Wow, that's quite a few responses - thank you all very much and welcome aboard this journey!
The model is indeed pretty big, I exaggerated a bit last time though, it's actually slightly over 30cm long. Nevertheless, an impressive size. The nose is indeed the challenge of the model, but I'll come to that soon.
First, the driver's cab. I'm not sure having used the correct wording here. If I literally translate the Dutch word, the outcome is "train operator". I'd rather prefer driver, but correct me if I'm wrong
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The test version indicates that the parts for the cabin internals need to be printed on 120 grams paper. Personally, I find this too thin. Yes, it's good for the cabin lining parts, but for the remainder of the internals it's too thin; better stick to 160 grams, like for the other train parts.
Just a few pictures here of the front cabin's internals. All parts fit well, and the chairs are in fact of ingenious design. The seat and back rest consist of one part only that comes together flawlessly. For the various handles I used thin plastic rod (dia 0.3mm) instead of the paper versions as per the model's design. The internals are not complete yet, the heater on the left side, as well as the instrument panels on both sides, still need to be installed.
For a better understanding of the various other parts that make up the cabin I found a few pictures on the web and one of them reveals that the box near the left seat is in fact a water cooler or something. Ayuh, even the "train operators" needed a drink so every now and then. But I wonder if that's an original feature of the fifties?
One interesting feature is missing. If you look at the first two pictures you see two vertical levers or pulling rods with handles, which I'm pretty sure were used to activate the air horns. I think I will add these myself as they are interesting details.
As you can see, some parts are very small! More on the cabin's internals later.
Cheers,
Erik