Revolution Ben

Hi Simon You've made a nice job of those RMC hoppers! Some of the decals had a faulty varnish layer, meaning that the white stripes don't hold together very well. It doesn't seem to be an issue that affects any of the black lettering. There are three options: (1) return decal sheet to NGS shop for replacement (2) paint the stripes or (3) coat the decal with Johnson's Klear floor cleaner. Once it has dried it forms an additional varnish layer which strengthens the decals. FWIW on my rake I decided to paint the white stripes! cheers Ben A.

Hi folks, I have to say, I don't see the problems with the cabside windows now. It looks OK to me. I accept that the yellow paint line might not be quite straight (these are preproduction samples) but to me the basic shape of the cab, cab windows and nose looks "right" - perhaps I am not so choosy. Having said that, I am basing my judgment on having looked and held the bodyshells at Warley (courtesy of Dapol Dave) and when seeing the 3D item they certainly have that "wow" factor in my eyes. Re the upper bodyside grey colour for the Swallow livery HST, I think it should be falcon grey. This was a slightly browner shade that was introduced with the Swallow livery IIRC. The original Inter-city livery, that superceded blue/grey, used executive dark grey. The Mk3s have the Intercity lettering in italicised capitals, rather than Rail Alphabet, which suggests to me the window surrounds should be falcon grey. I think that as long as Dapol ensure the power cars match the appropriate coaches then all will be well. cheers Ben A.

Hi Dave, Thanks for the explanation, and thanks for correcting the valance/seam line issues that you identified on the test mouldings. The shape looks right to me, and the bogie and underframe details are very nice too! cheers Ben A.

Hi Pete, Very nice work. Glue: I have used "Super-phatic" - and aliphatic resin glue - to fix plasticard to plywood. It seems to have worked well, and when positioning allows a short period for adjustments before "biting." What are the electrical terminal blocks for? Are you planning lighting? cheers Ben A.

Hi Jim, I have found in the past that producing my own etch is the way to go with some of these types of items. Certainly several of the components on your list could be etched. A sheet of etched A4 can be had for around £50-£100 depending where you go; and will yield many components in N. Of course, that cost may seem prohibitive but my approach is to consider my time at £20/hr and decide how long it would take me to fabricate all the bits from styrene - especially if I am doing a rake! Drawing my own etch artwork, then waiting for the finished sheet to be delivered, can also add the anticipation and excitement to energise me to complete a project. Good luck with your project. cheers Ben

I've only just discovered this blog after being linked through to it from one of the forum threads. Excellent work on the Class 08 and the layout above. Thanks for posting. cheers Ben A.

Hi Will, Just came across this blog - nice work. Glad my suggestion of printing the Scalescenes onto self adhesive labels is working for you. BTW my name is Ben Ando - Jo Alder is another N Gauger! cheers Ben A. (ndo)

Hi Stephen, Is this a scenic diorama or will this board be part of the completed layout? My reason for asking is that for running purposes I would be wary of having such oblique track joins as you appear to be having at one end of the board. Generally speaking it can be tricky getting smooth running over anything more angled than just a few degrees either side of 90 deg. Having said that, I like the flowing trackplan you have created! cheers Ben A.

Hi Simon, I would be tempted to paint the interiors of the arches a dark grey (not black) colour to make them "disappear" from the attention of the viewer. Then, place more "interest" outside the front of the arches if there is room (car with tyre being changed, or bins stacked up etc.) These would grab the attention, and while you would always know the insides of the arches are shallow, I suspect very few others would, since they would be busy taking in all the other detail. Another option would be to place a small mirror at the rear wall of the arches. This would create the illusion of depth, and would work from almost any angle. That would also make your red car look full depth - albeit a bit like a push-me-pull-you! cheers Ben A.

Hi Simon, Nice work with the arches. Real painted wood seems to turn "matt" very quickly. Personally, I feel enamel or acrylic painted plasticard retains an unrealistic sheen; I have found that brushing on neutral weathering powder, say pale grey, then brushing it off, fades the colour, kills the sheen and gives a more authentic appearance. cheers Ben A.

