chaz

A few more from Peterborough... Interesting the way the weathering is more obvious in some photos than others. Must be to do with lighting and angles? A B1 tender first on a trip freight? I'm not going to say it never happened but.... LNER milk van in as filthy condition as such big vans always seemed to get. The B1 waits to take a return working out of the yard. These engines were one of the best of Thompson's designs, but why on earth doesn't the bottom of the cab sides line up with the tender - it would look neater. A Gresley 4W Pigeon van and a GW Fruit D, both in the early BR crimson but with varying states of grime. Chaz

And coming up to 300,000 views. Golly, I must be doing something right. Some time ago I did cover the painting of these wagons but with 200 pages to scan through it would take either of us for ever to find...so here's a brief summary. The bare wood was painted plank by plank with matte enamels, using various shades mixed from light greys, creams, buffs, browns etc. I used a metalwork scriber, cocktail stick etc to scratch wood grain effects into the wet paint. Metal work was painted using the two rust colours that are in the Railmatch range. Some BR wagon grey was dry brushed onto some of the metal work to look like the last vestiges of paint. I brush or blow talc across the surface of the rust colours to add a gritty texture to the surface. Underframes are painted dirty black or coal black and are then dry-brushed with traces of rust and grime (a home brewed shade of leather and matte black). HTH Chaz

There are plenty of books about (maybe thousands!) that include photos of goods trains running on branch lines. Might a study of some of these give you an insight into what wagons were typical? Chaz

Another five pictures, all of which include the J6. A view from above, which gives a glimpse of that lovely motion between the frames. The J6 hasn't moved but this shot is from a different angle. The N7 stands under the starter signal, once its train has been assembled it will reverse and couple up. 64253 propels the loaded coal wagons across the yard to the transfer siding. It was a great hit with the team as it glided around the yard. Once I had cleaned its wheels it did the whole of Sunday as yard pilot without any fuss, never stalling or failing to start. Terrific model! (built and painted by Heather K - all I did was the weathering). A busy moment in the yard. The BR/Sulzer type 2 ticks over on the exit track, the J6 tows a brake van back to the headshunt and the Hudswell Clarke "Christine" is glimpsed waiting on the industrial lines to access stock left for it on the transfer siding. The J6 propels that brake van (an ex-LNER "Green Arrow" van) from the headshunt back to the reception line ready for the next departure. Chaz

The card will usually say something like "With the yard pilot take 4 wagons from Goods No.1 and add them to the brake van on the reception line". If there are more than four then it is up to the operator to choose. The front four would be fine, however if the other operator is doing cassette work (there are always two operators on at any one time) then a choice can be made that involves a bit of shunting so that there is something moving while they are busy. Very few visitors will stand and watch the layout for so long that a wagon that doesn't move for a while would be obvious (even if that would be considered unrealistic - which is debatable!). When making up a train to run into the yard the choice of locomotive is left to the operator. Chaz

I was at the Peterborough show for the weekend with Dock Green. Walking round on one of my "off duty" moments I saw a copy of the Colorado Rail Annual No. 12, entitled "The South Park Line - a Concise History". I bought it and have been looking at it ever since I got home. It's a fascinating book about a railroad that I knew very little about. It had a chequered history and it's poverty and light construction meant that small light locomotives worked on it until its demise in the thirties. It never had anything as big and powerful as the DRGW Mikados. One locomotive type that has intrigued me as I read is the Mason Bogie. The 2-6-6T DL&G No. 57 (DSP&P No. 24) features in several photos in the book and is the subject of an article of its own. Does anyone know of a drawing of this machine - possibly in an issue of the NG&SLG? Chaz Silly me! A Google later on today brought up http://ross-crain.com with lots of drawings, pictures etc of Mason Bogie locomotives.

Love 60123 - that finish is spot on. What a pity that the A1s saw so little service, magnificent machines that went for scrap far too early. A friend of mine bought some Cobalts as an alternative to Tortoises but had a lot of trouble with them (I can't remember the details) and regretted that he had used them. Chaz

More pictures from Peterborough. Two of the vans that I finished weathering last week, lurking behind the warehouse fence. They are JLTRT resin bodies (sides, ends and roof all in one piece`) with white metal details added and are surprisingly heavy. Their axle boxes "float" in the W-irons like those of Parkside kits. The same wagons from another angle. "Susan" my brass-kit Peckett is standing on the transfer siding about to take the loaded oil tankers down the grade to the industrial estate. 61027 is one of the two named B1s that were Hitchin engines. Not sure how Ferme Park would have got their hands on it as the Hitchin B1s usually worked passenger turns but they have snaffled it for a trip working to Dock Green. Two ex_GNR locos form a backdrop to a view over a factory back fence. Neither of these machines were to last much longer - steam was gone from the London end of the ECML by the end of 1962. More photos later. Chaz

The cards tell the operators which cassettes to use to make up trains. This to to ensure that we cycle through the stock so different wagons run in each train. The cards also say how to split up an arrival - "three wagons to goods No. 2" etc. They specify where wagons should be taken from to make up a departing train and which cassettes to put the train into when it is broken down. This level of detail means that when you are told to collect four wagons from the warehouse siding there are four there. Operators do make mistakes from time to time and we sometimes read a card and the situation doesn't match it. "Shunt four wagons to..." but that siding is already full. Should the position be really at odds with the sequence then the agreed ploy is to turn back to the first card, which sets the start position, and then shunt the yard until it matches that. The sequence can then be restarted. Chaz

