RMweb Premium Popular Post James Makin Posted March 22, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted March 22, 2015 (edited) In my last update, I hinted at a wagon project sporting 'one of the best liveries ever'... Ford Blue Train by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr Well, this is me, come on, what did you expect?! As a 'blue oval' nutter, the infamous Ford 'Blue Train' has always been a modelling nirvana, finally I have a moment to tackle it for Worthing MRC's Loftus Road! Ford Blue Train by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr I just bought these Ford wagons right? Well, no as it turns out - I was very much looking forward to the Gaugemaster-commissioned Ford ones a few years ago, but when they arrived, the size difference vs UK 4mm scale stock was just too much, and with an eye-watering price tag, these got left on the shelf. With the Ford 'Blue Train', the elephant-in-the-room is that nowadays it's not actually blue, nor do many of the wagons still have the iconic Ford logos. In the average train, the majority of wagons are a dirty dark grey, with blanked-out logos or new sides with Transfesa branding taking the place of the blue oval. Faced with some extreme surgery and defacing the Gaugemaster versions, I opted to go it alone, find my own 'HO' stock for half the price and put it on steroids! Ford Blue Train by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr A German model website was offering these Piko 'HO' DB Cargo wagons for the equivalent of about £10 if making a bulk purchase, so I did what any like-minded person would do with a wagon they hadn't seen, and bought 20! Fortunately, it turned out really well, and the base model is pretty similar to the 'IFA' Transfesa wagons we see on the Blue Train. They need a bit of modification around the underframe solebar, trusses and the bits supporting the container, but a very reasonable basis for conversion. Ford Blue Train by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr Now at this point, it is important to mention that I don't have any access to drawings for these wagons, so this' bodgeathon' was completed entirely from pouring over hundreds of photos...you probably won't find this in the Model Railway Journal! The first task was to increase the height of the container, which was much too low. Using a photo of the real 'Blue Train' hauled by a Class 66 and my own Bachmann '66', I scaled the height as best as possible, and used mounting card to bring up the height. Scale rules and Ariana Grande are recommended for wagon scaling projects. Ford Blue Train by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr Jamming in 4 layers of mounting card and a dollop of Bostik, the container sits at its new height, looking somewhat silly at this stage! The next piece was to cut out new sides, again from mounting card at the new height. As you can see below, I've had a bodge at the solebar level to file away metal from the wagon to fit on the new width solebar. Ford Blue Train by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr With the new solebar fitted below, it was time to cut off the underframe trusses, shorten these and re-attach to the model. Another piece of mounting card was fitted in front - this is where the data panels will eventually sit. The roof was sanded and filed at this point, you can see how much the container's width, length and height has now changed with all the packing. Ford Blue Train by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr Each of the Transfesa containers has a standard corrugated end and door at the opposing end. Here we can see my basic representation of the opening door coming together using thin plasticard laid on top of the base mounting card. Ford Blue Train by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr The opposite end has the full corrugated appearance added from styrene strip - probably the most boring part of the project! Ford Blue Train by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr Adding the famous shade... Humbrol 14 Gloss Blue will do as a good stab for the wagon, and the shade will be vastly toned down later in the project. Note that that sides are not painted... Ford Blue Train by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr This is because the wagons will have so many variations of the Transfesa livery, I didn't bother with transfers and instead drew out the complete side in CorelDraw and printed them onto photo paper. Ford Blue Train by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr And here we go! It turned out a little bluer than I'd anticipated, but this is only the testing prototype and the production batches will be refined over the coming months to better replicate the filthy grey of the real thing! Ford Blue Train by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr Lower data panels were also made up by hand on CorelDraw, the funny little ferry anchors and Channel Tunnel logos were interesting ones to tackle! A little wheel thing was borrowed from the Bachmann TEA wagon, I'll probably buy some etched brass ones for the rest of the wagons. Ford Blue Train by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr The wagon was then subjected to a coating of Humbrol 32 to tone the colours right down, and I'll follow with some tone variation in due course. Ford Blue Train by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr Ford Blue Train by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr Ford Blue Train by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr The paint-on/wipe-off weathering highlights the relief on each end of the wagon just as on the real IFAs. Wagon numbering and further end detailing will be added in the coming weeks. Ford Blue Train by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr As you can see, the finished item