Signaller69's projects

[Signaller69]

1 hour ago, Gibbo675 said:

Hi Martyn,

 

Rail Blue RAL 5020 and Rail Grey RAL 7038, should that help.

 

Gibbo.

Thanks Gibbo, will make a note of it this time! 

[jessy1692]

31 minutes ago, Signaller69 said:

Thanks Gibbo, will make a note of it this time! 

I keep meaning to get some rattle cans mixed up of RAL colours for a go. Lockdown wagon projects has this on the back burner though. My local place looked to be pretty reasonable for mixing, certainly cheaper than railmatch

[Signaller69]

1 hour ago, jessy1692 said:

I keep meaning to get some rattle cans mixed up of RAL colours for a go. Lockdown wagon projects has this on the back burner though. My local place looked to be pretty reasonable for mixing, certainly cheaper than railmatch

Hi James,

My local paint mixing place have done colour matches for my car before now (I always seem to pick cars which don't have colours available off the shelf strangely!). They charged £9.95 last time, but that is for an aerosol 3-4 times the quantity of "branded railway paints". Plus the coverage and finish with these acrylic automotive aerosols is much finer than with enamel sprays I find. 

 

Hope the wagons are going well! 

 

Martyn.

[jessy1692]

1 hour ago, Signaller69 said:

Hi James,

My local paint mixing place have done colour matches for my car before now (I always seem to pick cars which don't have colours available off the shelf strangely!). They charged £9.95 last time, but that is for an aerosol 3-4 times the quantity of "branded railway paints". Plus the coverage and finish with these acrylic automotive aerosols is much finer than with enamel sprays I find. 

 

Hope the wagons are going well! 

 

Martyn.

Evening Martyn yeah sounds about right for our local place, not knocking the 'branded railway paints' at all, infact I do love railmatch blue as to me its spot on but as a tight Yorkshire lad I'm always out for a bargain.

 

Wagons are coming along a bit slower than I'd like, house hunting got in the way last weekend but more supplies have been sent for so I forsee a big push on the Cemflo front this week. Hopefully the weather stops being temperamental too as the barrels need a primer coat.

Cheers

James

 

[Signaller69]

18 minutes ago, jessy1692 said:

Evening Martyn yeah sounds about right for our local place, not knocking the 'branded railway paints' at all, infact I do love railmatch blue as to me its spot on but as a tight Yorkshire lad I'm always out for a bargain.

 

Wagons are coming along a bit slower than I'd like, house hunting got in the way last weekend but more supplies have been sent for so I forsee a big push on the Cemflo front this week. Hopefully the weather stops being temperamental too as the barrels need a primer coat.

Cheers

James

 

James,

No worries, I realised you weren't knocking Railmatch, my phrasing was more to include Humbrol, Precision etc as the same sizing applies. My experience with Humbrol enamel sprays (varnishes generally) in the past couple of years has been dire though tbh, mainly clogging of the spray heads despite all usual precautions and preparation. Almost as bad, postage seems to be an issue with aerosol paints these days too, either retailers won't send them or the "Special Delivery" postage costs almost the same as the paint (if not more)! I agree the Railmatch BR blue looks spot on to me too, but for main body colours I'm sold on using the automotive sprays now where possible.

 

Martyn.

[jessy1692]

1 hour ago, Signaller69 said:

James,

No worries, I realised you weren't knocking Railmatch, my phrasing was more to include Humbrol, Precision etc as the same sizing applies. My experience with Humbrol enamel sprays (varnishes generally) in the past couple of years has been dire though tbh, mainly clogging of the spray heads despite all usual precautions and preparation. Almost as bad, postage seems to be an issue with aerosol paints these days too, either retailers won't send them or the "Special Delivery" postage costs almost the same as the paint (if not more)! I agree the Railmatch BR blue looks spot on to me too, but for main body colours I'm sold on using the automotive sprays now where possible.

 

Martyn.

The Humbrol sprays iv had have been pretty good in the main but I have had the odd one clog but managed to resuscitate. Humbrol spray varnish is my go to, if you keep an eye on amazon/ebay they tend to cycle in price from silly money to cheap almost randomly, I don't think iv ever ordered one online for more than a tenner including post. Although before Xmas I got 6 tins for 24 quid so have plenty to last. 

 

Weirdly there seems to be a knack to pushing down the nozzle, they seem to prefer to be pressed down at the back a little more than pushing directly down in the centre, don't ask me why but it seems to work. Also I tend to rattle them a lot longer than I do with primer etc. If the nozzle becomes 'clogged' I have found that sometimes it's because it has twisted around on the orange stalk under the nozzle and it stops, a quick pull to take it off and then purse your lips to blow through usually works. Replacing the nozzle on the stalk is a bit tricky but can be done by popping on and lightly pressing down to the rear of the nozzle cap until it seats on the stalk then press until they spray comes good. 

Always a bit nerve wracking is varnishing but touch wood iv had no disasters as yet.

