For realism and detail, I added real coal crushed to scale, and I modified the interior of the smoke stack to look more prototypical. The red “stop” flag is made from lead sheet reduced to a more accurate thickness.

I didn’t make any attempt to properly align the rods, valving, drive wheels, etc. — which I believe is called quartering — so railroading diehards will rip me to shreds.

Frankly, I’m quite happy with the results. (The guys in my model club call me “skill level 1.4” so I’m just thrilled to have completed the model!) I just hope Trumpeter comes out with some American steam … that would be awesome!

I love steam locomotives and had to take on Trumpeter’s 1/35 scale Baureihe 52 mit Steifrahmentender (No. 00210). I planned to make it a Br 52 kriegslokomotive, so I added a Dragon 2cm Flak 38 (No. 6942) and three figures from a Trumpeter 1/35 scale German Leopold Gun Crew set (No. 00406) that I painted to look like train crew.

The doors for the top half of the locomotive’s air compressor housing were positioned open, and I cut open the cab doors to better reveal the interior. The headlight lenses may not be accurate for wartime, but it’s my model, so I took the liberty to include them. I also shimmed the frame to fit the boiler.

As per Trumpeter’s instructions, I painted the camo scheme with Testors Model Master and Floquil products. I oil washed, dry-brushed, airbrushed, weathered, dusted with powders, and highlighted with Prismacolor pencils. Most of this was done before the final assembly to let me reach tight spaces, especially behind the drive wheels.