Cwmhir - The camera never lies

[Darwinian]

Buffer bodies arrived from Lanarkshire Model Supplies last week and now the Heads have arrived from Wizard models. Excellent service from both suppliers, especially in these times. So work on the clerestory can continue. I have also realised I forgot to add the lower door hinges. Hmm will have to think about how to do that now.

 

In the absence of other progress here is a photo. of GWR SRM 57 on a local to Merthyr.

 

 

This is the Mallard/Blacksmith SRM. It had been sat in the display cabinet for at least a year and would not move when placed on the tracks. A bit of rewiring and a good clean and it's working fine now. Although I broke one of the power bogie suspension scroll irons in the process. Hoping cyno will hold it back together otherwise I'll have to try to scratch build a matching replacement.

[Darwinian]

Not much done on the C19 in the last few days. I had an unexpected urge to do some electrickery and finally fit the electromagnets to operate the Dingham couplers. So Cwmhir has been dismantled so I can work on the underside of the main station throat board.  I have fitted four electromagnets, two Dingham and two DG (from Wizard). The DG pole pieces are a bit short, only reaching to 1mm or so below the top of the underlay but a quick test suggests that they will work OK. I have the thin sleepered  C&L track which may help here.

I had planned to put electromagnets at the loco release end of the loops too but have realised that loco's will always be uncoupled there so I bought some 10mm x 3mm x 2.5mm neodynium magnets which fit nicely between the sleepers (including on Peco track) and provide plenty of pull to operate the Dingham couplers.

10 magnets cost the same (including postage) as one elctromagnet and they are much easier to fit. 

 

Not very photogenic however so here is 2795 caught by  a photographer above the tunnel mouths as it pulls up into Cwmhir with a local goods.

 

 

The lcoo is a Finney kit  while the wagons are from various kits.

[Darwinian]

Rather a long delay here due to spending much of the last week taking down and replacing a fence in the garden while it wasn't raining and before the forecast stormy weather finished the demolition of the old fence in an uncontrolled manner.

 

Anyway in between that I've largely completed the installation of the fixed and electromagnets for the Dingham couplings. The platform line loco release magnet is behind the the station canopy of I have placed the station cat sitting on the roof as a marker for it's location. A bird might have been more appropriate but I thought the trains passing below were less likely to faze a cat.

 

The C19 now has gas pipe runs on the clerestory deck and carriage end. The steps have been fitted on the bogies and the lining of the sides done. I think painting will come next although I have to decide whether to try to represent the lower door hinges / door frame beading.

 

 

 

I must admit the plastic rod used for the gas piping looks a bit crude in close up but not so bad in real life.

 

[drduncan]

Lovely work

Duncan

[MrWolf]

I think that the gas pipes are an excellent detail and once painted, the material won't look odd. Far better to make a neat job with plastic on a plastic roof than struggle to attach brass for the sake of using it.

 

Now I am going to have to revisit my motley collection of highly modified (butchered) Tri-ang clerestories...

[Darwinian]

Hinges proved less hassle than expected probably helped by the thin half etched lower side. I used a 3mm approx bit on the soldering iron and full temperature setting with 145 solder. Brass etch waste provided a 1.5mm strip. Put solder on the end of the strip then solder to the side using a card distance guide from the footboard. Cut off square with side cutters then gently file flat, fine file, with upper side using a thin piece of card as a depth guide.

[Darwinian]

A coat of primer done and all seems well, although the inner side is not quite tight up in a few places. However I have decided to widen the roof slightly as it barely reached the tops of the sides and was almost flush with them. A 1mm strip was cut from 20thou and fixed along the edge with solvent. Left to harden overnight and then sanded before the primer coat was applied. There was still a slight groove where the added piece joined so I have attempted to fill that with Squadron white putty (although mine seems to have separated in the tube).

 

The interior was given a quick coat of mid brown. Vallejo Air Mud brown and Middle stone in a 50:50 mix.

 

 

I have added safety loops from etch waste to the brake pull rods, mainly to stop me knocking the rods off.

 

 

Droplights have been sprayed Vallejo Air Mahogany but I have since realised I have only done 7 pairs (only 5 shown) as the others were on a different bit of the kit etch.

