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be gentle...it's my first time...


bcnPete

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Update - I am of course referring to weathering. I couldn't put it off any longer so I have had a first bash with a tractor. I also seem to have got a better understanding of my camera so hopefully the latest photos are an improvement...and most importantly are more in focus... :blind:

 

Back to the weathering - Before I tackle the 24 and 26, I thought I would warm up on a class 37. My gradual conversion of a new Farish 37 to 37175 is taking far too long and I will probably strip the aerosoled paint and start again when I get my airbrush up and running this summer and so not wishing to rush that, I have used my old Farish 37417, which was bought off eBay two years ago for use when Kyle was exhibited in the UK. It's in the rather attractive large logo livery which for me always looked mighty fine on Scottish 37's.

 

The 37 is the older Farish model, which means the body is wrong in terms of length and it also sits very high on the bogies. I set about trying to lower it as per the newer ones, but the design of the chassis block prevents it sitting much lower as the chassis clashes with the cab glazing. From that moment, I saw little reason to waste spend time detailing the front ends with pipes etc so I decided to just add some ploughs and treat it as a test bed.

 

Firstly, I have dry brushed some railmatch frame dirt on the bogies and the snow ploughs. I would like to return to these and work in a little black powder to try and bring out some shadows etc. I have then dry brushed a fair amount of MIG black powder onto the roof (which used to get so dirty you would mistake them for black painted) and work it in around the grilles and nose ends. The front yellow cab ends still look a little 'plasticy' for my liking but as noted, not worth spending time respraying this one at present. I also need to work a little brown powder/dirt on the lower bodysides too and perhaps a few streaks.

 

In short, I didn't want to 'overcook it'....nor 'undercook' it...but I know it needs some more work before I tackle the 24 and 26. Just how far I take it remains to be seen but at least I have got my hands tractor dirty now in the process. And it was rather fun...albeit in a nervous kind of way.

 

In other news I have experimented with some coloured pencils (Pixie's tip I recall?) on the quayside wall and again, it needs more work but I think the effect is starting to get better. A few rusty rails have been added to the yard, ballasting touched up, sleepers and chairs picked out where it was lacking and a new sign for the station (still can't crack that Scottish blue colour on my printer - with the Scalescenes one being a little to garish for me)

 

Here's a few pics and I also include a 'Google Earth' type overhead and a front view as Mike (Paternoster Row) was requesting a few overall's of the layout...

 

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Farish old 37...with first attempts at weathering... :blush:

 

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On the quayside...basking in the gloom... :D

 

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And again...See how high she sits on the bogies still... :swoon:

 

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Google Earth...both my layouts only have 2 turnouts...and the next (Paddock Wood) only has 1 :O

 

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Front on view...is that a few bubbles I see appearing in the backscene? :angry:

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Pete, dunno a thing about diesels, but the whole thing sure looks good. Congratulations on having almost finished (?) the layout. It certainly looks done. I especially like the last shot, where everything just blends together and it looks as if we're out on the water looking in. The greyish colour was an excellent choice!

 

You might think those are bubbles in the backscene, but actually its just a dimension warp. Kyle in 4D...

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Lovely result Pete. You are definately a graduate of the 'Less is more' school. As Mikkel comments on the last shot looking like you are on the water, on the ferry perhaps hoping you don't miss the train.

Don

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That tractor is looking really great, the weathering has come out well, I wouldn't believe it was a first attempt at weathering that's for sure!

 

The layout is a great picture frame for your Scottish stock and it really has the feel of a wind swept coast on a typical Scottish gray day!

 

Cheers,

 

Jack

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Nice one Pete - the weathering (not being a deseasal man) - looks pretty good. (Just to show my ignorance, when I read the 'header' I thought a tractor' was a Fordson or Massey-Ferguson)! 'Good' I thought, 'He's practicing on something inconsequential to start' - but oh no you jumped right in - and did it well!.

