Digitalizing a small loco

[modelsof1900]

Hallo to all, long time is gone since last post in this thread and so I must search this description for some new additions.

I know that I have posted some pictures of first use of this small N&W G1 consolidation on various WPF however there was a last thing where I must add work again. The reason was a missing part which I received some weeks ago and now the last modifications were done on this steam engine model.
The question was, which devices were mounted on the backside of fire box? How realistic is this rear end of fire box modeled?



This is definitively not a very realistic work! And yes, a brass part of a fire door must be added, at least!
The only availably information of prototype was to find on www.rgusrail.com website with this picture - the N&W G1 no. 6 on Virginia Museum of Transport in Roanoke.
And there were a lot of small items, the fire door, many flexible staybolts and two large handles. What were these for handles? But there were not water gauges or valves mounted or all other typical items which you can find on back side of a fire box.
Yes, this small consolidation is really an old engine, built in 1897 without many changes in comparison to class G steam engine of N&W, the predecessor of this loco built in 1887.
The "clean" firebox at my model was the last thing that I would like to detail! However all the typical items mounted regularly on back side of a fire box were mounted at this engine inside of cab on sides of fire box and the fire man must go outside through the rear side door of cab behind the fire box if he had to fire the boiler. Steam engine technology of 125 years back!
What was to add on this fire box back side? This picture gave me the ideas how I should model a new back side of fire box with exactly these missing items, a butterfly fire door, staybolts of two different types, two handles which were the things for working with the shaking grate while cleaning the fire after each run of loco!

This is the first step of change, a new back side made from black styrene.



And the full detailed back end of fire box, yet without paint.



The arrangement is not exactly that from the picture but you can find all these parts in a very similarly assembly like on picture of prototype.
I think that this will be a good addition and it’s a big difference to original model. However who looks on back side of fire box if the model train passed by?

Some more step by step pictures are to find on my gallery, English captions, of course. Enjoy!