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Photos of Stafford Road models bogies as promised:

8' American

p2899284984-4.jpg

 

9' Fishbelly

p2899284903-4.jpg

 

Both are just as were printed in the Black Strong and Flexible (now Black Natural Versatile Plastic), I see they are now available in what's called White Processed Versatile Plastic which I assumed means they have been polished. That and spray painted may look better than these.

 

Nice!  Still have some white metal Americans in stock but will check these out for future requirements.  Thanks.

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Here are a couple of close-ups of the E88 composite. 

 

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The cream paint is from a Railmatch spraycan (one that actually worked).  As they no longer do coach brown in an aerosol I used Halford's Peugot café noir, which is a good match after a coat of matt varnish (Halford's again).  Droplights and bolections are Railmatch SR venetian red.  Doing the droplights isn't so bad as they are by design in a recess, but the bolections, being a raised beading, are a much trickier proposition and took a long time and a lot of patience. (God knows where I found it from.)  Got through quite a few fine brushes too.

 

John C.

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And a couple more of the E88 compo.

 

post-15399-0-18171900-1532944036_thumb.jpg

 

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This one was finished in the 1928-34 livery using (mainly) Fox transfers.  Getting the numbers on was an ordeal, with a wastage rate of about 6 or 7 digits for each one successfully placed on the coach!  Even with strong magnification I could hardly read them on the sheet.

 

I've never had much success with lining transfers, finding it very difficult to get them on straight without breaking them.  This time I tried some thin lining tape (similar to the Solartrim film I used on my signals, but available in widths down to 0.5mm and in colours including black and gold).  This wasn't a great success either, in that 0.5mm (per colour) looks a little too wide.  Trouble is that once I'd cut a thinner strip I got the same problem as with transfers - applying enough tension to apply the line straight along the coach would just make it break.  

 

So I used a trick I'd pioneered a few months back on my PBVs, using Tamiya masking tape, with its straw-yellow colour acting as proxy for gold.  I stick it to a clean cutting mat, rule a black line along it with a black ballpoint or fibre-tip pen, and slice out a narrow black & 'gold' strip. It remains sufficiently robust to get it onto the coach side straight, after which it's secured by a coat of varnish.

 

But I found a snag here too. The G W R letters on the Fox 1928-34 transfer sheet are far too big, and wouldn't fit in the panel below the waist, so I used some old HMRS Methfix ones I had in stock. Unfortunately the b.....  meths caused the black of the waist lining to run a bit.  Lesson learned - next time put the lettering on before the lining. (Or use one of the nifty looking lining pens reviewed in one of the recent mags.)

 

John C.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I've never had much success with lining transfers, finding it very difficult to get them on straight without breaking them.  This time I tried some thin lining tape (similar to the Solartrim film I used on my signals, but available in widths down to 0.5mm and in colours including black and gold).  This wasn't a great success either, in that 0.5mm (per colour) looks a little too wide.  Trouble is that once I'd cut a thinner strip I got the same problem as with transfers - applying enough tension to apply the line straight along the coach would just make it break.  

 

 

John C.

 

 

I've had enough trouble lining a tender with transfers... I think you're a hero for doing a coach!

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Very nice

 

Reminds me that I must go and buy some primer so I can paint mine

 

I am dreading the lining, I also don’t get on with the transfers. Thinking seriously about buying a lining pen

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Very nice

 

Reminds me that I must go and buy some primer so I can paint mine

 

I am dreading the lining, I also don’t get on with the transfers. Thinking seriously about buying a lining pen

I tend to use transfers for smaller, more complex, shapes like loco cab and tender sides but for long straight lines on coaches (caveat: I've never tried to line a panelled coach) you can't beat a bow pen and enamel (thinned as necessary, to the consistency of thin cream).

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I tend to use transfers for smaller, more complex, shapes like loco cab and tender sides but for long straight lines on coaches (caveat: I've never tried to line a panelled coach) you can't beat a bow pen and enamel (thinned as necessary, to the consistency of thin cream).

I am ok with locos, but coach lining (or the similar long orange lines on modern stock) always go wrong. I plan to invest in a pen at Scaleforum so will give it a go. Given the 3 lines on post war coaches I need to get the hang of it!

 

In the mean time all my stock is likely to stay unlined.