I was forced to change our company for the van hire as our usual had hired out all of their Transits to the Royal Mail. This resulted in us getting a smaller van - no problem we got it all in - just! Now - some snaps of the layout... The J6 ran perfectly in "stealth mode", smooth and steady. So good was it that on Sunday I ran it all day as yard pilot - it glided round the yard with it's extra tender pickups making it ultra-reliable. It's extra length proved not to be a problem so there was no need for any shunts to take two bites. You will forgive me if quite a few of the photos I post include 64253... One of my favourite "posing points" is the canal bridge. On Saturday the N7 (on running-in turn) was the yard pilot for some of the day. Another favourite of mine - doesn't the BR lined black look well on this machine? More photos later. Chaz

Good pictures Steve. I enjoyed the weekend, Sunday far more than Saturday for several reasons. I will post some of my own snaps shortly. I doubt that you will see much of the BRCW Type 2 (D5330) on Dock Green's metals again. I might well sell it on as the Brush and BR/Sulzer Type 2s and the EE Type 1 are more than enough to provide some relief from the kettles. Chaz

Thanks for that - I do think there is an element of "Marmite" about Dock Green. There are some like yourself who like it a lot, others walk passed with barely a glance - it takes all sorts. Chaz

Thanks for those very positive comments Ray. I will have some comments to make about Peterborough and some photos to post soon. Don't be put off by a lack of space - it will limit your scope but needn't stop you from creating something worthwhile. Chaz

Thanks for that! Nothing in the diary as yet for future shows. Thanks! Do please come and say hello! Chaz

Sue and I went through the checklist this morning, particularly the tools, to make sure it's all ready to go in the van tomorrow. I often pillage the tools for use between shows - it would be a waste to keep a set which only gets used three or four times a year. I also moved quite a lot of stuff around in my workroom so we can get "the big stuff" into the van first. It's always a sort of limbo the day before - having got it all sorted I just want to be up and doing. Chaz

In fact wasn't that the justification for the mod' - so that they could stand pilot and take on a Pacific's job at need?

It's a pity that your modelled period pre-dates the double-chimneyed V2s. They were , I understand, magnificent machines and could match the Pacifics. The 34A engines certainly looked the part as they were kept clean.

Thanks Chris, I ought to be able to wield a paint brush - in a former life I was an art teacher and later re-trained to become a design technology bod. The ideal mix for a railway modeller? Chaz

Can I suggest Rapid Electronics as a source of wire (in 50 metre reels), switches, LEDs, plugs and sockets etc etc. You will have to spend a bit to get to their free postage but if you are planning a layout your needs will soon mount up. just Google it! Chaz

I am interested to know why you mix card and plasticard - given that they require different adhesives. I have switched almost entirely to materials that can be glued with PVA. Chaz

Yes, Steve. I suspect that washes are a special case and that acrylics are not very suitable. My wife has some "open" acrylics for her art work and these stay wet much longer but they are expensive. Whether they would answer remains to be seen but I suspect that even if they do the fact that they can take as long to dry as artist's oils negates one of the big advantages of acrylics for us. Chaz

I think it might be helpful for me to list the steps I took in painting and weathering the vans. (* indicates drying/hardening time required - preferably overnight) Look at photos of the real thing. Depending on the era modelled colour may be impossible to find. Paint the van with bauxite, dark grey (for the roof) and black - enamels or (my preference) acrylics. Airbrush or brush. * Spray gloss varnish on those areas where transfers are to be added. * Apply transfers. * Spray matte varnish over the transfers and any other parts that look glossy or satin. * Look at photos of the real thing again. Add an enamel wash all over the body and then clean most of this off using cotton buds. Do a section at a time. Add weathering powders to the underframe. This can be done earlier if it is a separate unit. Add "Smoke" weathering powder (or a dark grey) to the body. Other colours (dirty brown) can be added. Be careful with rust. Stipple a second coat of dark grey to the roof. You can do this at any convenient stage after 4. I usually fit couplings at this stage to avoid gumming up the delicate Dinghams with paint etc. Place model on the track and assess. One way to see it afresh is to look at in a mirror (artist's trick) or you can photograph it - but beware of the known problem of cameras often being blind to the full effect of your weathering! I must just say again this is my method but I don't think it's the only way or even the best. You can certainly do what I did when I started weathering - I talked to people, read the book, tried out various suggested methods and eventually settled on the recipes that suited me. After a number of years of working solely with enamels I am a recent convert to acrylics and powders. It's worth keeping an open mind. Chaz

Having spoken to Paul Martin at the Reading trade show I now own the 2-8-0 #29 with the TCS WOW sound decoder fitted. After the dust has settled on the Peterborough show next week I intend to get going again on the FVRR. There are rather a lot of jobs to be done but high on the list are #29, the Mogul #12, finishing the last two hopper cars and - a major project - building the engine house kit and working up the engine yard around it and the turntable. Not much chance of getting all that done before Christmas but I can make a start! Chaz

Thanks Steve. You will have gathered that I am very much a convert to acrylics and weathering powders so it seemed a little strange to revert to enamels for the wash. However I am sure it's drying times that are crucial - acrylics might well dry too quickly to allow the work with cotton buds. Chaz

Following on from the previous post this is a note on roofs. I avoid using my airbrush as much as I can but brush painting matte paint can be a problem. As you can see in the photo above brush marks can be obvious and a second coat does not eliminate the effect. I add a second coat with a mop type brush using a vertical stabbing movement - artists called this stippling. This will leave some brush marks but they will look natural - part of the canvas texture. (sorry about the camera shake - not my best photo!). The three SR vans with stippled paint roofs. Incidentally the paint is Humbrol acrylic #32 dark grey. Chaz