One of the original locos purchased for the opening of the line from Sharp Stewart (No. 2850 of 1879). No.3 served the railway throughout its operational lifetime, being left at the closure in the engine shed near Halesworth. She was eventually scrapped in 1941. The Southwold Railway Trust is currently constructing a replica.
Inside framed 16mm locos are hard to come by, my compromise on selecting an outside framed loco for Blyth will enable me to adjust the gauge to visit 32mm gauge lines. I've chosen a Roundhouse Mildred as the basis of my model of Blyth, this was purchased new from Roundhouse with factory fitted radio control in January 2013. The body, which definitely has a Sharpie flavour, was specified to not have the lamp irons on the back of the cab nor the Roundhouse makers plates but is otherwise a standard model finished in their standard Blue colour with a satin black cab roof and smoke box.
A set of Blyth plates were made up by Narrow Planet, these are based on the ones made for display by the SRT.
I've lined out the tanks and cab using trimline. The driver figure is from Rob Bennett and disguises the displacement lubricator. The lining is applied with length to spare at each end. It's then left for a few days to shrink back in case I accidentally stretched the tape. Each joint is then trimmed by careful application of a sharp modelling knife blade. Each joint is sealed with a tiny blob of acryllic paint in a matching colour.
In the cab I've used black etch primer to dull down the large amount of shiny brass controls. The cylindrical gas valve has been replaced by one that looks like a brake standard.