 

And that's not 'bubbles' in the backscene but more rain drifting in from Skye!

 

Regs

 

Ian

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Pete, dunno a thing about diesels, but the whole thing sure looks good. Congratulations on having almost finished (?) the layout. It certainly looks done. I especially like the last shot, where everything just blends together and it looks as if we're out on the water looking in. The greyish colour was an excellent choice!You might think those are bubbles in the backscene, but actually its just a dimension warp. Kyle in 4D...

 

Thanks Mikkel - It's Nearly finished...as much as they ever can be. Need to work on the rolling stock now. I want to resist adding too much clutter to the station area so as not to overcook it. Like the 4D spin!...

 

Lovely result Pete. You are definately a graduate of the 'Less is more' school. As Mikkel comments on the last shot looking like you are on the water, on the ferry perhaps hoping you don't miss the train.

 

Thanks Don - Would you believe me if I said I have a 'less is more' T-shirt? It's from the Barcelona Pavilion here, designed by German Architect Mies Van de Rohe and guess who spends a lot of his time visiting it! Me too...I like the low level shots....

 

That tractor is looking really great, the weathering has come out well, I wouldn't believe it was a first attempt at weathering that's for sure!The layout is a great picture frame for your Scottish stock and it really has the feel of a wind swept coast on a typical Scottish gray day!

 

Thanks Jack - Was inspired by your 37175 model. I have some fixative (Spanish equivalent of Purity Seal) found in a wargaming shop yesterday after I read a thread you contributed to on weathering. I might try and 'fix it' and then work in a little brown and black powder to each before I tackle the rest of the fleet...

 

Nice one Pete - the weathering (not being a deseasal man) - looks pretty good. (Just to show my ignorance, when I read the 'header' I thought a tractor' was a Fordson or Massey-Ferguson)! 'Good' I thought, 'He's practicing on something inconsequential to start' - but oh no you jumped right in - and did it well!.And that's not 'bubbles' in the backscene but more rain drifting in from Skye!

 

Thanks Ian - Sorry about that...but there will be a real tractor appearing on my CJM layout in addition to the class 37 fleet...a modified County 1474 no less. Unfortunately, they are bubbles...and I need to ponder how to deal with this change in the weather...

 

Looks great. Weathering...something you get a lot of in that part of the world!!Ian

 

Thanks Ian - Looking back at the layout as it first appeared, the 'sunmed' blue sky just didn't work...I hope this captures a slice of KoL...but without doom and gloom.

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Pete, firstly, I got side tracked admiring that last photo.. that grey really does work so well. Crop the left hand end of the photo and it's a view across the water and it's real! As for the weathering, well yes, a very good start. You're right, adding in some different colours, such as black into the bogie receses will help to enhance the depth of the features. The roof at the moment nees a little blending if I can be honest. There is so much that can be achieved with powders... and you're right, less is more. So I think that if you use a little moisture in a rag (will white spirit do it for these powders... or water?) or on a cotton bud, try to lift some of the roof weathering off... you can do this using perpendicular movements of the cloth/bud to represent wain washed muck, or longitudinally to represent movement. Don't worry about lifting it all off... it should leave the crud around the details. You can then gently add another layer... slowly building the muck up... just like it does on the real thing... bit by bit. The bogies will however get coveed on the first outing in rubbish weather... but some gentle darkening for shadows will help... and then some fine splodges for oil/grease marks can really add some nice contrast. Don't be shy about a little dry brushing of some "metal" colour ... on steps perhaps, where the pain would have been knocked.... and repeated wear by drivers' feet kept muck away... but only sparingly. Finally... look at where the exhausts are and add some gentle soot patterns fore/aft from these - this is where the clag emanates... and where it'll be thickest. For a really filthy loco, the whole top section (and bonnet tops) will be a dark grey colour (not black).... dry black with some brown mixed in to lighten, and "grubby-fy" it.