 

It sounds a bit of a faff because it is but I think iv only had to blow through a nozzle once on the last 3 or 4 tins iv gone through. I'm a bit stuck in my ways but I know it does work and gives me a  finish that I like so I put up with it. I may have a look at car varnishes though I'm sure they'll do a satin or a matt that will do- I think a trial may be required here on some wagons

 

Hope this helps if you find yourself clogged again! 

Cheers

James

Edited March 16, 2021 by jessy1692
It's late, bad spelling!

[Signaller69]

6 hours ago, jessy1692 said:

I may have a look at car varnishes though I'm sure they'll do a satin or a matt that will do- I think a trial may be required here on some wagons

 

 

Thanks James,

I have tried everything with Humbrol sprays, afraid I don't trust them anymore. They never seem to have enough pressure to me. The last one didn't even spray on its first press of the nozzle! Perhaps I have been unlucky and had old stock?

 

I have found Matt automotive varnish is available and perfectly happy over matt enamels (not gloss), not seen Satin varnish as yet though. However Etch primer is available too which, though not specifically aimed at brass, seems to work very well with zero masking tape peel. (used both of these on the class 100).

 

Martyn.

[Legend]

16 hours ago, Signaller69 said:

 Ian,

Regarding the airbrush I am in the same position, my good lady bought me one for Christmas a couple of years ago; apart from testing the compressor I have yet to use it (think I am more worried about bunging it up with poorly mixed paint, or due to poor cleaning after use, than anything else). Am hoping to use it when the weather warms up, just don't tie me down to a particular year!

 

Martyn.

Thats exactly the position I find myself in . I got airbrush and compressor a few years ago mainly due  to my interest in model airliners . However I’m also frightened I clog it up or make a mess . I see people diluting paint , but what with and how much ? Also you need to have a suitably vented space , which is difficult in a modern home .  I suppose at some stage I will need to take the plunge 

[cheesysmith]

try autopaint hudderfield on evilbay. Got a can of their 2k paint mat bs381c 114 rail blue. Very happy with the results. Bit more expensive, but they do deliver. 

[Signaller69]

41 minutes ago, cheesysmith said:

try autopaint hudderfield on evilbay. Got a can of their 2k paint mat bs381c 114 rail blue. Very happy with the results. Bit more expensive, but they do deliver. 

Nice one, will check them out thanks! I could use a cig after today lol. The pack will come in handy for layout planning in the time honoured way!

Edited March 16, 2021 by Signaller69

[MJI]

I don't know how people can afford to smoke, how many packets per loco?

[Signaller69]

7 hours ago, MJI said:

I don't know how people can afford to smoke, how many packets per loco?

Not many these days, in the UK two or three packs equate to a used Hornby 25, a months worth if you smoked 20 a day would pretty much get you a new sound fitted SLW 24/25. Glad I packed in a while back.

[jessy1692]

16 minutes ago, Signaller69 said:

Not many these days, in the UK two or three packs equate to a used Hornby 25, a months worth if you smoked 20 a day would pretty much get you a new sound fitted SLW 24/25. Glad I packed in a while back.

Iv just about given up bar the odd one or two a week with a drink, amazing how much money iv saved but yet spent on wagons and other bits and bobs! I reckon it's saved me about 200 a month... 

Don't start kids, especially with the price of new models nowadays!

Cheers

James

[Signaller69]

A small job for today.

 

I have decided my Bachmann 24/1 is going to stay as such, rather than convert it to a 25/0; the decision was made easier by discovering the last of the class, D5150, went blue in 1968 and was based at Eastfield from 1971. A request in a FB group yielded a couple of photos, one from 1969 and one from a couple of years later, by which time it had lost the 'D' prefix. It had an interesting livery variation to boot - double arrows on all 4 cab sides and 2 numbers on each bodyside inboard of the cab doors, plus the icing on the cake, a small extra double arrow on one of the cab doors! Detail wise it looks an exact match for the Bachy model.

 

This meant removing the TOPS cabside numbers, builders plates and central bodyside arrows, so cotton buds and domestic cream cleaner were used to leave a blank canvas for renumbering.

 

The later style of numbering (as per TOPS) looks to have been used on this loco so next job is to see what I have. As there are 4 numbers I would like to order a custom set from Railtec but their contact form appears to be down at the moment, just my luck!

[Signaller69]

13 hours ago, Signaller69 said:

As there are 4 numbers I would like to order a custom set from Railtec but their contact form appears to be down at the moment, just my luck!

 

Steve from Railtec saw this and dropped me a PM - now that is what I call service!

[Signaller69]

On 18/03/2021 at 14:38, Signaller69 said:

 

Steve from Railtec saw this and dropped me a PM - now that is what I call service!

Amazing! And the transfers (including custom numbers) arrived this morning! 

 

Thankyou Steve!

[BusDriverMan]

Steve from Railtec is a gent (and I need to get momentum again and actually use the transfers I ordered from him)

[Signaller69]

Transfers are on, needs a coat of varnish now.

The extra double arrow was the result of a cab door swap, during which the loco seems to have lost the makers plate on this side according to photos.

