rob D2 Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 Great photos, certainly bring the period to life more than just 3/4 chuffer shots ! i had a B reg Ford Fiesta in 99, but was about to proudly purchase a brand new S reg rover 214SEi as I’d changed job with a big pay rise . Those were the days ! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidMcKenzie Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 Thanks for posting the old pictures James, they are super interesting and very useful for modelling the scenic/background stuff. Exactly the kind of photos I find harder to find from late 90s. All the best Dave 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MRDBLUE17 Posted December 18, 2019 Share Posted December 18, 2019 Hi James, Superb work as usual. I like the detailing to transform the 37/0’s. I like the Transrail beast as it always looked a smart livery but I did like triple grey sector locos. I’ve often thought about running Rannoch with them in the late 90’s Ive seen plenty of photos of 37194 but nearly all in DRS blue it seemed to get plenty of use given the number of photos on the Cumbrian Coast. The EWS 37/4’s are nice. I’ve a few on Rannoch and never noticed 37411 had a different grill. Mine was changed to 37406 a long time ago. All the best Mark 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Fatadder Posted December 18, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 18, 2019 What’s your approach for fitting the Extreme Etchings grill, it’s been an age since Iast did one and want to double check before I make a start. Next to hit my workbench will be a respray to model 37403 in green, so will be ensuring a new grill is fitted before I paint. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted December 19, 2019 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted December 19, 2019 Thanks so much for all the lovely replies guys! On 16/12/2019 at 08:26, rob D2 said: Great photos, certainly bring the period to life more than just 3/4 chuffer shots ! i had a B reg Ford Fiesta in 99, but was about to proudly purchase a brand new S reg rover 214SEi as I’d changed job with a big pay rise . Those were the days ! Haha Rob it's funny how things turn out like that with photos! On a similar line, I took a load of shots of Didcot in 2003 that I sent into a number of railway mags, all were turned down (I have a treasured letter from Colin J Marsden, no less, stating that my photos were not newsworthy!) - I'm determined one day to get these into a publication to prove a point..! The Rover sounds fun, they were a good looking car back in the day! Alan Partridge even had a 214 for one episode (he wouldn't go down to a Mini Metro!) On 16/12/2019 at 06:18, 1722 said: More top notch modeling James. How long does it take you to work on each loco? Thanks, that is a good question! I've worked on 11 Class 37s since July, with the last being finished in mid-November, so it works out at about approx 2 weeks per loco effectively..! I normally work on a pair of similar locos together (same type, though not necessarily livery) as it does save time waiting for things to dry and so on! On 18/12/2019 at 20:03, The Fatadder said: What’s your approach for fitting the Extreme Etchings grill, it’s been an age since Iast did one and want to double check before I make a start. Next to hit my workbench will be a respray to model 37403 in green, so will be ensuring a new grill is fitted before I paint. I tend to push out the Bachmann grille and file back the protruding circular roof frame so you've got a flat opening, and then I'll place the fine silver mesh over the top and glue down at the edges (it is larger than the Bachmann hole) with Bostik and then later I will bend the brass frame and place over the top, gluing with superglue, and adding extra superglue all around the outside of the brass frame over the protruding silver mesh, once painted it then looks like a 37 grille! I tend to cut corners and so have never bothered adding the fan grille supplied, I keep the Bachmann one as to me for the effort in replacing, it looks good enough for me! I'll superglue the fan blades so they don't move, and do a paint-on/wipe-off effect with dark grey paint around the red fan mechanism, and then reassemble. Hope that helps and look forward to seeing a '403! I've seen some late 90s pics of that looking in a slightly faded grubby condition, I do like a faded celebrity!! Cheers, James 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Fatadder Posted December 19, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 19, 2019 1 hour ago, James Makin said: I tend to push out the Bachmann grille and file back the protruding circular roof frame so you've got a flat opening, and then I'll place the fine silver mesh over the top and glue down at the edges (it is larger than the Bachmann hole) with Bostik and then later I will bend the brass frame and place over the top, gluing with superglue, and adding extra superglue all around the outside of the brass frame over the protruding silver mesh, once painted it then looks like a 37 grille! I tend to cut corners and so have never bothered adding the fan grille supplied, I keep the Bachmann one as to me for the effort in replacing, it looks good enough for me! I'll superglue the fan blades so they don't move, and do a paint-on/wipe-off effect with dark grey paint around the red fan mechanism, and then reassemble. Hope that helps and look forward to seeing a '403! I've seen some late 90s pics of that looking in a slightly faded grubby condition, I do like a faded celebrity!! Cheers, James Thanks James, That is all sounding familiar now (and thankfully has erred me away from my original thoughts about using superglue. Will be getting it fitted as soon as the etch arrives from Brian. I managed to spray up the green this afternoon, so it is not going to take a huge amount of time until it is ready for transfers at least, It will be finished in a fairly tatty condition with the faided BR crests & the depot plaque missing from one side. Would be interested to see those late 90s photos. