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The Wagon and Carriage shop: red wagons

drduncan

Entry posted by drduncan

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I blame Gareth.

 

It all started with an innocent remark that I thought just betrayed our Yankee friend's touching ignorance of real railways: 'Aren't you going to paint your pre-1904 wagons red?

 

'Of course not,' I replied brimming with confidence 'Red was only in use until the mid 1890s so I don't need to.'

 

'Are you sure? I thought the Great Western Way said the balance of probabilities was on Red until 1904...'

 

'Nonsense. See.' I showed him the pages from the bible.

 

'Not that edition, the new one.'

 

Ah.

 

On reading the new edition it seemed that humble pie was in order. Gareth was quite right - the bible did now suggest that Red wagons were to be preferred on God's Wonderful Railway until the 1904 livery which saw the 24" high G W letters come into use and of course would still be seen for a few years after that date.

 

Like the bad loser Gentleman I am to took this badly well and sulked offered him my congratulations on his new found expertise.

 

Now I just had to repaint a load of bloody wagons...

 

The first problem is that unaccountably no one does GWR freight stock red paint. Second, no one has a clear idea of what shade of red it actually was. Most helpful.

 

In the end I decided to aim for a shade that was close to the lovely 7mm wagons on the GWR modelling website by mixing precision paints red oxide and GW signal red until it looked about right when compared to the web image. After I cleaned the paint off my tablet I thinned down the mixture with, er, thinners liberally dosed with bad language.

 

And this is the result.

 

blogentry-21453-0-68581300-1440428206.jpg

 

Here they are on the drduncan patent portable workbench. The rake consists of 3 x O4 5 plank wagons, 1 4 plank (undiagrammed as it hasn't got DC1 brakes), and an Iron Mink. In the paint shops awaiting top coats and a visit from the signwriter are a couple of V5s, another Iron Mink, and some 3 and 4 plank opens.

 

Here are a couple of close ups. First the 4 plank open:

 

blogentry-21453-0-61034900-1440428170.jpg

 

This one has been modified (quite a bit actually) from the Coopercraft original - lowered floor, square headstocks, compenstated and Thomas patent brake gear.

 

The Iron Mink was also been modified - grease axleboxes being the main change from the kit. It has also been more heavily weathered and the livery faded.

blogentry-21453-0-16156000-1440428206.jpg

 

And here is the lot with a brake van on the South Hants MRC's Hope-under-Dinmore layout.

 

blogentry-21453-0-71061800-1440428205.jpg

blogentry-21453-0-74614500-1440428204.jpg

 

The wagons still need more work on dirtying the brake gear and underframes - even for the ones that are supposed to be newly built - and chalk marks added before a final coat of matt varnish.

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Northroader
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They look really good. It's a pity no-one has ever come up with a real clinching paint sample or argument what they did look like, yours is as good as anything else, and the detail, lettering and darkening give a very good effect.

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Ian Smith

Very nice Duncan.  I think the red you've come up with looks just right (at least on my monitor!)  Is the tarpaulin home made?  (mine are, from my own artwork - I couldn't find any that looked like the GWR ones of the turn of the century).

 

Ian

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MikeOxon

"Now I just had to repaint a load of bloody wagons..."  - you should have just pricked your thumb instead of messing about mixing paint :)

 

Welcome to the world of red wagons!  The photos look good, though it's always hard to judge from photos.  The iron mink in the last pic looks a little too orange for my taste but I'm pretty sure that is just the light.

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drduncan

Hi Northroader,

Thanks. I hope someone does find a sample or directions as to the paint mix - providing it matches mine!

Duncan

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Mikkel
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Lovely wagons - the red does suit them well.

 

I've gone through exactly the same process as you, starting out with a firm belief that the red ceased earlier, then coming around to the realization that - for want of better evidence - it does seem logical that the grey wasn't used until 1904 (except on brake vans, as you've also modelled it I see - nice touch).

 

I like the Thomas brake gear on the 4-planker, been meaning to do one like that for a while. And the lowered floor really does make a difference in the appearance of the "interior". Great stuff.

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Ian Smith

Hi Ian, Thanks for the kind comments. The tarpaulin is from http://www.wagonsheets.co.uk/Sheets/GWR.htm they do 2mm as well as many other scales. Duncan

Duncan,

Shame I didn't know about that outfit some time ago!!!

