Lansanlee Posted December 30, 2021 Share Posted December 30, 2021 Inspirational painting James …working on OBAs now …my modelling has improved by studying your work ..keep up the work 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
37403 Posted December 30, 2021 Share Posted December 30, 2021 These 47s are excellent, well done for producing them in model form. That 1997 timeframe which you model offers the chance to produce so many rag bag locos clinging onto life. Look forward to your next updates as always 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted December 31, 2021 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted December 31, 2021 Thanks for all the likes and comments as always guys! On 29/12/2021 at 00:15, Wayne 37901 said: Nice work again James, Although my modelling ends at the start of 1996, before the big EWS cull and 'shed' invasion I do enjoy seeing how you capture these still working locos, it's almost as if they're refusing to give up. My favourites have to be the ones still carrying older liveries, who would have they'd be around for so long. If you're looking for an interesting, but odd (in my opinion) freightliner duff to do then how about 114 Freightliner Bulk in green. I've got an old crappy 35mm shot of it I took at Newport once somewhere. Cheers. Thanks Wayne, I have to admit I do love modelling a loco that's still clinging on to life, just about! There's so many good ones to choose from in that 1998 time period as well, I've always loved the transition from old rot boxes to shiny new things that happened so often around then. Can't beat a good old BR livery as well it has to be said! 47114 sounds interesting, be great to see your pic! It's crossed the mind to model it over the years, I it was awkward the way the Freightliner logo sat over the two tone green and then the way the 'bulk' part of the nameplate was painted always interested me. On 29/12/2021 at 07:27, rob D2 said: Super work again ! It’s raining quality locos at the moment - long may it continue ! I did wonder if 627 was EWS maroon under the stickers or some Mars based bauxite , I think you’ve answered that question Cheers Rob! Haha, I love the idea of Mars Bauxite as an official shade! I've no idea myself but after much similar deliberation looking at numerous pics I concluded that it was most probably EWS red, what with it bearing the company logo and the shade being so similar to the other EWS locos around it...it was one of those moments, if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck, then... On 29/12/2021 at 11:22, The Fatadder said: Very nice James, I think the all over EWS red actually looks rather smart. But it’s the tatty Intercity Mainline that really appeals. Other than the obvious Virgin/Intercity/GWT 47/8s, res (and the odd Fraggonset) 47/7 and RFD /0s, I haven’t found many interesting 47s to model In Cornwall in 98 (other than Atlas on Virgin XC duties). Having spent a lot of time on Flickr over the last few days searching out 1998 photos in the south west. Speaking of GWT, are any of their 47s in your plans? I’m assuming you will be having the sleeper and the GWT loco hauled passenger sets on Didcot? Haha thanks Rich, know what you mean about the tatty IC Mainline really appealing, the loco had been on the 'hit list' for some years now, '528 has a bit more character than a clean, newly-outshopped loco it has to be said! It is quite a conundrum modelling south western 47s there, that is the challenge with that part of the country, you get all the fun of the china clay trains and suchlike, but being out on a limb means you don't get the random passing traffic like you might get in a more central location! I do have more GWT 47s in the grand plans for sure! I seem to think that some of the GW sleepers and loco-hauled's/Motorail went via a different route to Didcot, certainly when I'd go spotting at Reading you'd see more of the traffic, but from time to time they did put in an appearance at Didcot and so will appear! So far I've previously only modelled 47846 Thor in original GWT livery, I have a hankering for a plain green un-striped 'dull' new Fag Packet branded one...I'm drawn to 47811 as the flush ends look quite nice to model, and with it not being a 'namer' then the slab green sides show up quite nicely! 47846 on Loftus Road by Worthing MRC by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr I've also got the classic 'Purple Ronnie' 57601 I weathered up some years back for the later period, I quite like the idea of double-heading it with 47825 to see who might notice 19 hours ago, 37403 said: These 47s are excellent, well done for producing them in model form. That 1997 timeframe which you model offers the chance to produce so many rag bag locos clinging onto life. Look forward to your next updates as always Cheers, thank you very much! I mostly model 1998-2000ish but with slightly excursions either side, it is great fun! There are many more rag bags coming, I can promise! Cheers, James 6 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Fatadder Posted December 31, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 31, 2021 5 minutes ago, James Makin said: So far I've previously only modelled 47846 Thor in original GWT livery, I have a hankering for a plain green un-striped 'dull' new Fag Packet branded one...I'm drawn to 47811 as the flush ends look quite nice to model, and with it not being a 'namer' then the slab green sides show up quite nicely! 