The Austrains NSWGR 30 Class Tank Locomotive

As mentioned in my review of the Austrains 30 class tank locomotives in AMRM Issue 330 (June 2018), the model is close to perfect, but there is always something that can be done to make a good locomotive even better.

Modifications

As per the review of the Austrains 30 class printed in AMRM Issue 330 (June 2018), the only things I had found to be missing from the model at the time of the review were the front and rear top lamp irons which, I assume, were not modelled to allow for the fitting of the headlight on the lit versions. Making them was not difficult; I filed a curve into one end of a section of 0.010" x 0.030" brass strip, cut it a scale 9" long, then soldered it to another 0.010" x 0.030" strip, a scale 6" from the end, which was also rounded slightly. The rear ‘leg’ was left about 3mm long and, in the case of the front lamp iron [Photo 1], it was superglued into a suitable hole drilled at an angle into the top of the smokebox, after the front handrail knob was shortened at the rear to make room for it.

The top lamp iron for the bunker [Photo 2] was constructed the same way as for the front lamp iron and superglued into a likewise suitably sized hole drilled in the rear of the bunker.

I also made a new piston tail rod for the left hand cylinder out of some spare