For what it's worth, I put my artwork in my gallery ages ago in case anyone else could make use of it, here

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/gallery/image/41875-gwr-tarpaulin/

and here

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/gallery/image/42027-gwr-sheet-1903/

 

For my 2mm ones I print it onto a green Rizla cigarette paper with the inkjet printer set on "draft" mode so as not to soak the paper with ink.  Donw of this parish took a couple of photos of Modbury at the 2mm Expo at Chelford, my finished tarps can be seen in the goods train departing here :

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/53154-photo-call-2mm-layouts-out-and-about-at-exhibitions/?p=1933932

 

Ian

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garethashenden

Oh very droll...

Well in fairness we really don't know when the change was. Somewhere between 1892 and 1904 they changed from red to grey. 1904 makes the most sense to me, but there are no definitive records.

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drduncan

"Now I just had to repaint a load of bloody wagons..."  - you should have just pricked your thumb instead of messing about mixing paint :)

 

Welcome to the world of red wagons!  The photos look good, though it's always hard to judge from photos.  The iron mink in the last pic looks a little too orange for my taste but I'm pretty sure that is just the light.

Gosh Mike - have you been taking punning lessons from Gareth? :)

 

As to the orange-ish iron Mink - that was deliberate - it is supposed to be faded, so was dry brushed with Vallejo Model Colour Orange Red 70910 and then white (as well as rust first, of course) plus some chassis rime extending up over the lower half of the body.  I'll try to get a better picture when I'm up at the SHMRC on Thursday and post it on this blog entry.

 

I've also got some the model air paints to play with on the next batch:  I have high hopes (surely to be dashed) for the Light Red 71.086 lightly airbrushed over the base coat before dry brushing with orange red etc to get a really good sun bleached and faded look.

Duncan

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drduncan

Well in fairness we really don't know when the change was. Somewhere between 1892 and 1904 they changed from red to grey. 1904 makes the most sense to me, but there are no definitive records.

Yes - I just wish my Damascean conversion could have taken place before I'd painted, lettered and weathered a dozen or so assorted cast plate, left hand GWR and right hand GWR wagons!

 

D 

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drduncan

Lovely wagons - the red does suit them well.

 

I've gone through exactly the same process as you, starting out with a firm belief that the red ceased earlier, then coming around to the realization that - for want of better evidence - it does seem logical that the grey wasn't used until 1904 (except on brake vans, as you've also modelled it I see - nice touch).

 

I like the Thomas brake gear on the 4-planker, been meaning to do one like that for a while. And the lowered floor really does make a difference in the appearance of the "interior". Great stuff.

Hi Mikkel,

 

Thanks!  

 

The Thomas brake gear is a bit of a cheat.  I measured up the handle from the drawing in GWR goods wagons (the wagon bible!), bent two up from 0.5mm brass wire and soldered them to some 0.7mm wire that was just long enough to clear the solebars and glue the lot in place (again based on the position in the drawing).  I didn't bother with any of the linkages....  The brake shoes are ABS and the V hanger from the D & S w-iron etch.

 

Now I just need someone to do a cast plate for 73697 and I can do a Thomas set up but with a DC operating handle as seen on p. 54 of GWR Goods Wagons...A cast plate for a DC1 fitted O5 (one that can be backed up with photographic evidence) would also be a help, as would any photo references for DC1 fitted O5s (I know that only those with DC1 gear were diagrammed as O5s before anyone gets too excited) with right hand GWR lettering (or cast plates apart from 10793). 

 

Duncan

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Mikkel
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Thanks Duncan for info on how you did the Thomas brake gear, really useful.

 

I don't know if it's any use, but Narrow Planet are now doing 4mm GWR loco number plates with custom numbers. I have some on order though not received yet. Perhaps they could be convinced to make custom wagon number plates also? 

 

http://narrowplanet.co.uk/

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drduncan

Thanks Duncan for info on how you did the Thomas brake gear, really useful.

 

I don't know if it's any use, but Narrow Planet are now doing 4mm GWR loco number plates with custom numbers. I have some on order though not received yet. Perhaps they could be convinced to make custom wagon number plates also? 

 

http://narrowplanet.co.uk/

HI Mikkel,

 

I do hope someone can be persuaded to do them - although I may be able to get some artwork done privately - I'll keep you posted.

 

D

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garethashenden

HI Mikkel,

 

I do hope someone can be persuaded to do them - although I may be able to get some artwork done privately - I'll keep you posted.

 

D

Narrow Planet did numberplates for my NLR tanks. I sent a picture, dimensions, and text. Quite affordable.

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