47846 on Loftus Road by Worthing MRC by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr I've also got the classic 'Purple Ronnie' 57601 I weathered up some years back for the later period, I quite like the idea of double-heading it with 47825 to see who might notice I like that idea with 57601, I still have mine somewhere (though it is currently sitting on incorrect underframe bits from a 57/3 as I needed its tanks for another project...) If it wasnt for the steam layout I think I would have likely ended up with all of the GWT 47s by now... As it is I have 813 SS Great Britain on a Vi Trains model and 830 with single flush end on a Heljan (which now that I have seen an approach to narrowing the Heljan chassis will probably be replaced with a Vi Trains or Bachmann body soon...) The loco hauled daytime service is a little late for me, but the sleeper is still on the to do pile awaiting mk2s painting to go with the GWT livery sleepers... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Popular Post James Makin Posted January 2, 2022 Author RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted January 2, 2022 Happy New Year guys! How does one follow the grubby ensemble from last week? By going in the opposite direction! 60067 and 60069 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Joining the fleet this week are average Plain-Jane Class 60s in the form of 60067 James Clerk-Maxwell and 60069 Humphry Davy. There's something I've always found delightfully pleasing about a drab grey Class 60; these were the ones you tended to see most often in the late 90s, rather than the razzmatazz of a jazzy sector one for example. They also used to really give a great backdrop to the British weather - so many of my Didcot trainspotting memories involve a grey, wet miserable day, hanging under the cover of the platform shelters and looking on at an adjacent wet, grey 60, the same colour as the sky above! 60067 and 60069 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Where to start? Naturally, the Hornby model is the go-to, it's hard to believe this tooling is now 16 years old of course though! I have assembled a ragtag set of bargain Hornby models, these two were from more recent batches, which was when Hornby started to forget how to apply the correct shades of paint! 60067 and 60069 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr A model of the 60014 in triple grey EWS 'sticker' livery and 60090 in Coal sector were 'wrecked' for this project, the former one has reasonably good colours but the yellow EWS sticker goes all the way back to the plastic, and a full repaint was needed in order to remove. 60090 however, being a recent release, the rail grey was too yellowy (applied over yellow plastic base, ironically just like old Lima!), the upper grey too dark and the roof being black! With a full rub down and repaint into correct colours using Phoenix's shades, the locos started to come together... 60067 and 60069 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Tamiya masking tape was used to mask off all the colours, the locos then received coats of Railmatch gloss varnish for the Railtec number decals to be applied, and nameplates from the superb range at Shawplan Extreme Etchings. Brian recently re-drew the plates and they capture the font brilliantly. These were applied with varnish as the 'glue' which gave plenty of adjustment time to get them straight and in the right place, and finally the loco was given a coat of Railmatch matt varnish to complete. 60067 and 60069 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr It was time for some weathering fun, and here, dubious late 2000s Europop in the form of Cascada is the advised listening for unbranded Class 60 projects. Washes of Humbrol browns and greys were painted on and wiped off with enamel thinners on cotton buds, streaking downwards and allowing the grime to settle in the recesses, just as it happens on the real thing. 60067 and 60069 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The locos were reassembled, a driver being painted up and placed in the lead cab, with the trailing end having a metal loop fitted, allowing trains to be hauled whilst retaining the full-depth bufferbeam detail. 60067 and 60069 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Jumping in first with 60069 Humphry Davy, I saw this stabled on a dull day at Didcot and it had long featured on the 'to model' list, being one of those locos that just stuck around all day and was good to look at in the gaps between watching other trains! 60069 entered traffic with the BR Trainload Coal sector in 1991, and was named after Sir Humphry Davy, a Cornish chemist credited with creating the enclosed Davy lamp, used to increase safety in coal mining industry. 