There has been a surge in recent news updates coming into the webmaster's inbox, so here amalgamated are the most recent stories:
Cast plates: As previously reported, 81E reproductions generously gave us some plates for the locomotive. These have been fitted to the smokebox and very smart they look too. A cab plate has also been produced.
Patterns for the crossheads have been manufactured and the crossheads themselves will be manufactured very shortly. These are being done for us by Premier Patterns and Castings Ltd in the West Midlands.
Boiler: The biggest news in this update is that a start has been made on the boiler barrel sections. This is a huge step forward in the project and we are looking forward to seeing the next updates on progress in the near future.