Some members may recall one of my class 47s in the display case at Scaleforum a couple of years ago, it was an Immingham petroleum machine in typical early 1990s condition. It used a Lima model as a base with an extensively modified and rebuilt underframe to represent an underframe which had had its water tanks removed. Gareth Bayer wrote about this method fifteen years in DEMU Update. Although newer models of the type have since appeared, the Lima model is still fundamentally correct and well worth considering as a base for modelling the class. If you already have one or more in your 'one day' pile, it becomes a very good value project too!
Since then a couple of extra items have become available from Shawplan - notably the cab side window surrounds. These make it much easier to capture the right look of the cab and are a world away from the moulded Lima frames (which are rather at odds with the subtle and delicate details on the rest of the body). The difference is obvious I think!
So, with all this in mind, I decided to use Lima models as a basis for a couple of class 47s for West Halton. The first is a bit of an odd bod... It'll be 47380 Immingham running as it was just before withdrawal in the summer of 1992. It had oval buffers for traffic on the Barton on Humber branch, cut away buffer beams and extra cab vents. These last two resulted from the loco being used for trials to improve working conditions for train crew. The 47s had seem to have had a terrible reputation for draughts, and the modifications which were repeated on many other locos seem to have proved successful.
This is the condition in which the model should end up -

47380 92-06-27 Manchester Victoria by Chippenham Lodekka, on Flickr
There have been various changes made so far - a less obvious one which has a big visual impact is making the horn grille 'lean forward' correctly. Not an obvious thing intially, but it helps capture the 'face' of the loco. When combined with the other changes, new handrails, window frames, etc, it really does make quite a difference.
Next, attention will be turned to the underframe now the body is most of the way there and the best thing? It's not even cost me fifty quid yet even with the new parts and some lovely steel tyred Ultrascales which came via our deputy chairman!

Hopefully more updates will follow very soon!