RMweb Gold checkrail Posted June 1, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 1, 2018 Photos of Stafford Road models bogies as promised: 8' American 9' Fishbelly 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. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted June 18, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted June 18, 2018 Progress continues on the toplights, albeit very slowly. Thought I should build the other one I had in stock and then paint them both together. The cream paint has gone on the upper panels with a reasonable finish - one of the few Railmatch aerosols that hasn't (yet) jammed up on me. (One recent one did it before I'd had an atom of paint out of it.) Going to try Halfords Peugot Café Noir for the lower sides, but anticipating problems trying to mask the cream parts - the bottom parts of the raised bolections are going to make it difficult to get the masking tape tight and straight. Plan B would be to brush paint with Railmatch coach brown. Perhaps I should have sprayed the brown on first, though that might have given coverage problems with the cream. In the meantime here's a shot of the Star-hauled Wolverhampton train in which they'll eventually find their home. John C. 23 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted June 20, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted June 20, 2018 A few pics of a busy moment at Stoke Courtenay, as up and down Paddington expresses pass while the Earlsbridge branch train rolls in. John C. 26 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted June 20, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted June 20, 2018 And a few more, while waiting for paint on the toplights to dry. 22 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted June 20, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted June 20, 2018 And there's more! (But now home decorating duties beckon - think I'd rather be painting bolections.) John C. 27 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great Bear Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 Fabulous Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KNP Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 Very nice and effective modelling. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted June 21, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted June 21, 2018 Action continues as the Plymouth stopper follows the down Penzance express just in time to connect with the Easrlsbridge branch train. John C. 22 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted June 21, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted June 21, 2018 The Hall waits for the signal, before departing towards Plymouth. Then having run round its train, the Prairie, seen here from beneath the main line road overbridge, heads back down the branch to Earlsbridge ….. … after which all returns to peace and quiet while the (slim) controller goes to check how the paint's drying on his toplights. John C. 29 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted July 29, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted July 29, 2018 Toplights at last! After almost three months (albeit punctuated by a fortnight in the Alps and another week repairing heat-buckled track) I've finally completed two Slaters toplight kits. They can be seen below as first and third vehicles in a Star-hauled Penzance to Wolverhampton service. Learned a lot making these - as usual including some things not to do! More pics to come when I've compressed them tomorrow. John C. 20 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold checkrail Posted July 30, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted July 30, 2018 Here are a couple of close-ups of the E88 composite. 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. 13 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold checkrail Posted July 30, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted July 30, 2018 And a couple more of the E88 compo. 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. 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium TrevorP1 Posted July 30, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 30, 2018 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! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Fatadder Posted July 30, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 30, 2018 (edited) 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 Edited July 30, 2018 by The Fatadder Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium St Enodoc Posted July 30, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 30, 2018 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). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Fatadder Posted July 30, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 30, 2018 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. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold checkrail Posted July 30, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted July 30, 2018 And here's the D47 van third. 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. 18 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium St Enodoc Posted July 30, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 30, 2018 And here's the D47 van third. T1.jpg T2.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? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium dhjgreen Posted July 30, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 30, 2018 (edited) 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. Edited July 30, 2018 by dhjgreen Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great Bear Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 Very, very nice, John. Your painting is really neat. I may try your trick with masking tape for whatever next coach I try - though using HMRS pressifx transfers my issue is getting them straight! All the best Jon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium St Enodoc Posted July 30, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 30, 2018 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). 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KNP Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 Coaches look very smart and nicely painted. Credit to you. What's the next project, there is always one! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold checkrail Posted July 31, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted July 31, 2018 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. Plenty of wagon kits to build too. John C. 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold checkrail Posted July 31, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted July 31, 2018 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. John C. 14 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold checkrail Posted July 31, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted July 31, 2018 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. 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. 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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