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted December 20, 2019 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted December 20, 2019 17 hours ago, The Fatadder said: Thanks James, That is all sounding familiar now (and thankfully has erred me away from my original thoughts about using superglue. Will be getting it fitted as soon as the etch arrives from Brian. I managed to spray up the green this afternoon, so it is not going to take a huge amount of time until it is ready for transfers at least, It will be finished in a fairly tatty condition with the faided BR crests & the depot plaque missing from one side. Would be interested to see those late 90s photos. Sounds good Rich! The pics I've seen are on Flickr (seemingly my go-to place for finding pics these days!) - typing in "37403 1998" gets you a decent haul of pics, really liking the detail around the prominent depot plaque coming off the side too, should be a beast when it's all done! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted December 20, 2019 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted December 20, 2019 Some exciting news to share, the baseboards for my new Didcot layout have now been put together! Yesterday fellow Loftus Road gangmember Mark Butcher popped round and we put together the Tim Horn laser-cut baseboards, the landmark first board of which can be seen below in all it's woody glory! I'll share more updates once further progress is made later in the New Year, but it's a start, after many years planning and mulling over details! The ultimate challenge is coming later - in theory it does, but whether it really can all fit in the back of a Focus..! Cheers, James 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Fatadder Posted December 20, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 20, 2019 1 hour ago, James Makin said: Sounds good Rich! The pics I've seen are on Flickr (seemingly my go-to place for finding pics these days!) - typing in "37403 1998" gets you a decent haul of pics, really liking the detail around the prominent depot plaque coming off the side too, should be a beast when it's all done! Indeed there are, I just miss read your post and thought you had some more. its certainly first in line to be weathered, it wouldn’t look right without the majority of the roof covered in black, and filthy grills. Will hide one or two small imperfections in the paint... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
37403 Posted December 20, 2019 Share Posted December 20, 2019 What size will Didcot be? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted December 20, 2019 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted December 20, 2019 1 hour ago, 37403 said: What size will Didcot be? It'll be a 14ftx2ft end-to-end 'slice of Didcot' to fit in my car, with plans for a giant-full roundy-roundy Didcot Parkway to follow one day in the fullness of time! Cheers, James 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Fatadder Posted December 21, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 21, 2019 1 hour ago, James Makin said: It'll be a 14ftx2ft end-to-end 'slice of Didcot' to fit in my car, with plans for a giant-full roundy-roundy Didcot Parkway to follow one day in the fullness of time! Cheers, James Is that 14ft including fiddleyard? will be interested to see which bit you are building 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Popular Post James Makin Posted December 21, 2019 Author RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted December 21, 2019 Here's the next 'Tractor' pairing to leave the workbench! 37170 and 37185 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr 37170 in Transrail-branded 'Dutch' and 37185 Lea & Perrins in faded classic 'Dutch' join the fleet, both standing out to me as worth modelling amongst a veritable sea of Dutch 37s still floating around in the late '90s. 37170 and 37185 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr There's a number of minor differences between the two, which was great fun to model... 37170 and 37185 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Although Bachmann have recently released a centre-headcode Dutch 37, these are actually much older, using the 2007 release of 37035 in both cases, with new ends liberated from the spares box! 37170 and 37185 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Armed with some top tunes on the iPod, the numbers and brandings were removed with thinners, modifications made to the roof and bodysides (including locating new airhorns on the roof) before new plates and transfers were put on, and the final coats of varnish added before weathering began. 37170 and 37185 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr '170 was in pretty good condition in 1998, whilst '185 was looking a bit more ropey! A wash of white was added before any further weathering, to tone the colours right down and give the muted look required. 37170 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr 37170 stood out to me as it not only had the Transrail branding to set off the Dutch colours, but it also had a full set of snowploughs and was still, just about, clinging on to a pair of gorgeous Eastfield terrier depot plaques in my time period - it didn't carry them for much longer though, as photos show! 37170 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Little details on the ends included adding the headboard clips and installing the handrails on the end - as luck would have it, my donor ends didn't have them - only later did I find I actually did have a set of ends with handrails, which I then had to remove for another 37 project...talk about organisation and forward planning..! 