rob D2 Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 Nice one once again James, looks like an everyday loco you would see at somewhere like didcot ! I’m dreading Putting blobs of grey paint on loco sides as “ gone through to primer “, what’s the secret ? i was thinking of making a stencil and spraying grey .... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sb67 Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 Love that 37! Well done James 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Rowe 37419 Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 I've got a 37417 myself similarly reworked from a 37428, but I do not have the truly authentic scabs of undercoat that you have recreated to perfection. How do you do those? Can you share your technique on how you do these undercoat patches? The model looks amazing! 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Departmental203 Posted July 11, 2020 Share Posted July 11, 2020 Very nice work as usual James! Fortunately, most "37's" are kept in much better condition nowadays! Ace quality, mate, keep up the brilliant work! Jules 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted July 11, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted July 11, 2020 Thanks for all the likes and comments guys, I wasn't expecting that for a plain old '37' haha! The undercoat patches were created by drybrushing a very light grey on top of the bodyside and then using super fine brushes mottling on little blobs of lighter and darker greys, and a slightly darker grey just around the edges of the peeling patch to highlight some of the tiny bits of grime that get caught in the level change on the bodysides. Hope that helps! James 1 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Popular Post James Makin Posted July 13, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted July 13, 2020 47053 and 47228 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Well, I needed something to power all those automotive trains through Didcot! The smart Railfreight Distribution Class 47s were often found in pairs on the car trains, as well as on the frequent MOD workings in the area and many a happy time was spent admiring the RfD 47s stabled at the heads of their respective trains in the yard, in between waiting for the screaming HSTs to pass! This week's candidates are 47053 Dollands Moor International and 47228 axial. 47053 and 47228 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr A natural starting point was the Bachmann RfD 47 of 2013-vintage, the 47365 model being heavily discounted a few years back, being had for as little as £49.99 - can you imagine that today! IMG_47053 and 47228 by James Makin2856 by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The models had their numbers and names stripped using enamel thinners, before being given a coating of gloss varnish ready for the new branding to be added. Nameplates were sourced from the Fox and Shawplan range - some of which I'd had stored in my collection for over 15 years awaiting this moment! Instead of adding glue to fix the nameplates, my usual technique is to use matt varnish - a thin layer behind the plate, once set is enough to be battleproof! The benefit here being it gives you many hours to be 100% sure the plate is aligned and not wonky! 47053 and 47228 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr With some Florence on the iPod, out came the weathering paints - Humbrol 251 being especially good for the ingrained dirt on the locos, blended in with other shades for specific areas. 47053 and 47228 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr From right to left you can see the paint applied almost neat, to the initial wipe off (that gives the basis for streaking where needed) to the left-most wiped off part, the paint coming off with a cotton bud soaked in thinners. 47053 and 47228 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Once the main weathering was done, the locos were reassembled and subjected to a final airbrush spray to highlight traffic grime and roof dirt, the blend of hand techniques mixing with the airbrush for the overall finish. 47053 and 47228 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr 47228 axial was an absolute favourite - as a thorough nameplate enthusiast, the unusual lower-case name and elongated backing had me hooked! 47053 and 47228 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Modelled in late '90s condition, 47228 had gained the post-98 electrification warning flashes and lost it's classic Tinsley depot plaques by my modelling time period, with little bits of shadow surface rust remaining on the bodysides to show where they'd been. 47053 and 47228 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Another subtle, but interesting detail was the rounded-rectangular buffers at the No.1 end, being made from regular Oleos being squared off and sanded to shape. 47053 and 47228 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Up next is 47053 Dollands Moor International - what a filthy mess! 47053 and 47228 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr I do like it when the RfD locos would get into a state - some with deeply ingrained dirt running up most of the bodysides, and here the model of 47053 is done to match Flickr photos from Summer 1998 where it had significant bodyside staining, and just generally looking in need of a works visit that was never to come! 47053 and 47228 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr 47053 had a flush No.1 end headcode panel, so this was smoothed to start, and then little details such as the former plaque marks added, almost exactly the same as 47228 as it happens! 47053 and 47228 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Bringing the story up to date for these locos, fortune was not on their side sadly - 47053 was officially withdrawn from EWS service in December 1998, and 47228 just a month later in January 1999. The locos were left to rot away for almost a decade until the scrap man finally called in 2007, both machines succumbing to the gas axe within months of each other at European Metal Recycling at Kingsbury. 