have the patience to follow the proces!

Fowler Exterior Detailing

With the Fowler locomotive finally equipped with remote control and moving along the track on my little layout I have now begun fitting details to the rather sparsely detailed model. I have planned to do this in two major stages: the loco's general exterior and cab interior. I decided to do the exterior detailing first. 

The Fowler pulling out of the gravel works heading east with four skips.

I wasn't aiming for all out fine scale detailing, but wanted to add an extra level of detail to the loco as it looked rather bare in its out of the box condition. I added the following parts:

• strapping on bonnet and gear box cover
• bolt heads on radiator
• L-profiles with bolt heads under footplate
• bolt head detail on frame sides
• hand rails and handles on bonnet doors
• bolt heads on jackshaft cranks
• adding horn and brackets for jack

Exterior detailing in progress. Metal strapping in the form of plastic strips fitted with AC glue. Behind the Fowler a for-fun Lada Niva project is just visible in black primer.

Strapping was added with plastic strip and L-profile superglued in place. Where needed I added bolt heads from slices of hexagonal plastic profile. Small gaps were filled with Vallejo plastic putty and sanded smooth. Bolt head details on the frames were added using the same hexagonal profile. 

Handles and hand rails were made from 1 mm NS wire AC-glued in holes drilled in bonnet and gearbox cover. I used flat nosed pilers to get 90 degrees bends on the hand rails and a small drilling jig to get the correct distance between the holes I drilled for mounting the hand rails.

Most trains at Nystrup Gravel experienced derailments now and then and a jack, some blocks of wood and a length of rail was standard equipment for derailing work. Archive images of the Fowler in service shows a large jack positioned on the right side of the bonnet with wooden blocks being kept ready under the cab floor on the left hand side. I fitted a large former German Army issue jack in a bracket on the loco's right side. Bottom plate and bracket was cut from NS plate and bent in appropriate shapes. 

The jack placed in its bottom plate and bracket locked in position with a piece of bent wire. The jack was built from a whitemetal kit in 2019 originally meant for another project, but judged far too big.

The horn is a brass casting from the trade supplying ship modellers with parts. There are quite a few nice items from that area of modelling that can be put to good use in large scale railway modelling. The horn was mounted in a hole drilled in the cab roof. I mounted it in a crooked angle to illustrate the loco's age and well used condition in the beginning of the 1950's.

The horn glued in place on the roof of the loco. The slight crookedness is a sign of many years of service and some worn bolts working themselves loose during running on the line's uneven track.

In total no less than 98 exterior detail parts were added, by far the majority being bolt heads. The details may not be particularly obvious once the model is repainted, but I think it adds to the overall appearance of the model.  

View of the unfinished loco's right side. I removed the Essel Engineering's building plates from the cabsides. One of them will be fitted out of sight inside the loco. 

With the main exterior detailing finished I assembled the locomotive and took it for a ride on the layout. Next task on the Fowler is the cab interior that will include brake, regulator and gear levers, basic instrumentation and sand boxes. Oh, and the bolts on the jackshaft cranks that I forgot to fit.

Shortly before bedtime I couldn't resist taking the Fowler for a little running on the layout. Just to keep the appetite for a completely finished model intact.

Remote Control and Battery for Fowler

Finally after very long time and a lot of frustrations my second loco can now move under its own power. The Fowler F 30 from Essel Enginering has been fitted with a new control system and battery. Now traffic can finally take off to new heights on the 1/19 scale model of the 600 mm gravel line at Nystrup Gravel.

For the real Nystrup Gravel company the arrival of the Fowler in 1934 meant an increase in capacity. The Fowler could pull longer trains than the smaller Danish built locos.

As delivered the Essel Engineering Fowler was equipped with a huge battery pack and manual control via toggle switches in the cab and chimney. That's probably not too bad on a garden railway with few directional changes and long or continuous runs. On a very short layout manual control is (in my view, at least) unpractical, even if the chimney speed control on the model worked fine. Having had good experience with the RC equipment built into my little Lister it was my plan to fit the Fowler with RC gear from RCTrains. Despite being quite a patient guy, I simply gave up waiting for an RC-receiver. Having been e-mailing back and forth with RCTrains regarding the order since July 2022 without any results to show for the effort, I looked for an alternative. Now the Fowler has been fitted with a Maxi unit from Loco Remote.

Testfitting the Maxi unit next to the motor.

While the RCTrains equipment works with a hand held RC transmitter and receivers in the locomotives much like the better known RC cars and planes, the Loco Remote design is based on a unit placed in the locomotive and a controller interface generated by the unit on a Wi-Fi device like a phone or tablet. Quite clever actually, meaning you only have to purchase the unit for the locomotive as most people have a Wi-Fi enabled phone these days. The Maxi unit consist of three prints with components assembled into a single 'brick' to be connected to battery and motor.  

Originally a huge battery pack protruded into the cab. Here seen before I dismantled it and the original speed controller (seen to the left of the motor).

The battery pack in the Fowler originally consisted of no less than 6 AA-batteries. A small layout like mine has no use for locos with neither the power or endurance as a garden railway and I cut down the battery size to a single rechargable 9 V battery. How I dismantled the Fowler was described in this blog post. I fitted the new Li-ion 9 V battery between the frames mounted transversely between the axles. The battery was simply fastened to the loco's underside with double sided tape. I used a standard click-on connection to the battery's poles and ran wires to a sliding switch under the cab floor.

Battery well hidden between the frames held in place with two pieces of double sided tape. The battery can be recharged in the loco via the USB connection.

The wires were routed to the sliding switch under the footplate through a hole in the scratch built cab floor via a small fuse. From there wires were run to the Loco Remote Maxi under the bonnet. The inside of the bonnet was covered in insulating tape to avoid accidental contact with the electrical components. The motor terminals were then connected to the Maxi and that's all the wiring needed on the loco. I will be installing lights on the locomotive later and wires are of course needed for that, too.

Switch and wires fitted under the cab floor connecting battery and Loco Remote Maxi unit.

Protective plate fitted under the model's rear end. Makes sure no wires snag on my prototypically bad and overgrown track.

Loco Remote Maxi unit mounted between motor and gear box cover. I covered the inside of the bonnet with insulating tape, but the Maxi unit fits perfectly and could possibly work risc free without. But better safe than sorry!

The business of connecting the unit installed on the loco with the controller interface on my phone worked out without any problems at all. I simply followed the guide from Loco Remote and everything worked exactly as laid out in the instructions. I guess anyone with a modern phone could do this - my 80 year old dad included.

Happy moment on Nystrup Gravel! The Fowler is moving smoothly along my home built track controlled by my phone. A true breakthrough for my small model railway.

With functuality and power established I'm now moving on with detailing the Fowler to make it resemble the Nystrup prototype with all its small modifications.