If you want to pick out the grills, including the cant rail grills, try running some very thin black paint or pigment in... and letting it sit inside the deep grooves... wiping away any on the raised surfaces... you'll be amazed how well this can work.

Generally.... the aim is to get the loco to blend in... nothing should stand out on a diorama such as your creation. Horrid black shiny bogies are an eye sore in this respect, and you've already acheived a good result here... so , keep at it, enjoy it, and practice practice practice. ... but I think it's going well.

 

keep up the good work.

 

Right! Coffee over, back to work!

 

Jon

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Right! Coffee over, back to work!Jon

 

Many thank Jon - Really appreciate the detail you have gone in to there...and of course the weathering on Nimbus was cherry on the cake material. I shall certainly be trying some of the above, perhaps this weekend (although the 'roundy roundy calls again as the kids behaviour has moderated itself since last time!)

I shall still keep using this 37 as a test bed - its such a shame it sits so high on its bogies and even the ploughs stick out like buck teeth...but that large logo livery just sits so well on the 37 (and the 50 for me) so it was a shame not to use it. I will keep on with it and as ever, thanks for the encouragement. Me too...time for an espresso...

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Your weathering certainly improves the appearance of the 'old' 37, Pete. That overhead view is a bit of a shock! Your photos from the 'shot on the water' POV create such a convincing illusion of depth - your layout can't be just 6 inches wide! ;-)

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Bubbles, This could be a reason for using water based glue, or even wallpaper paste. When the paper gets wet it expands, and then as it dries out, it shrinks. If you laid it flat and smoothed it out, it should shrink nice and taut. Probably easier to write about than to actually do though. My wallpaper often used to end up with bubbles. However, with a small backscene on plywood, it might even be possible to iron it flat as the glue dries, with a wet cloth, but that might remove your inkjet printing it it is not sealed and waterproof.

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Your weathering certainly improves the appearance of the 'old' 37, Pete. That overhead view is a bit of a shock! Your photos from the 'shot on the water' POV create such a convincing illusion of depth - your layout can't be just 6 inches wide! ;-)

 

Thanks GJ - Actually its worse than that...it's only 122mm from backscene to front of water (4+3/4" in old money) which is why I wanted to include a slither of water to help with the depth of layering. The old 37 scrubs up not too bad...probably even better if I could crack the height issue and detail the front ends...but I will leave that for 37175...

 

Bubbles, This could be a reason for using water based glue, or even wallpaper paste. When the paper gets wet it expands, and then as it dries out, it shrinks. If you laid it flat and smoothed it out, it should shrink nice and taut. Probably easier to write about than to actually do though. My wallpaper often used to end up with bubbles. However, with a small backscene on plywood, it might even be possible to iron it flat as the glue dries, with a wet cloth, but that might remove your inkjet printing it it is not sealed and waterproof.

 

Thanks Ian - I think it will be difficult to remove it now so I will have to periodically peel and re-spraymount it as I did the other evening. The backscene is only 2mm card too not ply, so that probably isn't helping. On the plus side, the whole layout is still nice 'n' light...thanks to the IKEA base... :D

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Pete, If you're interested in improving 37417, there is an article in the May-June 1994 issue of Modelling Railways Illustrated about detailing the Farish 37, including lowering it. If you'd like a copy of the article I could scan it and email it to you.

David

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Pete, If you're interested in improving 37417, there is an article in the May-June 1994 issue of Modelling Railways Illustrated about detailing the Farish 37, including lowering it. If you'd like a copy of the article I could scan it and email it to you.David

 

Thanks David - I will PM you about that...

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Cracking weathering job Pete, nice and even with an excellent balance of colours. The nose grills being particularly effective.

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Cracking weathering job Pete, nice and even with an excellent balance of colours. The nose grills being particularly effective.

 

Thanks Bryn - It could do with a little more work I guess...in fact one of the nose grills almost looks untouched...will have to revisit that at the weekend!

