Whether it is a locomotive or a clock, John Mills can be relied on for something a bit special. We make no apology for bringing you his latest project in its unfinished state. It gives an insight into the building of a superb loco. We first saw John’s LNER V3 a year earlier, and these photos were taken at the 2011 Harrogate show. They demonstrate John’s excellent craftsmanship, and you can make out that clever erecting stand which is adjustable to ensure the model is balanced for easy manoeuvring throughout the build.

The V3 was a more powerful development of the V1 2-6-2 Prairie Tank designed by Sir Nigel Gressley. Some 82 V1s were built and ten were built as V3s. However, 71 of the V1s were rebuilt as V3s in the 1930s. We can’t wait to see more progress, and hopefully nearing completion at Harrogate in 2012.