47053 and 47228 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Although just a quick renumber and weathering blast, these locos have been great fun to do! There's something about the livery which still looks fresh even now, if only it was longer-lived! Cheers, James 21 16 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sb67 Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 (edited) Yet more great work James. I'm sure it's been asked but after your initial paint on and wipe off, do you then use the same colours for the airbrush coat? Edited July 14, 2020 by sb67 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Railfreight1998 Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 Superb work James, although I do much prefer that livery in a more presentable state! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted July 15, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted July 15, 2020 On 14/07/2020 at 06:26, sb67 said: Yet more great work James. I'm sure it's been asked but after your initial paint on and wipe off, do you then use the same colours for the airbrush coat? Thanks very much! It’s normally different shades for that, I tend to do the earlier hand weathering almost all with Humbrols generally, then for the final blow over with some of the Phoenix range like their frame dirt, brake dust, roof dirt, dirty black and then finally for the exhaust itself I mix dark grey and very dark blue for an oily tinge to the deposits! It doesn’t often make it to the photos but before the weathering stage I paint the factory black underframes in Humbrol 32 dark grey, on the theory that the stock does get a tough time on the exhibition circuit (normally me crashing my own trains while talking at someone) and so if any top layer weathering gets scraped off you only see dark grey behind rather than stark black plastic! Cheers, James 2 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sb67 Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 (edited) Thanks James, the dark grey undercoat for the frames is a good idea. Edited July 15, 2020 by sb67 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 That’s a great livery brought to life ! i often try the wipe on wipe off technique but I either get ploughed field or I.....take it all off.. I’ll need to get some subtlety 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfsup Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 Stunning work James! Although I have to admit I'm not sure which I like more in your latest post, Florence's How Big How Blue is an excellent album (especially Ship to Wreck / Queen of Peace) but I am a big fan of the humble Duff and you've turned those two out just how I remember seeing them as a kid passing through Basingstoke! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Popular Post James Makin Posted July 23, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted July 23, 2020 If you could name a Scottish '37/0' that's been modelled too much, you could probably say 37262 Dounreay. So, here's another 37262..! 37262 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr One of the iconic RETB-fitted 37s, popular with enthusiasts, most famed for their West Highland days, but later often found elsewhere, the loco occasionally found it's way to Didcot and a place in my model collection! The story started here... 37262 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr ...in an unlikely place! Some years back, I bought the Bachmann Mainline blue '37' with the intent of modelling split-headcode-box 37055. It would've needed a fair amount of modification, so when Bachmann actually announced an '055, I bought that instead, and this became temporarily redundant! Instead, it was back to the spotting notes to find a new subject, and I'd settled upon 37262, modelled in early 1997 condition. Although in drab grey, it had a name with a special meaning and some weathering effects just crying out to be modelled! 37262 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The first tasks were stripping down the model and filling in the Bachmann moulded boiler hatches and cantrail 'trench' ready to become 37262. Undercoated in Halfords grey and then given a layer of Phoenix Railfreight grey, it soon came to life. 37262 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Naturally for any former Departmental grey loco, the sounds of Mabel are the recommended accompaniment, and the model is matt varnished and ready for some weathering stages. 37262 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr To start with, the body was given a coat of white paint, rubbed off to mute the grey and black down to a more muted lighter set of shades, before applying layers of browns to replicate some of the rust and dirt streaking on the bodyside, the paint being removed with cotton buds, working in a vertical motion. 37262 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Final touches to the loco included some of the paint chips on the side, engine room doors in a lighter shade, and big chunks of paint missing on the cab roof, quite fun to do! 37262 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Cantrail grilles were picked out in gunmetal grey after varnishing, then being rubbed with a cotton bud to bring out the shine on the tips of the grille bars. 37262 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr 37262 had slightly faded yellow ends, and a nice touch being the old nose mounting points for the early Scottish car-headlights before the new high-intensity jobbie's came in. 37262 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr It's normally fun to model different locos that aren't such celebrity types, but the Dounreay name that 37262 wears was always a bit amusing in our family! My grandparents were both scientists at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment in Harwell, Oxfordshire (hence the Makin family being established in Didcot!) and over many a Sunday lunch in the early 1990s, my sisters and I would be progressively brainwashed with the virtues of Nuclear power and anecdotes from their time working at Harwell and this mythical place in Scotland - Dounreay! I can almost hear my granddad's usual line now - "limitless power and all you get is a bit of warm water after, what's not to like?" 37262 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr It's been great to bring this one to life, and nice to capture the loco in the closing stages of it's career in slightly shabbier condition than it's Scottish glory days! The loco would go on to eek out its days with EWS, withdrawal coming in 1999, heading for a brief spell at Wigan CRDC, before a fleeting ownership with DRS and a final appointment with the scrapman in 2004. 37262 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Half of me did think a drab grey '37' wouldn't be much fun to model, but I do like the character that the vulnerable old thing has! Cheers, James 24 14 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 4630 Posted July 23, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 23, 2020 That is a real work of art James. Outstanding. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
