i have taken care of some of the bugs..8) ..I redesigned the tanks,the steam chests, and have gotten the side rods designed. That was a lot easier than i thought is would be:grin:
The first piccy is the tanks flat and the second is the dry fit.
I set the side rods up as a kit per 3 wheels. I had to remember that the right side and left side are actually reversed from each other

ops: i will be able to use these on other engines later.
In setting up the side rods i used tooth picks to hold everything in place, I should not have cut the toothpick on the axel when i did,,,,make mental note:roll:
then i made up the redesigned steam chest and added the valve gear and reversing unit and glued them in place. I am very pleased with the overall appearance of the completed side rods. When they are all colored and done with more care they will show very nice, with a little planning they will all be operational:twisted:
I have the boiler,cab, and water tanks set up to get a general idea of the fit and progress so far. The redesign of the tanks was what was needed. I did forget to narrow the ends

I will have to go back and fix that,,,that wont be hard.
I think things are progressing and it is getting closer. :grin: Now i have to work on the top side with the stack, domes and fittings. still note sure how i am going to do all the piping on this thing so it looks good. I have thought of paper straws but i dont even think you can get them anymore,,,,maybe just a lot of rolled paper and the cut it to fit the required locations....then how to set that up so anyone can do it with a drawing,8)
more later
papertrain:grin: