Of all the models lurking in my ‘to do’ drawer this is the one that intrigues me the most.

When I saw it on the secondhand stall I thought it might be possible to make it into a 15 inch gauge locomotive.

Now that I study it, it doesn’t look much like a miniature railway loco:

• the cab is way too tall, the driver could stand up in there!
• the firebox is square (a Belpaire firebox?) and this is very unusual for a miniature railway loco
• the side tanks are quite deep, whereas in many miniature railway locos (eg, Exmoors) they are smaller and sit ‘higher’

Plus the model has clearly been modified already:

• there are a few cracks and breaks that have been glued together
• someone has sawn off the footplate!

I’m reminded of the old joke:

Lost in the depths of the countryside a traveller asks a local for directions. 

The man replies “Well, if you want to go there, I wouldn’t start from here.”

Perhaps if you want to make a miniature railway loco you wouldn’t start here….. but I’m intrigued, so I’ll give it a go.