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Many thank Jon - Really appreciate the detail you have gone in to there...and of course the weathering on Nimbus was cherry on the cake material. I shall certainly be trying some of the above, perhaps this weekend (although the 'roundy roundy calls again as the kids behaviour has moderated itself since last time!) I shall still keep using this 37 as a test bed - its such a shame it sits so high on its bogies and even the ploughs stick out like buck teeth...but that large logo livery just sits so well on the 37 (and the 50 for me) so it was a shame not to use it. I will keep on with it and as ever, thanks for the encouragement. Me too...time for an espresso...

 

Pete, glad the boys layout is back on the agenda... for the stated reason primarily. For me... rats! more ballast arrived in the post today! At least the ballasted bit still all works. Then there's the grass, roads, trees, station and, oh yes, Alex wants a Helipad.... Yea, don't ask!

Hmmm... my depot plans have gone to the right a bit.

Good luck with yours

Jon

Don't forget the 1:72 Tomcats to add to their layout ;-)

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Hi Pete

 

Smashing, what a cracker of a layout. Love shot No 1 (quayside with 37) and last photo of whole layout (and Google Earth one - thank you). The back scene works just right with the foreground - the relationship between mountain and content is spot on - you must have a good judge of distance to get that perfect with just 6 inches to play with! So many people ruin a great layout by not getting the back scene content right. I think I read in your blog somewhere that you're 45 - well I'm pushing 50 this year and have to wear glasses for near stuff so your eyes must still be in great shape in order to do this in 2mm fine scale? The weathering on that 37 is cool by the way - love the speed streaks on the roof - nice balance between over and under done. Could you do us a close up on that lovely station building.

 

Museum display quality once again!

 

Regards

 

Mike

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Pete, glad the boys layout is back on the agenda... for the stated reason primarily. For me... rats! more ballast arrived in the post today! At least the ballasted bit still all works. Then there's the grass, roads, trees, station and, oh yes, Alex wants a Helipad.... Yea, don't ask!Hmmm... my depot plans have gone to the right a bit.Good luck with yoursJonDon't forget the 1:72 Tomcats to add to their layout ;-)

 

Jon, hi - actually,it might be on hold again...a few behavioural issues cropped last night after watching 'Top Gun'...let's see how the weekend shapes up. They are more Concorde fans than F-14's...but you never know...good luck with that ballasting :yes:

 

Smashing, what a cracker of a layout. Love shot No 1 (quayside with 37) and last photo of whole layout (and Google Earth one - thank you). The back scene works just right with the foreground - the relationship between mountain and content is spot on - you must have a good judge of distance to get that perfect with just 6 inches to play with! So many people ruin a great layout by not getting the back scene content right. I think I read in your blog somewhere that you're 45 - well I'm pushing 50 this year and have to wear glasses for near stuff so your eyes must still be in great shape in order to do this in 2mm fine scale? The weathering on that 37 is cool by the way - love the speed streaks on the roof - nice balance between over and under done. Could you do us a close up on that lovely station building. Museum display quality once again!

 

Hi Mike - Many thanks for your kind comments - First the age bit...I have shocking eyesight...was wearing 'milk bottle bottoms' for glasses since 14 and tend to revert between contact lenses and specs with (thankfully) reduced thickness plastic in them...but of recent, I have been struggling to see what I am doing.

I found a photo of the old backscene last night and was rather embarrassed about it...it was a lash up one week before the show mind, however, hopefully this one corrects that...as mentioned above I felt it important to include the water to increase the 'apparent' depth...which all had to fit into 120mm.

The weathering will hopefully improve with time, and I of course will take some close ups of the station...once I finish tweaking it. Perhaps it will appear in my next post when I have weathered the rest of the fleet.

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Needs a seagull or two on the bonnet.

 

Thanks Chris...What a GREAT shot... :yes:

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