60067 and 60069 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr I couldn't just do one plain grey 60, so here's 60067 to run alongside! 60067 and 60069 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Similarly delivered new to the Coal sector in 1991, classmate 60067 James Clerk-Maxwell, with the Scottish scientist's name bestowed on a Class 60 primarily as a result of his work in the area of electromagnetic radiation theory. 60067 and 60069 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The underframe weathering was a mix of colours, first a coat of Humbrol 32 grey, painted by hand across the chassis, topped off with layers of track dirt and brake dust. Certain areas of the chassis were drybrushed with lighter shades to follow prototype pictures, some fuel spill added around the filler cap, as well as the bogie springs being given a dollop of very dark grey, painted on and wiped off, to create more of a dark shadow between the springs. A final drybrush in Humbrol metalcote gunmetal completed the look. 60067 and 60069 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr url], on Flickr On the roof, for the silencer itself, a teensy bit of texture was added by mixing talcum powder into a mottled set of rusty brown paints, before being left to dry. The loco roofs were given a paint-on/wipe-off coat of dark greys to highlight the panel gaps, and then shades of Phoenix's Roof Dirt and Dirty Black sprayed on top, alongside my usual custom mix of black & dark blue for the oily exhaust shade immediately around the silencer area. 60067 and 60069 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr It's been a lot of fun to work on these locos and bring them back to life, inevitably the prototypes have not had a very adventurous life in recent times! 60067 soldiered on until withdrawal by EWS in 2006, by then wearing a yellow EWS sticker over its triple grey livery, whilst 60069 gained coat of EWS maroon and briefly inherited the name Slioch from classmate 60087, but was laid up in early 2007. Since then, the two locos have become Toton scrapline buddies and are gradually succombing to weeds, graffiti and rust, I wonder how long they have left? 60067 and 60069 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr It's been great to have some more slightly anonymous average locos joining the fleet, these two will certainly be put to work on all manner of traffic, as well as being stabled up to recreate those plain grey Didcot days! Cheers, James 24 15 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Fatadder Posted January 2, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 2, 2022 Very nice once again James, the 60 really did look very good in triple grey (of any verity). It’s another of the locos which is still on my to buy list (so the dodgy painted 60090 is now on my eBay list in the hope it’s cheaper than the good ones.) I was tempted by 60064 in load haul branded grey, seeing as it was one of the few that I photographed at Didcot in 97 or 98, though finding one in the south west would be better. After looking at yours I think my 60s are in need of a little more attention… 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
saxokid Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 More top modelling skills here James 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 (edited) Those are fantastic ! I have a minor panic attack at the first photo in all these sequences , when I see the paint off and rubbed down but I know you’ll pull it back every time ! RE 60s in the southwest for fatadder, it’s a shame the taillamp photo site seems to have disappeared as that had shots of almost every 60 going through Plymouth on their way to SBZ on the cliff vale train -I’d wager one of the grey loadhaul branded ones was there if not all. Edited January 3, 2022 by rob D2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
South-East Rail Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 Top stuff James. Few things better than a triple grey Tug. Ed 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff west Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 Nice work again James. I remember my spotting days at Didcot 94 - 97, it always seemed to be raining. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne 37901 Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 (edited) Hiya James, Nice work again on the 60s, I personally prefer a 60 to have sectors but then I would wouldn't I. Here's my photo of 47114. I've had to take a photo of it with my phone as I can't access the scanner at the moment due to the Christmas tree being in the way. I don't have a date for the photo as I didn't keep notes then, it's also shot into a low early evening sun so of course it won't win any prizes. It's also the only photo I have of 'Freightliner Bulk' so I'll still treasure it. One thing I do like in modelling terms is the visible remains of its former black painted headcode box, the cut away buffer beams and eleptical 'class 60' buffers.... Go on, you know you