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And here's the D47 van third.

 

post-15399-0-84147400-1532953435_thumb.jpg

 

post-15399-0-19117200-1532953450_thumb.jpg

 

For variety I did this one in the post-1934 livery with the 'shirtbutton' monogram.  A bit closer to my supposed late 30s period and a bit simpler too - no 'Third' lettering to add to every door

 

Luggage window grilles are from Brassmasters - currently out of stock, but fortunately I stumbled across a handful left over from my PBV jobs.

 

John C.

 

 

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And here's the D47 van third.

 

attachicon.gifT1.jpg

 

attachicon.gifT2.jpg

 

For variety I did this one in the post-1934 livery with the 'shirtbutton' monogram.  A bit closer to my supposed late 30s period and a bit simpler too - no 'Third' lettering to add to every door

 

Luggage window grilles are from Brassmasters - currently out of stock, but fortunately I stumbled across a handful left over from my PBV jobs.

 

John C.

Very nice John. Look forward to hearing about your lessons learned. In the meantime, may I ask what bogies you have used please?

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I am ok with locos, but coach lining (or the similar long orange lines on modern stock) always go wrong. I plan to invest in a pen at Scaleforum so will give it a go. Given the 3 lines on post war coaches I need to get the hang of it!

 

In the mean time all my stock is likely to stay unlined.

I got my Bowpen from this chap  He sells vintage pens at a range of prices, he refurbishes them and includes an example of the width of line that your pen can do.  Modern pens do not seem to be made of very good material apparently.

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I got my Bowpen from this chap  He sells vintage pens at a range of prices, he refurbishes them and includes an example of the width of line that your pen can do.  Modern pens do not seem to be made of very good material apparently.

My Dad bought me a Staedtler drawing instrument set on a business trip to Germany about 50 years ago. I still use the bow pen from that (and the spring compasses).

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Coaches look very smart and nicely painted.

Credit to you.

What's the next project, there is always one!

 

Thanks Kevin.  Next project?  Well, I have an old PC kit for a toplight 3rd bought on eBay some years ago, which fortuitously arrived containing an unadvertised but very nice pair of brass sides.  Might be a gentle introduction to brass coach kits? 

 

But before that I need to change tempo to something a little less stressful and have a few minor scenic jobs to sort out.  One, on which I'd value your advice, is to improve the rather flat grey appearance of the plywood station approach road, as seen in the picture of Star and train below.

 

post-15399-0-19422800-1533026110_thumb.jpg

 

Plenty of wagon kits to build too.

 

John C.

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Very nice John. Look forward to hearing about your lessons learned. In the meantime, may I ask what bogies you have used please?

 

The 9 foot 1914 bogies were cannibalised from a couple of old PC kits* I had lying about as I reckoned the Slater's items would be far too tricky (and others on this forum have have reported difficulty in getting them to run well.

 

The PC white metal ones were my kind of kit - 3 parts (plus wheels)!  Actually, 2 parts in one case as one stretcher was missing.  I made a replacement from 60 thou plastikard.  I added the plastic bogie steps from the Slater's kits.  A series of plastikard discs of various thicknesses were added to the stretchers until correct ride height was achieved, and the completed bogies were attached using the 10 BA nuts & bolts in the Slater's kit.

 

* Incidentally one of these PC kits had different printed sides in the box than those described and illustrated on the lid.  Another lesson learned: when buying something on eBay don't wait 6 years before checking the contents!

 

Here are more shots of the toplights in service.

 

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John C.

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Views of the compartment sides of the toplights, just to show that there was no skimping!  (But no roof boards as yet.)

 

The lavatory windows and the hammered glass toplights themselves were formed by applying short strips of opaque sellotape or Scotch tape to the back of the glazing.

 

post-15399-0-00776200-1533040693_thumb.jpg

 

post-15399-0-08027000-1533040708_thumb.jpg

 

post-15399-0-03386200-1533040727_thumb.jpg

 

I quite like the look of this side and wouldn't mind making more to operate on the layout this way round.  Maybe when Slater's have taken these kits back in house and re-introduced to the market?

 

John C.

 

 

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post-15399-0-08027000-1533040708_thumb.jpg

post-15399-0-03386200-1533040727_thumb.jpg

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