Looking very good. I have been playing with some Scalscenes models for N, and found that A4 self adhesive labels (from Staples) are a useful way of saving time. I print the parts out and then just peel them off and glue them - especially good with the "wrap around" bits and saves a bit of mess - though completed parts (buttresses, parapets etc) still need to be glued with PVA. I like what you've done with the building - and glad to see ugly, utilitarian structures depicted, rather than the picture postcard stuff. I appreciate it may be too late on your model, but could putting a more gentle slope into the road all along the front - raising it up toward the middle of the layout - reduce the amount of slope needed on the perpendicular bit leading up to the bridge? cheers Ben A.

Hi Simon Great work. Please keep the pictures coming! cheers Ben A.

I model in N, but I have to say this Deltic looks more like a Deltic than any other model I have seen. Well done Heljan! cheers Ben A.

Hi Simon, Nice work so far. What colour paint are you using to represent engineers' blue bricks? cheers Ben A.

Hello, This is looking very good. Where is the backscene from? It's very effective! cheers Ben A.

Hello Phillip, Glad to see this project going again - keep us updated! cheers Ben A.

Hello Mark, I'd like to echo the thoughts of some others here: apart from the quality of your work, and ambition (esp with the EMU conversion/scratchbuild) what really impresses me with your layout is the overall concept and design, and the way everything combines to create a complete, harmonious and neatly executed vision. cheers Ben A.

Hi Dave, Nice job on the weathering. The most important thing for me is that your locos have lost that "shiny toy" appearance and the matt finish, with the dirt, gives them instant "weight." If you do fancy going further then have a look at some photographs. My own observations suggest that the wheel faces are never black. Even when brand new locos arrive on the dockside with freshly painted black bogie frames, the wheel faces have a rusty finish. To replicate this I use the technique pioneered by Pelle Soleborg (sp!) of painting with a dark/dirty grey-brown then dusting on dirty rust weathering powder. I don't know about you, but I am always wary of how colour "scales down." For example, pure black never seems to me to look right in N. I tend to give all my bogies (not just locos - all stock) a dusting of dark grey sprayed from above to create a feeling of depth, and to give the impression of the black "catching the light" in upper facing areas. If you have a copy to hand, the MBAs and Class 60 pictured on p105 of this August's MR have had this treatment - see what you think. Also, even newly painted locos rapidly acquire a patina of track dust on the bogies - as soon as they've travelled just a few miles it appears - and as it's carried by disturbed air it tends to gather on horizontal or forward facing areas first. Weathering powders or a dusting from the airbrush can help here - once again you can assess the effect for yourself on the models mentioned above. Peronally, while I find the airbrush invaluable, I find weathering powders are brilliant for depicting some of the more localised spills and stains seen on most railway vehicles. Incidentally, thanks for posting all the images and updates. I really enjoy following your progress and I think you're doing a great job! I too think the second attempt at the river looks even better than the first! cheers Ben A.

Hi folks They tried an un-numbered BR Blue loco (a 73) with decals for the modeller to fit about 3 years ago but sold hardly any. Having said that, I like having separate bits to fit - gives an added frisson when opening the box (that does sound a little tragic) and also makes me feel that I am doing something to improve the loco and makes the bits easier to paint. cheers Ben A.

Good job on this so far Jim. Any further progress to report? cheers Ben A.

What a neat solution! I am very impressed with the "even-ness" of the flats you have filed onto the mast. cheers Ben A.

Hi Simon Fair point about the price, but one of the good things about these silver bullets (compared to the similar but different Burngullow-Irvine ones) is that they can be used realistically in shorter rakes of 5 or 6 wagons. See: http://www.stevenrobertsons-railwayphotography.fotopic.net/p55983050.html http://charlesgwoodland.fotopic.net/p53337653.html Oh, and it's not unusual to see clean, cleanish and filthy ones in the same rake: http://paul-greenwood.fotopic.net/p49495274.html cheers Ben A.

Hi Jo, Nice work - as usual! What will you use to get the variation on the underframe colour? Paint or weathering powder? cheers Ben A.