want to. Edited January 3, 2022 by Wayne 37901 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne 37901 Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 (edited) And talking of plain Jane grey 60s I've just come across this taken on the same evening, it looks like it could 60046 'William Wilberforce' heading East with a steel train. Again it's been shot into the sun so pretty crap really, but I was younger then and didn't know a great deal I just pointed the camera and shot. Edited January 3, 2022 by Wayne 37901 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ultimate Model Railways Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 On 03/01/2022 at 05:24, rob D2 said: RE 60s in the southwest for fatadder, it’s a shame the taillamp photo site seems to have disappeared as that had shots of almost every 60 going through Plymouth on their way to SBZ on the cliff vale train -I’d wager one of the grey loadhaul branded ones was there if not all. I saw this on Flickr a while back (not my photo) - @The Fatadder 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Fatadder Posted January 5, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 5, 2022 (edited) 43 minutes ago, Ultimate Model Railways said: I saw this on Flickr a while back (not my photo) - @The Fatadder Was there any detail as to the loco? edit clicked on the photo. caption says 60064 at Plymouth May 99 The one I am tempted by is 064, more on topic for James here it is at Didcot in 1998 One of only a handful of my own photos from 1998 (which I am guessing I have shared before seeing as the sole fave on Flickr comes from Mr Makin Edited January 5, 2022 by The Fatadder 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 can't see any name plates on the plymouth one ( post 98 flashes ) , did it keep them ? did Hornby screw the greys on that one ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted January 6, 2022 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted January 6, 2022 On 03/01/2022 at 20:27, Wayne 37901 said: Hiya James, Nice work again on the 60s, I personally prefer a 60 to have sectors but then I would wouldn't I. Here's my photo of 47114. I've had to take a photo of it with my phone as I can't access the scanner at the moment due to the Christmas tree being in the way. I don't have a date for the photo as I didn't keep notes then, it's also shot into a low early evening sun so of course it won't win any prizes. It's also the only photo I have of 'Freightliner Bulk' so I'll still treasure it. One thing I do like in modelling terms is the visible remains of its former black painted headcode box, the cut away buffer beams and eleptical 'class 60' buffers.... Go on, you know you want to. Some great nostalgia shots there Wayne, love it! 47114 definitely looks good in green, I've seen a good few models of it before but it would be great to have in the collection one day! Similarly your plain grey 60046 shot is a classic condition I remember being most common, naturally the 60s looked best in their original sector colours with full plates and ideally arrows & plaques, but by the time I got round to properly seeing them the best ones had already been unbranded and many had plates nicked from at least one side too! Still, on the plus side, the plain grey looked much better than those big yellow EWS stickers I always thought! 19 hours ago, The Fatadder said: Was there any detail as to the loco? edit clicked on the photo. caption says 60064 at Plymouth May 99 The one I am tempted by is 064, more on topic for James here it is at Didcot in 1998 One of only a handful of my own photos from 1998 (which I am guessing I have shared before seeing as the sole fave on Flickr comes from Mr Makin 60064 was a nice one, it will be good to see that on your layout Rich, I'm sure you can justify it easily enough now! 19 hours ago, rob D2 said: can't see any name plates on the plymouth one ( post 98 flashes ) , did it keep them ? did Hornby screw the greys on that one ? 60064 seemed to have plates on one side only for a good while, I remember from reading the odd magazine reports at the time and doing subsequent Flickr research that really quite a lot of 60s had their plates stolen in the late 90s! Seemingly it was mostly the mountain-named ones that had one of theirs taken, interestingly, maybe the people doing it weren't so keen on the ones named after individuals! I recall reading about a nameplate display in the early 2000s that had a number of nameplates confiscated by the BTP before opening to the public due to them being on the EWS stolen list..! That reminds me of seeing Freightliner's 66506 'Crewe Regeneration' some years back, at one stage it looks like someone had taken a crowbar to the nameplate but the bolt attachments clearly proved too strong and a whole corner of the nameplate has broken off! The crowbar damage could clearly be seen on the ribbed bodyside behind! Cheers, James 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Popular Post James Makin Posted January 8, 2022 Author RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted January 8, 2022 Time for some more meat! 37888 and 37899 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr This week sees a duo of 'Heavyweight' EWS 37/7s joining the fleet, in the form of triple grey 37888 and EWS-liveried 37899, modelled in 1998 condition. 