westie7 Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 Outstanding. Done a Dounreay once, but no where near that level. Solves the Department Grey argument forever. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southwich Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 Stunning work as usual James! I have certainly been inspired by your work to tackle mid 2000s 37698/37114 so keep the awesome modelling coming! Kind regards, Will 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted July 25, 2020 Share Posted July 25, 2020 Brilliant and a great back story ! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDG Posted July 25, 2020 Share Posted July 25, 2020 Awesome class 37 James. Out of the park! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Popular Post James Makin Posted July 29, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted July 29, 2020 It's time for some more Duff action! 47146 and 47575 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Joining the fleet this week is a varied pair, Railfreight Distribution 47146 Loughborough Grammar School and former Post Office 47575 City of Hereford. The starting point for both locos is the Bachmann model, both were in the right colour schemes but just a little plasticky and needing their respective body detailing to be updated, along with a simple renumber & renaming. 47146 and 47575 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The areas to look out for on a '47' body is the boiler area at the No.2 end and subtle variations around the ends, headcode panels and jumper cables and so on. Numbers and nameplates come off nicely with Humbrol enamel thinners, before coating the whole body in gloss varnish before the new transfers and plates are applied. I love cutting corners where I can, one bodge is using Humbrol Maskol over the windows to save removing (and the pain of them not refitting in as well!) - just dollop it on and give it a few mins to set before spraying the varnish, and remove later in the project. 47146 and 47575 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr As with the previous projects, nameplates are applied using varnish as the 'glue' - giving hours of setting time and any overspill is hidden once the final layer of matt varnish goes over the top. The final matt varnish layer also hides a multitude of sins - handpainted in-fills soon disappear after a gentle coating! One of the fun things about all the recent loco projects is finally mating up all the cheap spares I've accrued over the years, ending up with a few dummy locos for double heading or top n' tailing trains! 47146 and 47575 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Using spares from places like East Kent Models and some from Bachmann themselves, the innards of 47146 come together, the other chassis heading towards one of the other locos in the project. I also pugged away a good number of Freightliner Class 57s as chassis donors - back around 2008, there was a Bachmann 'Fire Sale' resulting in retailers knocking them out for £39.99 each! 47146 and 47575 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr 47575 City of Hereford was a long term desire - it was one of the motley collection of EWS locos that used to help out deputising for the unreliable Virgin Class 47/8 fleet in the late '90s, as well as turning up on all sorts of freight work too. 47146 and 47575 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Having not visited the paintshop since 1990, as the Millennium approached, 47575 was looking rather tatty indeed! The faded livery was covered in numerous chips and the plaques accompanying the City of Hereford nameplates long since disappeared. 47146 and 47575 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr One interesting weathering aspect was the amount of yellow showing through the battered livery - a fantastic hangover from the full wraparound-yellow ends carried during it's BR blue days before its Post Office livery was applied all those years ago. 47146 and 47575 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr 47575 was fun to do, the original-style bufferbeam and train heating sockets setting it apart from many of the pure freight 'Duff's tackled recently. 47146 and 47575 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Of course, we can never have too many RfD 47s! 47146 and 47575 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr 47146 Loughborough Grammar School is another one that was long crying out to be modelled! The loco had the full complement of underframe tanks, paired with an odd variation of the cutaway bufferbeam, but retaining the existing body fairing! 47146 and 47575 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr And to top that off, oval buffers at the No.2 end - a bit of an oddball! 47146 and 47575 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The loco was in fairly good condition in the late '90s, livery largely intact with only a few paint chips and surface rust spots, and glorious large nameplates still attached! This is another perfect one to double-head on the automotive trains, as well as appearing on MOD trains of the time. 47146 and 47575 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Bringing the story up to date, our 47146 here was an early casualty, laid up in August 1998 and left to rot, later losing its big plates and eventually being transformed into scrap metal by Booths of Rotherham in 2006. 47575 meanwhile would be slightly luckier, soldiering on until 2001 with EWS, later seeing a refresh of it's retro red Post Office colours under ownership of Riviera Trains. However, as nice as it looked, the sound of the gas axe was never far away and the loco met its maker at the same infamous Rotherham yard in 2010. 47146 and 47575 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Another fun pair to create, and some interesting trains await these locos in the future! Cheers, James 18 13 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonas Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 City of Hereford - one I’ve wanted to tackle in N gauge! Your faded red is spot on - as always, inspirational work James. