Yet Another PDF Baldwin

[Phil.P]

That is looking very nice..
Never a good idea to rush these things...

(Says the man who hasn't finished anything).

Phil.P

[Lonsdaler]

Glad you're back at it, although your time on the 1:1 scale has hardly been wasted!

[ge_rik]

Wow!! That is beautiful....

Rik

[LNR]

I like the louvres on your remade door. Good louvres can be hard to replicate at times.
I like those Baldwins, certainly part of the inspiration behind my pet/mech loco.
Grant.

[Peter Butler]

I'm really enjoying this thread Aaron, it takes me back to when I was building my own PDF Baldwin tractor and we were exchanging notes at the time.
https://gardenrails.org/viewtopic.php?t ... start=3060
I think it was possibly the best kit from PDF Models.... how I miss them! Their kits were always well thought out and very reasonably priced.
As an engineer you have put more thought into adding the mechanical details, which I clearly missed out on mine.
I'm not aware of another manufacturer who currently makes this kit, so we are fortunate to have a 'rare breed'.

[Lonsdaler]

I'm really enjoying this thread Aaron, it takes me back to when I was building my own PDF Baldwin tractor and we were exchanging notes at the time.
https://gardenrails.org/viewtopic.php?t ... start=3060
I think it was possibly the best kit from PDF Models.... how I miss them! Their kits were always well thought out and very reasonably priced.
As an engineer you have put more thought into adding the mechanical details, which I clearly missed out on mine.
I'm not aware of another manufacturer who currently makes this kit, so we are fortunate to have a 'rare breed'.

Good news Peter. PDF has been purchased by another enthusiast and products are just coming back to availability after an (a?) hiatus. Products being added as they go back into production, apparently with improvements to print quality etc.
https://www.pdf-models.co.uk/

[Peter Butler]

Many thanks for that Phil, great news indeed, and a credit to the work Peter and Leanne put into creating their product range.

[WLR_CD]

Just caught up with this thread, all very interesting.
I have one of these to build, a very early kit, for which later I bought the upgraded laser cut steel chassis when they became available.

Martin

[Old Man Aaron]

Can't say I've any experience with the earlier plastic chassis, but the steel version is nicely made and very well worth having.

01/07/25
The new cab is almost complete. Only the kit's roof was used.
Half-round brass strip was found on evilbay years ago, apparently sold for making jewellery..
Once annealed, it was surprisingly easy to bend to such tight radii.
Just roof rivets, front window frames and permanently fitting said roof to complete the cab.



I should've used those nail art gems for rivets on this loco, it would've been so much quicker. For future projects, I've finally tracked down some proper dome-headed ones for reasonable money on aliexpress: 1.5mm & 0.8-1.5mm

[philipy]

That looks very tasty, Aaron.

[Peter Butler]

Ah... the memories come flooding back.
Such detailing makes a good model into a great one.
A job well done Aaron.

[Lonsdaler]

That's a great looking cab. Your eye for detail is impressive.

[Old Man Aaron]

Yes, he's still modelling - sometimes.

21/10/25
Inching toward completion.

One of my least-favourite jobs is wiring, and integrating it (hiding in plain sight) with the model. This includes tiny plugs to allow the cab, bonnet and battery pack to be disconnected from the loco.

The dashboard has been partially hollowed-out for the rear headlight and charge socket wiring to pass through. It's been fitted offset to the right side of the loco, as the printed RH sandbox is too narrow.
The fix would be to make a new sandbox to the correct size, as I've done for the LH side (not yet fitted) to hide the charge socket.
Can't be stuffed with that, the offset dash is barely noticeable; and I'll call it a "mod" to suit what is by this point in it's life, a loco re-engined with a diesel anyway.

Detailing is more enjoyable. I've also made the sliding window frames, but most of that will be fitted after paint.

IMG_20251021_081858869.jpg (377.11 KiB) Viewed 25394 times

12/11/25
Further detailing ensues.

• Tiny door latches;

• Mesh cut from a cheap kitchen utensil, attacked and distorted to dent it up. Still needs a "core" fitted behind before painting..

• 30s style car headlights from the batch turned during the Essel Fowler project.

• A new mill-workshop fabricated chimney turned from aluminium.

Along with various other little bits, all chosen to make the loco more unique and "modified" from it's original WWI spec.
Still needs various caps made for the radiator, sandboxes and perhaps some internally-relocated diesel tank squeezed in under the bonnet somewhere. Also brake shoes, cab controls and the transmission linkage just ahead of the front right bonnet corner.

For better or worse, I've elected to fit the charge/run and headlight switches in an easily-accessible place, disguising them in a large "battery & tool box" under the footplate. I'm trying to make my locos easier to operate by keeping them out of their tiny, fragile-detailed cabs, without impacting appearances too much..

IMG_20251112_070034239.jpg (522.34 KiB) Viewed 25394 times

[LNR]

Another detail delight Aaron, a great job. I too find radiators hard to replicate well.
Grant.

[Lonsdaler]

You are taking the detailing to another level. Any detail I add tends to be bodgelled, rather than authentically replicated

[Old Man Aaron]

31/12/25
After recovering from a protracted house move, I decided to bring the Baldwin to Hydrostatic Dazza's annual New Years' gathering at the Potters Orchid Railway.
This necessitated a last-minute paint job. Yes, it's too bright.
Heavy weathering to follow after the aforementioned detailing is complete..

[philipy]

I rather like the brightness! Looks good either way.

[Peter Butler]

Sheer perfection, incredible detailing, good colour but too clean at the moment.

[ge_rik]

Looks mighty fine to me.

Rik

[WLR_CD]

Just enjoyed reading through this thread, very nice build. I have one of these in the 'To build' draw, quite an early kit, but I did later buy the upgraded metal chassis when that first came out. All I need to do is just build it!
Martin