[sulzer71]

On 18/03/2021 at 14:38, Signaller69 said:

 

Steve from Railtec saw this and dropped me a PM - now that is what I call service!

When I get a list together of what I need I need to give him a shout , kudos for that kind of service though

[Signaller69]

After mentioning it elsewhere, I am modifying my Bachmann Cravens class 105 DMU to one from the original Scottish batch, which had a different Driving Motor Brake Second (DMBS) Brake Van layout to the Bachmann model with one less window and the double doors nearer the van end, so some old fashioned cut & shuttery was called for! As the bodyshell is to the same profile as a Mk.1 coach, spare Triang bits have replaced the superfluous window space. I had recently resprayed the DMBS blue before realising my mistake!

 

On the drivers side, the double van doors are arranged with the Guards door to the right, which is a pain as the Bachmann model has it on the left. As an aside, as the Railcar website points out with photographic evidence, the BR diagram drawings are incorrect in this respect for this version (batch 4&5).

 

My original (long shot) plan was to heat a spare set of doors, of the correct orientation, from a Lima 117, using boiling water, and bend this to the correct profile, in order not to have to fill and drill windows and replace all the door furniture.

 

But no.

 

Don't try this at home kids, it doesn't work! The part deformed sideways from a rectangle to a parallelogram! So in the bin it went!

So having cut out the area to be altered, I filled in the left window of the Bachmann part with plasticard and drilled a new window in the right hand door, and sanded off all the handrail and hinge detail etc. Otherwise both sides followed the same process of cut out, cut again, remove waste, splice Triang bits, and refit. The bits with remnants of grey are the Triang parts.

 

Drivers side, before:

 

And after:

 

Other side, before:

 

And after:

 

The original double footsteps (to be replaced) show up the difference in door position. Next up, some filler and then sanding.

The DTCL will stay green FYE for the late 60s hybrid look, but needs the underframe reworking as I also discovered these units were not "Power twins"......

Still, it will give me a couple of spare Bachmann engines to reuse.

 

The things we do, eh?

[Gibbo675]

8 minutes ago, Signaller69 said:

After mentioning it elsewhere, I am modifying my Bachmann Cravens class 105 DMU............

The things we do, eh?

Hi Martyn,

 

Or in the case of my nearly started stash, things I haven't done !!!

 

Gibbo.

[cheesysmith]

This is what I like to see, someone who is prepared to take the time and effort to model what they want and need, not just accept what the manufacturer makes.

 

Of course, I wouldn't have bothered with the window bit in the doors, just hope no one noticed lol.

[Signaller69]

2 hours ago, cheesysmith said:

This is what I like to see, someone who is prepared to take the time and effort to model what they want and need, not just accept what the manufacturer makes.

 

Of course, I wouldn't have bothered with the window bit in the doors, just hope no one noticed lol.

Thanks David, I thought if I was cutting & shutting it anyway, I might as well sort the doors, as it was only needed on one side. Admittedly it is a pain as I now need the to add the door furniture again on that side, a job for this evening!

 

Martyn.

[Signaller69]

Filled, sanded, door furniture applied (from an old PC Models etch, with hinges from plastic strip) and a first coat of paint applied. Hopefully will look better after a second coat. 

The different length handrails each side of the Guards door window are copied from a photo.

 

I have also spray varnished the class 24. Whilst the body was off the chassis I painted the roof fan red and changed the headcode blinds - a case of prising the headcode box glazed insert out, scraping off the printed '0000' on the inside of the glazing with a fingernail and then adding Railtec reversed headcode blinds (ie characters on the adhesive side) which saves a lot of messing around. Using these transfers and clear plasticard it would be possible to make alternatives which could be swapped around at will in theory.

As an aside, some of the screws used on this loco are absolutely tiny I have to say.

 

With the news that SLW are working on a class 25/1 now, as well as the 25/3 I foresee a 25/0 shaped hole in my fleet still having to be filled at some point.....

Edited March 25, 2021 by Signaller69

[sulzer71]

12 hours ago, Signaller69 said:

Filled, sanded, door furniture applied (from an old PC Models etch, with hinges from plastic strip) and a first coat of paint applied. Hopefully will look better after a second coat. 

The different length handrails each side of the Guards door window are copied from a photo.

 

I have also spray varnished the class 24. Whilst the body was off the chassis I painted the roof fan red and changed the headcode blinds - a case of prising the headcode box glazed insert out, scraping off the printed '0000' on the inside of the glazing with a fingernail and then adding Railtec reversed headcode blinds (ie characters on the adhesive side) which saves a lot of messing around. Using these transfers and clear plasticard it would be possible to make alternatives which could be swapped around at will in theory.

As an aside, some of the screws used on this loco are absolutely tiny I have to say.

 

With the news that SLW are working on a class 25/1 now, as well as the 25/3 I foresee a 25/0 shaped hole in my fleet still having to be filled at some point.....

I'm just wondering whether to put the brakes on my 25/0 conversion for a while , oh , hang on , I haven't touched it for weeks! The 25/1 announcement gives plenty opportunities for several Scottish machines in the TOPS era