 

[Darwinian]

In between waiting for paint to dry and for my layout detailing mojo to return I've decided to add to my rather too sparse selection of open wagons. 

 

This is my second attempt at the Cambrian Kits LMS D1666 5 plank open and I'm trying something different and also trying to get the brakes right as described:

So I'm using Bill Bedford RCH sprung wagon W irons and also 9'0" RCH brake gear.

Being a GWR modeller I didn't have a stock of suitable cast axleboxes so I cut off the ones from the kit mouldings, trimmed them as much as I dared and then sanded off the backs until the side flanges of the axleboxes were paper thin.

 

Here are the various stages in progress.

 

 

I have since decided to discard the moulded v-hangers and use the ones from the etch.

 

As you can see the backs of the solebars needed reducing to clear the etched W-irons.

[Darwinian]

D1666 now largely completed as I've run out of buffer heads. Brake gear now done and a couple of slabs of lead from scrap roofing flashing added.

 

[MrWolf]

Very nice job indeed. I am looking forward to getting to grips with my kit stash, but I really must concentrate on getting something built to run them on! I'm learning plenty for future reference just reading about yours for now.

[Penrhos1920]

What glue are you using for the lead?  I looked at a couple of my wagons that have lead weights and the lead has all curled up.  I thought that I’d used a non-pva glue.

[Darwinian]

Araldite rapid. Other brands are available. So far as I am aware I’ve never had a problem with the lead curling up. The glue does lose its grip eventually, possibly due to a reaction with the lead. If it’s not going to be accessible (eg. inside a van) I build a plasticard strap/box to hold it in place.

[Darwinian]

Back to the C19 and the main colours are done. Well except that the brown has crept under the masking onto the cream on the other side, including a bit of overspray that somehow found a way in. I'll have to give the cream another coat.

 

 

Then it's a question of which final livery before varnish - transfers - varnish. I am thinking of trying using a marker pen for the black of the full 1924 livery.  Then scratch through to the brass for the "gold" edging line.

[MrWolf]

Masking that brown / cream division is a pig isn't it? I've had a few where one side has come out perfect and the other, paint has traveled along a door gap or similar.

[K14]

On 05/04/2021 at 11:38, Darwinian said:

Back to the C19 and the main colours are done. Well except that the brown has crept under the masking onto the cream on the other side, including a bit of overspray that somehow found a way in. I'll have to give the cream another coat.

 

 

Then it's a question of which final livery before varnish - transfers - varnish. I am thinking of trying using a marker pen for the black of the full 1924 livery.  Then scratch through to the brass for the "gold" edging line.

 

Instead of a spirit-based marker pen, try a Posca - they're water based, but are quite resilient when dry & don't stain light colours (unlike Sharpies etc.)

I'm still finessing the technique for 7mm with a PC-3M tip, so perhaps try a PC-1MR or PC-1M tip (both 0.7mm).

[K14]

Here's a sample on part of a cut-up Slater's 7mm GWR V5 Van:—

 

 

 

 

1 sprayed coat of Zero Paints "UPS Brown" & the mouldings picked out with the aforementioned Posca PC-3M Black. The panel on the left is having a different approach, so I've been deliberately rather sloppy with the pen.

Edited April 11, 2022 by K14
Reimageryness

[Darwinian]

Ooh I see there is a gold pen. Perhaps the 1mm gold Posca could be used on the raised moulding then my 0.4mm black marker pen to put in the black line. I will have to measure the width of the beading.

[Penlan]

On 04/04/2021 at 13:28, Darwinian said:

Araldite rapid. Other brands are available. So far as I am aware I’ve never had a problem with the lead curling up. The glue does lose its grip eventually, possibly due to a reaction with the lead. If it’s not going to be accessible (eg. inside a van) I build a plasticard strap/box to hold it in place.

I also cut some grooves in the lead with a sharp point to form a better key for the Araldite (Other brands......).
I have some wagons where the lead has been there 40+ years. 