37888 and 37899 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr I've always liked the refurbished 37/7 subclass, the plated bodyside window gives a cleaner look, and there's just something quite cool about a Heavy tractor! 37888 and 37899 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Starting with the Bachmann model, the recent release of 37704 as a retailer special, plus an old Coal sector 37796 formed the basis of these two, but with a lot of fiddling! 37888 and 37899 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Each donor model was a split-headcode one with different roof arrangements, so the noses were swapped out to the centre-box variant, and the roofs amended to add in roof horns (bought as spares on eBay) and small slivers of plasticard for the roof detailing where needed. 37888 and 37899 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The existing Bachmann printing came off super easily, being fairly recent releases, just a few seconds after applying Humbrol enamel thinners did the printing bubble up and come away, leaving the base layer paints intact, what a dream! Railtec EWS decals and BR trainload numbers were applied, and the models varnished and left to one side for a month before the usual weathering stages would begin. 37888 and 37899 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr With some rousing tracks from the Pet Shop Boys, the familiar shades of browns and greys were applied, painted on and washed down with enamel thinners, leaving dirt gathering in the right places, matched to prototype pics found on Flickr from the time. 37888 and 37899 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Layers were built up, often starting with the lightest muddy, track dirt shades through to darker washes, working in a vertical motion with cotton buds and large flat paintbrushes to give the desired effect. 37888 and 37899 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Once happy, the models were reassembled, their drivers painted up, engine room windows blanked out with electrical tape and bufferbeam detailing applied to the chassis. 37888 and 37899 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr 37899 was one I've always been keen to model, a bit of an 'everyday' average loco and in pretty good condition back in the day, having recently received its EWS livery to cover the former BR Trainload Coal colours it wore previously, a remnant of its days as a former Cardiff Canton machine, traditionally found plying the Welsh Valleys with MGR coal trains in tow. 37888 and 37899 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The 37/7s were refurbished back in the '80s, with both of these examples receiving their upgrade and additional ballast during 1987, with 37888 and 37899 being renumbered from their original identities as 37135 and 37161 respectively. 37888 and 37899 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Triple grey 37888 still pleasingly carried a cast BR arrow logo in 1998, a welcome touch on an otherwise anonymous average loco! During BR days, the loco was part of the famous Ripple Lane Petroleum fleet, carrying the gorgeous wavy blue & yellow sector flashes, the iconic Ripple Lane 'flaming torch' depot plaque and once bestowed with the name Petrolea. 37888 and 37899 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr By 1998, with its glory days behind it, 37888 was eeking out its career with EWS, the system-wide allocation at least meaning now it could stretch its legs around the network, far away from Petroleum flows and be seen on a variety of trains across the country and of course at Didcot! 37888 and 37899 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The loco was in reasonably good condition in terms of appearance, but with notable bodyside damages and rust starting to bubble through certain areas, under the radiator side grilles and around the cabs. Small 00000 paintbrushes were used to build up the rust patches, starting with light browns working to the darker browns at the older epicentre of the rust outbreak. 37888 and 37899 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Bufferbeam detailing was added from a mixture of 0.45mm brass wire, Replica Railways air pipes and screw couplings added at each end, with a wire 'goalpost' loop at one end for working alongside tension lock couplings as required. 37888 and 37899 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr 37888 and 37899 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Both locomotives would continue on the network with EWS until being placed into storage in the year 2000, when it might have seemed like the end of the story. However it wasn't to be over just yet, 37888 would have a trip to France in 2000, working to develop the network over there, before returning a few months later. A great reprieve came in 2001 with an opportunity to go to Spain as part of the EWS contract with GIF, both locos would receive a sky blue colour scheme and were set to work hauling heavy engineering trains across the new Spanish lines. Sadly, collision damage to both locomotives in various incidents meant that neither would return to the UK soil, both meeting their maker in Spain, with 37899 being cut up in 2003, and 37888 following in 2007. 