looks a bit larger than it's original incarnation! Ford Blue Train by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr This was definitely a fun project to work on, I make no apology it's a complete bodge, but an amusing one at that! I could've spent months scratchbuilding a chassis to some scale containers but with the above project taking only a week and costing about £12, I'm satisfied that the Blue Train has got off to a good start! I couldn't help but model my favourite cliché version but there's 19 more to go, with some interesting Transfesa variations I promise! Edited August 12, 2016 by James Makin 20 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack374 Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 Looking very good Mr Makin! The finished train will be a really nice sight! I'll look forward to a notification of any progress from your thread. Jack. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rs4 Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 Now that is very clever James, The HO stuff can be made to work with select wagons. Superb ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyddrail Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 James, I really like your Ford wagon. A very clever way of doing it. This train was very noticable down this way. Cheers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
branchie Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 Absolutely brilliant! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted March 23, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted March 23, 2015 James, I really like your Ford wagon. A very clever way of doing it. This train was very noticable down this way. Cheers. Thanks Paul! Who knows, maybe it could make a cheeky guest appearance on TWY at a future Lydd Rail haha! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyddrail Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 Thanks Paul! Who knows, maybe it could make a cheeky guest appearance on TWY at a future Lydd Rail haha! James, Not sure when TWY will return to Lydd Rail, but any show I do you would be welcome to run this train. Keep up the good work. Cheers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony566 Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 wow some of the best rolling stock detailing and weathering i have seen so far. well done. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 More impressive modelling work... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted April 11, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted April 11, 2015 (edited) Take the money or open the box? VGA wagon by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr This would no doubt be the question going through Deal-or-No-Deal contestants and modellers head's alike. About 15 years ago Scottish retail chain Harburn Hobbies commissioned these Ltd Edition "Lovat Spring" water VGA twin-packs from Bachmann, and as a kid I'd bought a set and pugged them away. Nowadays, they are retailing for a whopping £80 on eBay. In those intervening years, the Lovat Spring water company has gone the same way as the infamous Trotter's Peckham Spring, and today the former water VGAs can be found in a forlorn state hauling anything - including explosives. Now coded as 'VKA', I ended up photographing the real 210527 on MOD traffic in Didcot Yard, and not having Noel Edmonds thrusting a Banker's telephone in my face, I'd decided to open the dusty box and get weathering! VGA wagon by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr Armed with a monster-size Twix and Lana Del Rey, I attacked one half of the VGA twinpack. The first task was to tone down the yellow ends, so these were painted a very pale yellow. Shades of brown were washed down the silver sides and wiped off, leaving dirt gathering in the recesses. Pretty much all VGA-type wagons these days bear scars of former work on explosive traffic with Hazchem diamond warnings all over the sides, in varying colours. It was at this point unfortunately I had to jet off on a business trip to Miami (such a hard life)... Colony Hotel Miami by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr Following in the tradition of Miami, I felt compelled to dust white powder all over the roof of my VKA - VGA wagon by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr UK Border Force need not worry however, this being merely talcum powder! I was looking for a little more texture on the roof and once rubbed into wet paint, the talc does a great job at providing a little surface relief. VGA wagon by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr VGA wagon by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr The underframe was painted in a mixture of Humbrol browns, blacks and greys, all mottled on and blended, with a brake-dusty bias around the right areas. Colin Craig's superb value brake discs really bring the wheels to life. VGA wagon by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr New TOPS panels were whipped up in CorelDraw to show the recoding from VGA to VKA, and added to the sides. VGA wagon by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr And now into service! This will run behind my EWS 47785 Fiona Castle on Worthing MRC's Loftus Road, increasing the length of my MOD van train, I just need a few Wild Boar Models PFA wagons now! Edited August 12, 2016 by James Makin 12 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
d winpenny Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 Nice work David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doughnut Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 Cracking modelling!! I Enjoy your thread James. Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobster Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 Very nice wagons James - I like that livery, superb as usual. Cheers, Bob. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