[The Fatadder]

11 hours ago, K14 said:

Here's a sample on part of a cut-up Slater's 7mm GWR V5 Van:—

 

 

1 sprayed coat of Zero Paints "UPS Brown" & the mouldings picked out with the aforementioned Posca PC-3M Black. The panel on the left is having a different approach, so I've been deliberately rather sloppy with the pen.

That is great timing, having recently had some conversations with friends about 1990s paint matches from that range, it had me wondering about chocolate and cream (and loco green).  I don’t suppose you have a cream to go with that match for the brown?

[K14]

1 hour ago, The Fatadder said:

That is great timing, having recently had some conversations with friends about 1990s paint matches from that range, it had me wondering about chocolate and cream (and loco green).  I don’t suppose you have a cream to go with that match for the brown?

 

At the moment I'm sticking with Precision's GWR Coach Cream (B.15). The mortal remains of BG 250 at Didcot have a very pale cream (more of an off white) lurking under a *very* heavy varnish that undoubtedly coloured it over time - so I might add some white to knock back the PP Cream when I get around to building the V5 (and a pair of T34s) for real.

 

FWIW, G.20 2511 at Didcot is painted in Dulux 'County Cream', which seems pretty close to surviving samples.

 

Pete S.

[Darwinian]

Bit of quick layout detail over the last couple of days. Telegraph poles. Just the standard ratio ones. I know they are a bit crude but they look OK to me now they have been reduced and painted. They are vertical it's just the camera making them appear to lean.

 

 

The bare area with the clutter on is where the colliers cottages will go, hence the privy. The signal is a placeholder for a somersault starter.

 

 

[Darwinian]

The patience testing work on the C19 begins.

I put the black on the beading with my 0.5mm marker pen and then had to finish the top eaves section with acrylic. The pen ink also didn't get into the etched grooves for the door edges and hinges so these also had to be carefully touched in using a 00 brush.

 

 

The marker pen ink is more reflective so does not show as clearly as the matt black acrylic paint. 

I have begun very carefully scraping the paint off the edges of the mouldings using a scalpel. This requires great care as it is easy to scratch the panels. However it does produce a very fine gold (well brass) line in exactly the right place. I found that the blade had to be angled so that it was "cutting / chiseling" the paint otherwise it could cause flaking. So far I have only done the waist panels on one side. It is difficult to photograph the result but I think it shows up on the left of this cruel close up. It is slightly more obvious to the eye when the black is not reflecting so much.

 

[Darwinian]

I had to touch in the cream and brown in places on the panels where I had caught them with the blade tip as I scraped the molding edges. However once dry I gave the side a blast with Windsor and Newton Gloss Varnish, through my air brush, (washed out afterwards with turpentine and then Humbrol enamel thinner).

 

Very happy with the way it looks so far. I have a suspicion that the lower panels should not be lined for the 1924 livery but hey ho.

 

 

Transfers and final varnish/weathering to go. (Yes I know one of the curly end handrails has fallen off. Luckily on the bench. And the brake pull rod on the right has been a bit squashed. Masking behind the windows is still in position.

 

 

[Ian Smith]

C19 is coming along very nicely, when I paint my coaches in this livery (albeit in 2mm scale), I do the mouldings with a 0.1mm nibbed Rotring pen with their own black ink. There is always re-touching to do on panels which I tend to do with thinned paint and small brush and copious use of capillary action.

As I’m writing this response on my mobile I can’t link to suitable entries in my RMweb Modbury thread here, but if I remember later I’ll update this entry with a suitable link.

Keep up the good work.

Ian

[Darwinian]

47 minutes ago, Ian Smith said:

........ when I paint my coaches in this livery (albeit in 2mm scale), I do the mouldings with a 0.1mm nibbed Rotring pen with their own black ink. There is always re-touching to do on panels which I tend to do with thinned paint and small brush and copious use of capillary action.

 

Good grief I find it hard enough in 4mm scale I take my hat off to you!

I used to have a number of the Rotoring pens but over the years they all got blocked and I never replaced them. Following the tips from others above I have just ordered some Posca pens to try for the gold/yellow lines as they may be a solution to lining plastic or flush sided coaches.

Thanks for the link to your Modbury layout I don't often delve into the 2mm section but I will be working through the Modbury thread over the coming days. Already impressed by the trackwork.