Dirty little things...
Entry posted by James Hilton
1,919 views
So about 6 months into my 009 modelling career and the first two models are finished...
Both the diesel (a Schoema prototype, currently based on the Isle of Man Steam Railway) and the railbus (a Baguley Drewry prototype, initially an admiralty vehicle I believe, currently on the Welshpool and Llanfair) are built from etched brass Worsley Works 'scratch-aid' kits. What does 'scratch-aid' mean? Basically you get an etched brass kit with some detailing but you need to source a chassis, detailing parts and sometimes fabricate a roof. They are well designed and cleanly produced and with care, really build into very characterful prototypes.
My 009 meanderings have very little clear direction at present, hence the odd choice of prototype - I just liked them! They both make use of the excellent value and compact Kato tram chassis for N-gauge, available for around £20 delivered - which makes these kits excellent value at less than £50 each when completed. I sourced the plasticard, turned brass components and sections from the usual suppliers (Alan Gibson and Eileen's Emporium).
I shall not give a full-build here - if you're interested they feature heavily on my external blog and I've also described the build, in patches on here. However in recent weeks I have got around to finishing them both off with a subtle weathered finish.
The weathering followed my old 4mm techniques, that I had not used for sometime. Both chassis was treated to a dirtying up using enamels (Humbrol 33, 53 and 98), black, gun-metal and chocolate. When this was dry I dry brushed some more gun-metal on the step edges, cab door step and handrails and applied some Mig weathering powder on the chassis to give some tonal variation and accentuate some of the shadows.
The body on the diesel had some wash (diluted 33 and 98) dripped into the panel lines, and carefully cleaned up to show only in the panel lines, and on the radiator grilles.
I then used an airbrush with three different weathering tones to blend the wash and dry brushing together. On the diesel I used a grey (created from a black and cream mix) to 'fade' the roof to give a sun bleaching and dusty appearance. I then used a straight brown (chocolate 98) on the chassis of both engines, and a light spray from the underside over the buffer beams. I also drifted a little of this over the roof of the railbus. I then used a black (33) with a smidge of chocolate (98) to add some exhaust deposits to the bonnet and roof of the diesel.
Once dry I sprayed a little matt varnish (that has ended up slightly satin - initially I was annoyed, but it actually adds to the effect I think) and added the glazing, before taking them outside for a few snaps... (the diesel will receive custom etched nickel silver plates from Narrow Planet).
So what next? Well I've got two kits on order - a large scale 1:22 kit of a Romanian Faur L45H diesel (for the garden line) and a 009 Le Meuse 2-6-0T etched kit using the Graham Farish N-gauge 08 chassis. I have also been scribbling ideas for a small 4mm layout with a running 009 section and a static P4 siding or too, but as I've not really got any prototypes in mind it's proving difficult to focus my attention on something long enough to get a decent plan... at the very least I need a photo plank!
If people are interested in the Garden Railway (1:22) projects I can share them on here too - they just don't often get much comment so I usually only update my Garden Railway external blog. Let me know. I'll continue to share the 009 meanderings on occasion on RMweb, but keep your eyes glued to my 4mm blog if you're interested in more frequent ramblings.
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