37888 and 37899 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr It's nice to model more of the legendary 'heavyweights' and fascinating to see some of the colourful and chequered careers from the early days right through to their activities in sunnier climes! Cheers, James 42 14 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDG Posted January 8, 2022 Share Posted January 8, 2022 You have been busy James! Stunning work again. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempfix Rich Papper Posted January 9, 2022 Tempfix Share Posted January 9, 2022 Top work and top music. Very nice work sir. Rich 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthernMafia Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 Every time you post an update James I just end up drooling, stunning work! 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium 37058 Posted January 12, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 12, 2022 Ahhh James, again, these are just absolutely stunning!! Nothing more to say. Cheers Anthony 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ess1uk Posted January 13, 2022 Share Posted January 13, 2022 Great work 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Popular Post James Makin Posted January 14, 2022 Author RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted January 14, 2022 Continuing the heavyweight theme, here are a couple of bruisers! 56052 and 56086 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr New to the fleet this time are Transrail 'Grids' 56052 The Cardiff Rod Mill and 56086 The Magistrates Association, modelled in 1998 condition. 56052 and 56086 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Again, based on the soon-to-be-usurped Hornby model, these were created before the Cavalex announcement but given the silly cheap prices these old cast-offs were bought for, it seems crazy not to make the most of them! When buying at the bottom end of the market, you do end up finding a lot of abused locos, often in the unpopular liveries and pasted in enthusiastic weathering from a previous owner, so both locos were stripped back to the bare plastic. Both models started life in Railfreight Trainload triple grey, but being Hornby, the shades of grey were all wrong and needed a full repaint, after the old Coal sector and Construction sector printing was removed. 56052 and 56086 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The locos were fitted with Shawplan roof grilles, mounted to the outside of the roof (rather than recessed as on Hornby's model) and the lifting lugs on the bodyside capped over with a smidgen of card. 56052 and 56086 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The locos then received new coats of greys from Phoenix, the bodies gloss varnished and decalled up. It's interesting to see how far we've come with decals as well, Railtec's excellent newer one-piece Transrail decals are a breeze to fit compared to the old Fox Transfers ones...the idea being to apply three layers over each other separately, but the reality usually meant 3 independently floating layers of decals and it taking an age to line them up! 56052 and 56086 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Soon the fun weathering stage could begin, and washes of browns and greys were this time added to the background of the Dandy Warhols, the mid-late 90s soundtrack inadvertently matching the chosen era of these 56s! 56052 and 56086 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The locos were reassembled and bufferbeam detailing added to the chassis, a mix of the original Hornby parts that hadn't been broken off, some Smiths screw couplings, bits of .45mm handrail wire and Shawplan parts for the 'Grid' on 56052. Interestingly, 56086 didn't have a bufferbeam 'Grid'! 56052 and 56086 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr 56052 The Cardiff Rod Mill had long been a favourite from trainspotting days, the loco gaining the name relatively late in its career during EWS ownership in 1997, but it ended up losing one of its colourful plaques after a short time. 56052 and 56086 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr There's something about the Doncaster-built examples that is quite appealing, retaining the odd-looking front grilles as per the Romanian examples and the quirky half-cutaway look bufferbeam cowling, almost like a lazy version of the modifications later made to the Class 47 cabs! 56052 and 56086 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Both locos also had the modified cantrail roof grilles fitted at the No.2 end, using the Shawplan etches fitted into recesses carved from where the older grilles used to be. 56052 and 56086 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Representing a Crewe-built example, 56086 The Magistrates Association was picked, both having surfaced a few times at Didcot, and having studied a bit of Law at sixth form college, references kept coming up to its namesake, and so the loco always stuck out a bit amongst the sea of other Transrail 56s to model! 