I confess, a slightly embarressing situation is coming up. I should say that I studied Architecture at University, and then spent something over a year working in an Architect's practice.

So you can perhaps see why it's a little embarressing for me to find it a struggle to design using AutoCAD in 3D. I've got hold of a 30-day trial of AutoCAD 2013, and it looks like I'll need all thirty of those days just to get the easier bits done!

Nothing ventured nothing gained however and a slightly more considered approach this evening did yield results... albeit of a very limited sort.

So; this is the beginning of my LNER B5/1. As you can see, all I have at present is a very cursory running plate (lacking any depth at the moment) and the splashers.

I think it will prove easier to draw each component in plan view, then 3D rotate them in isometric and attach them to the model before extruding them to form the solid mesh. I think my problem this afternoon rose more from trying to draw it out as one piece than anything else... I hope.