South-East Rail Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 Excellent work! Ed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waverley West Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 More stunning work as ever, James, in a kind of cruddy, worn and weathered way. As Bob says, a nice distinctive livery too. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Very impressive!!!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamessolomon Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 (edited) Photo i saw on the Colas thread someone was posting of a FGW loco with Freightliner names on it if i can dig up the post ill post it here Edit here it is http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/70783-jims-down-by-the-tracks-with-colas-thread/?p=1839824class 47 Edited April 25, 2015 by jamessolomon 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted April 25, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted April 25, 2015 Photo i saw on the Colas thread someone was posting of a FGW loco with Freightliner names on it if i can dig up the post ill post it here Edit here it is http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/70783-jims-down-by-the-tracks-with-colas-thread/?p=1839824class 47 Thanks James, unfortunately my modelling stops around 2002 but yeah there were several of the 47/8s that went over to Freightliner after the glory days on passenger service, the Virgin ones were a striking sight with the Green Team branding on as well! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
01276 Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Very nice thread, some great details... From another Mr Makin! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted May 3, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted May 3, 2015 (edited) Looking for a few more wagons for the MOD train, I bought a couple of old Bachmann VGA's off fellow Worthing MRC gangmember Pete Hollman. Now passed through my weathering & detailing works, these are joining the fleet as VGA 210593 and VKA 210551 - both based on photographs of the real thing at Didcot. VGA wagon by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr These Bachmann models are from the original production run from the heady '90s - back when a new modern-image wagon seemed a bold move, standing out from the near-domination of steam era produce, and finally giving D&E modellers a decent representation of a van to run behind their token diesel-outline plastic toys from the Hornby range. Thankfully the market has changed dramatically since then and we're spoilt now with a deluge of current releases - but the VGA still holds its own, and a great canvas for some fun weathering! VGA wagon by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr Most VGA wagons are still in their original silver colour scheme, so the attractive maroon shades of EWS were kept firmly on the shelf - tatty aluminium with scarring being the order of the day! When making the pick, 210593 stood out, with its grey patchwork, and showstopper 210551 - brown and silver, with a door liberated from another wagon entirely! The basic silver wagons were toned down with coats of browns, painted on and wiped off - about three different shades are applied over the course of a few days to vary the tones, with each 'wipe' revealing, hiding or blending in to the other layer. Oddball 210551 had its door combination done differently - base coats of dark brown, followed by lashings of reds and browns! VGA wagon by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr As with the previous 'Lovatt Spring' VGA, a tiny bit of roof texture was added with talcum powder mixed into the paint. Homemade graphics were drawn up for each wagon, I've expressed my hatred before of lining up transfer lettering and numbersets to get the TOPS panels I'm looking for! VGA wagon by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr Lots of the VGA fleet has been used on MOD work at some point, and these two wagons were no exception, with former Hazchem explosive diamonds all over the sides, browns, greys and whites were used to create these. VGA wagon by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr The real 210593 also has a smiley face just above the TOPS panel! VGA wagon by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr Moving on to the multi-colour VKA 210551 - this was particularly fun to work on - the left hand side bears a very dark dirty brown appearance, not dissimilar to many of the larger 'Cargowaggon' sets. The right hand side has a door from a completely different wagon - you can see where the TOPS panel used to be, along with the white sign in the centre of the wagon! VGA wagon by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr Building up layers of browns, reds, browns and greys, the left hand side was scrawled on the the Hazchem scars, a big number '3' and a cheeky Carlisle Currock fox! VGA wagon by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr And if the prototype's left hand door wasn't interesting enough - the right hand replacement door is just a basic silver, but has a clean patch on. Lighter weathering using Humbrol Greys 1 and 32 were built up, and then wiped away with thinners on a cotton bud - just as on the real thing. The rendition of the former TOPS panel was added, along with the tiny graffiti tag that's landed on the bodyside. VGA wagon by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr That cunning Fox has come back! VGA wagon by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr Ends were weathered with spots of brown - 62 and 186 from Humbrol, paint on and wipe off, plus a few rusty streaks on bodyside as per the prototype. Data panels are nabbed from the Fox Transfers EWS MEA sheet of many years back. VGA wagon by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr The varied tones on the left hand door come out in the natural light! I would normally add Colin Craig etched brake discs, but these Bachmann wagons are so old, they had the original wheels with brake discs already moulded in the metal! I just painted these up, they still look reasonably good vs the stainless ones! VGA wagon by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr And there we go, two more for the MOD train! I've also spotted a gorgeous photo of an OCA with a military vehicle lashed down inside...there's so much more in the 'to do' queue, but this cameo wagon has jumped up a few places! Cheers, James Edited August 12, 2016 by James Makin 6 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 More top modelling James cheers neil.