The first step of the ‘Pug Conversion’ was to make a footplate for the new loco and attach it to the Rheneas chassis.

Essentially it’s four pieces of 1mm thick platicard: a floor for the cab, a U shaped piece around the motor block, and two smaller pieces to join these together.

The cab will be ‘stepped down’ below the level of the rest of the loco. The cab footplate is mounted directly on the chassis using two bolts through the original mounting holes. I’ve used some small pieces of plasticard as packing under the front part of the footplate.

To mount the front of the chassis I drilled a new 2mm (approx. 80 thou) diameter hole through the chassis and a 4mm (approx. 160 thou) diameter hole on the underside of the chassis to accommodate the head of the mounting bolt. Using an electric drill on a brand new chassis is rather nerve-wracking but I think I got away with it. However, I doubt the warranty is still valid !