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted July 30, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted July 30, 2020 23 hours ago, jonas said: City of Hereford - one I’ve wanted to tackle in N gauge! Your faded red is spot on - as always, inspirational work James. Thanks very much! The fading was a bit touch and go at times, it’s a mix of white and light grey paint-on/wipe-off washes, it always looks too drastic at first until the later layers of brown/grey washes fill in all the crevices and even up the appearance! Cheers, James 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted July 31, 2020 Share Posted July 31, 2020 Very nice ! you must have enough to fill didcot SP several times over now ! 1 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted July 31, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted July 31, 2020 11 hours ago, rob D2 said: Very nice ! you must have enough to fill didcot SP several times over now ! Haha, possibly more working Class 47s than the real EWS could muster at any given time 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Popular Post James Makin Posted August 14, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted August 14, 2020 It was my birthday on Wednesday so as is customary I decided to indulge in some light trainspotting! Now as you may have guessed, my railway heart is really in the scene from 20 years ago still, so I sometimes get a bit deflated going to re-visit former spotting haunts, however, as a lover of heavy freight train action, Eastleigh rarely disappoints! 50049 Eastleigh 12.08.20 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Most interesting was the opportunity to hear actual working Class 50s for the first time ever, in the form of mighty GBRf combo, 50049 Defiance and 50007 Hercules. Being a class that had finished it's primary BR work just before I got into railways, I was never that enamoured with them, I've grown up being aware that they're immensely popular, up there at the top with the holy 'Deltics' and 'Westerns' in terms of enthusiast royalty, but had no personal experiences or connection with them - I just didn't 'get' them! So it was particularly awesome to see the stabled duo of revitalised GBRf 50s, topping and tailing a pair of Porterbook barrier vehicles, being fired into life next to the station and hearing the incredible spluttering sounds for the first time as they moved off - they really do have a lovely character! 50007 Eastleigh 12.08.20 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr I saw a preserved Large Logo '50' at Tyseley from the window of a train some years ago back in the day, I might one day be open to modelling one running as a preserved railtour special in late 1990s condition if the 50-bug really does takes hold! The GBRf surprises kept coming however, and whatever next but 59003 Yeoman Highlander... 59003 Eastleigh 12.08.20 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr A kind of celebrity today but it's nice to see it back in the UK - a big chunk of life has passed since reading all about it as a schoolkid, the loco hogging the limelight the first time around in all the monthly railway magazines being newly painted in it's red & blue Yeoman DB colours for it's German holiday. Even the '66's have seen a chequered career since introduction - many chopping and changing between owners, numbers and liveries, so it's a fun novelty bumping into older 'friends' in new guises! 66846 Eastleigh 12.08.20 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Colas' 66846 is actually Freightliner's 66573 in old money - seen many a time before at the head of a container train flying through the Didcot curves so it's nice to see it once more. Even the Colas livery is starting to look a little faded and tatty - funny how time passes and nature shows no mercy! And then, an appearance from 66849 Wylam Dilly - much better loved in my trainspotting books as green-team 66576 Hamburg Sud Advantage! 66849 Eastleigh 12.08.20 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr There's even some new-new locos to see, locos that were not even a glint of a business case in the accountant's inbox in my trainspotting days - locos that I'm far more used to seeing listed in the Bachmann catalogue than in real life..! 66774 Eastleigh 12.08.20 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr GBRf's 66774 was one of the later batches of low-emission 66s before production ceased, still looking smart at only 4 years after delivery. Meanwhile, Freightliner's 70001 Powerhaul put in an appearance! 70001 Eastleigh 12.08.20 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr These are about a decade old now but the look is growing on me, especially with grime settled in all the panel gaps! They seem to have a good level of clag on some examples too! Between trains it was great to watch some of the virtual quarry processes going on, wagons being loaded by grab, with 2020 bringing this scene of a DB MXA 'Lobster' being filled - whizz back to my previous 2000s Eastleigh visits and this scene was instead with a tatty Loadhaul Class 60 and faded Dutch OCA wagons! MXA Lobster Eastleigh 12.08.20 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Lastly, it's always nice to see some old school shunting action, 08511 in RSS colours doing the duties on the day. Go back 20-odd years and this was a red loco named 'James' (ha!)... 08511 Eastleigh 12.08.20 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr I've been to Eastleigh on a number of occasions and it's generally always a cracking day out - leaving it a good few years between visits means the trains have often changed but the action remains the same. It's great fun bumping into old stock from the past and seeing where they are now! Cheers, James 29 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Phil Mc Posted August 14, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 14, 2020 Careful with the hoovers James, once bitten forever smitten..... Even that bloke with all the Yellow stock has got one. I visit the Southampton area fairly frequently for work, and try to make sure I stay near enough to Eastleigh to make it possible to spend a couple of hours of the evening at the station (after driving over the bridge to view the works!) A very pleasant way to pass on a couple of hours !! cheers, Phil. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now