56052 and 56086 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Overall, the loco was fairly clean and in good condition for 1998, just with dirt gathering around the raised parts in the lower bodyside, and evidence of flaky paint across the handrails. The bogies were treated to an initial coat of Humbrol 32 dark grey, before being airbrushed with shades of Phoenix brake dust and track dirt. After drying, the bogies were lightly drybrushed in Humbrol Metalcote gunmetal, highlighting the raised edges to give a workmanlike appearance. 56052 and 56086 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The big nameplates on this one and 56052 were both drawn from the Fox Transfers range. Their etched range is surprisingly large and with comparatively few gaps. Finishing touches like the ghosting of the depot plaques and localised rust spots were added with tiny paintbrushes, building up from light to dark brown using 5 different shades to give depth to the patches. 56052 and 56086 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Recreating these two heavies has been great fun, I've always had a soft spot for the 56s, prior to these ones had never really got round to doing many. The two locos have had a mixed fortune since the chosen modelling period, both machines would be withdrawn by EWS in 1999, with 56052 stored and eventually scrapped in 2009, meanwhile, 56086 had a more secure future going on to enter preservation, where it can now be found wearing BR Large Logo Blue, what an outcome there! 56052 and 56086 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr These beasts will go on to be the prime movers of some heavy steel trains on my Didcot layout, a bumper load of Cavalex BBAs and Accurascale JSAs await their traction! Cheers, James 30 14 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 Wow, great stuff again ! Clearly lockdown was a lot more productive for you than me, as I spent most of it staring into space wondering where my career just went ! You get some great paint finishes - I’d be interested to learn what air brush you use ? All these locos would make a great bookazine like the bendall series on wagons ( just saying !) 4 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted January 15, 2022 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted January 15, 2022 14 hours ago, rob D2 said: Wow, great stuff again ! Clearly lockdown was a lot more productive for you than me, as I spent most of it staring into space wondering where my career just went ! You get some great paint finishes - I’d be interested to learn what air brush you use ? All these locos would make a great bookazine like the bendall series on wagons ( just saying !) Aw cheers Rob, hope things are getting better for you now! It certainly was a crazy year 2021, I didn't imagine I'd be moving on from BA after 9 years either but there was an offer I couldn't refuse! It did mean going back into an office again after getting used to 9 months of homeworking in 2020 (though fortunately Chichester is closer than Heathrow!) and a view of trains from the window, an unexpected benefit! It is surprising the things you see from your desk! The bonus is there's a Mendip stone working each Tuesday (and sometimes Thursday) morning to see, normally headed up by a Freightliner 66 or 59, which is always a good reason to get out of bed and into the office for! Ironically I have found with the modelling that I tend to get more done in short bursts, things have been busier in the social life (and not office 'drinks meetings'..!) which has meant less overall time for modelling but short productive bursts which are better than a traditional long afternoon modelling where I'd normally tend to get distracted and end up on RMWeb rather than actually modelling For the airbrush, I'm using a Badger 175 Crescendo double-action jobbie, it's only my second airbrush and getting on for 20 years old next year but still functions as it should! I have thought about getting a second airbrush to help with some of the weathering projects with different colours involved, but yet to take the plunge! It does take a lot of effort in mixing paint and getting the consistency just right as well, the Phoenix paints do help, they seem to spray very nicely and smoothly with few hiccups! The book idea always makes me laugh and think of Alan Partridge but I guess there is a lot of content here looking back at the 50+ pages on RMWeb, I do keep thinking about backing some of it up somewhere just in case anything happens to the forum as well, touch wood! Cheers, James 13 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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