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MRDBLUE17 Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 Hi James, Superb work very inspiring and thanks for sharing so many of your techniques. All the best Mark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ess1uk Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Excellent stuff. Mine seem way too clean now! Looking for a few more wagons for the MOD train, I bought a couple of old Bachmann VGA's off fellow Worthing MRC gangmember Pete Hollman. Now passed through my weathering & detailing works, these are joining the fleet as VGA 210593 and VKA 210551 - both based on photographs of the real thing at Didcot. These Bachmann models are from the original production run from the heady '90s - back when a new modern-image wagon seemed a bold move, standing out from the near-domination of steam era produce, and finally giving D&E modellers a decent representation of a van to run behind their token diesel-outline plastic toys from the Hornby range. Thankfully the market has changed dramatically since then and we're spoilt now with a deluge of current releases - but the VGA still holds its own, and a great canvas for some fun weathering! Most VGA wagons are still in their original silver colour scheme, so the attractive maroon shades of EWS were kept firmly on the shelf - tatty aluminium with scarring being the order of the day! When making the pick, 210593 stood out, with its grey patchwork, and showstopper 210551 - brown and silver, with a door liberated from another wagon entirely! The basic silver wagons were toned down with coats of browns, painted on and wiped off - about three different shades are applied over the course of a few days to vary the tones, with each 'wipe' revealing, hiding or blending in to the other layer. Oddball 210551 had its door combination done differently - base coats of dark brown, followed by lashings of reds and browns! As with the previous 'Lovatt Spring' VGA, a tiny bit of roof texture was added with talcum powder mixed into the paint. Homemade graphics were drawn up for each wagon, I've expressed my hatred before of lining up transfer lettering and numbersets to get the TOPS panels I'm looking for! Lots of the VGA fleet has been used on MOD work at some point, and these two wagons were no exception, with former Hazchem explosive diamonds all over the sides, browns, greys and whites were used to create these. The real 210593 also has a smiley face just above the TOPS panel! Moving on to the multi-colour VKA 210551 - this was particularly fun to work on - the left hand side bears a very dark dirty brown appearance, not dissimilar to many of the larger 'Cargowaggon' sets. The right hand side has a door from a completely different wagon - you can see where the TOPS panel used to be, along with the white sign in the centre of the wagon! Building up layers of browns, reds, browns and greys, the left hand side was scrawled on the the Hazchem scars, a big number '3' and a cheeky Carlisle Currock fox! And if the prototype's left hand door wasn't interesting enough - the right hand replacement door is just a basic silver, but has a clean patch on. Lighter weathering using Humbrol Greys 1 and 32 were built up, and then wiped away with thinners on a cotton bud - just as on the real thing. The rendition of the former TOPS panel was added, along with the tiny graffiti tag that's landed on the bodyside. That cunning Fox has come back! Ends were weathered with spots of brown - 62 and 186 from Humbrol, paint on and wipe off, plus a few rusty streaks on bodyside as per the prototype. Data panels are nabbed from the Fox Transfers EWS MEA sheet of many years back. The varied tones on the left hand door come out in the natural light! I would normally add Colin Craig etched brake discs, but these Bachmann wagons are so old, they had the original wheels with brake discs already moulded in the metal! I just painted these up, they still look reasonably good vs the stainless ones! And there we go, two more for the MOD train! I've also spotted a gorgeous photo of an OCA with a military vehicle lashed down inside...there's so much more in the 'to do' queue, but this cameo wagon has jumped up a few places! Cheers, James 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimleygrid Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 Hi James, just catching up on your workbench thread and this time you really have surpassed yourself, the Ford train is a work of art. Having seen this train many times passing through Stratford and also in the South of France, it really is top modelling. Love it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
South-East Rail Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 (edited) A new Electrostar livery for you to do! Don't I look good. by Timothy Saunders, on Flickr (Not my photo) Ed Edited May 16, 2015 by South-East Rail 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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