37170 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Next up is actually one of my all-time favourite models so far... 37185 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Now by an enormous margin, 37185 stood out due to it's nameplate! I love adding a splash of Worcestershire sauce to most things, namely spaghetti bolognese or livening up some cheese on toast, so when looking at a list of 'Dutch' 37s in my notes, this was at the very front of the list! 37185 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The livery was also somewhat faded and had great weathering opportunities! 37185 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr With the livery faded down after the whitewash, subsequent layers of light brown (Humbrol 62 & 186) and darker brown highlights brought out the rust patches and oily, rusty water marks down the side. Small rusty bolthole patches also reveal where a crest was once affixed below the nameplate too. 37185 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr 37185 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Again, snowploughs set off the livery and enhance the whole appearance somewhat, why do they make locos look so good? 37185 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr These two locos are now frozen in 1998-condition, but like all my other '37' projects, the real pair have had very different lives in the period since; sadly 37185 fell by the wayside shortly after, and was scrapped in 2006, whereas 37170 miraculously survived a period of stay at EWS' Wigan CDRC and now lives on working for Network Rail as 97302, still doing a valuable role and pounding the network to this day! 37170 and 37185 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr I'm glad to get these two into service, they have 'miserable ballast train' written all over them...cue some rust bucket fish-based wagons needed to accompany them in 2020... Cheers, James 26 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
1722 Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 More excellent work, James. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Fatadder Posted December 21, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 21, 2019 very nice once again James, 230 in tatty Transrail Dutch is next on my workbench (to be resprayed from blue), although it needs to be slightly tattier than Your 170. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisis Rail Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 On 16/12/2019 at 08:26, rob D2 said: Great photos, certainly bring the period to life more than just 3/4 chuffer shots ! i had a B reg Ford Fiesta in 99, but was about to proudly purchase a brand new S reg rover 214SEi as I’d changed job with a big pay rise . Those were the days ! Ok then...... 82 Y Reg MG Metro Silver 85 B Reg Fiesta XR2 Rosso Solids with Caps 85 B Reg MG Metro Turbo (Rollerskate as the GF now SWMBO called it) 87 D Reg Fiesta XR2 Nimbus with Pepperpots Apologies James for going OT - now back to the workbench Ian 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDG Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 Lovely Dutch tractors James. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisis Rail Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 11 hours ago, James Makin said: Here's the next 'Tractor' pairing to leave the workbench! 37170 and 37185 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr 37170 in Transrail-branded 'Dutch' and 37185 Lea & Perrins in faded classic 'Dutch' join the fleet, both standing out to me as worth modelling amongst a veritable sea of Dutch 37s still floating around in the late '90s. 37170 and 37185 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr There's a number of minor differences between the two, which was great fun to model... 37170 and 37185 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Although Bachmann have recently released a centre-headcode Dutch 37, these are actually much older, using the 2007 release of 37035 in both cases, with new ends liberated from the spares box! 37170 and 37185 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Armed with some top tunes on the iPod, the numbers and brandings were removed with thinners, modifications made to the roof and bodysides (including locating new airhorns on the roof) before new plates and transfers were put on, and the final coats of varnish added before weathering began. 37170 and 37185 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr '170 was in pretty good condition in 1998, whilst '185 was looking a bit more ropey! A wash of white was added before any further weathering, to tone the colours right down and give the muted look required. 37170 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr 37170 stood out to me as it not only had the Transrail branding to set off the Dutch colours, but it also had a full set of snowploughs and was still, just about, clinging on to a pair of gorgeous Eastfield terrier depot plaques in my time period - it didn't carry them for much longer though, as photos show! 37170 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Little details on the ends included adding the headboard clips and installing the handrails on the end - as luck would have it, my donor ends didn't have them - only later did I find I actually did have a set of ends with handrails, which I then had to remove for another 37 project...talk about organisation and forward planning..! 37170 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Next up is actually one of my all-time favourite models so far... 37185 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Now by an enormous margin, 37185 stood out due to it's nameplate! I love adding a splash of Worcestershire sauce to most things, namely spaghetti bolognese or livening up some cheese on toast, so when looking at a list of 'Dutch' 37s in my notes, this was at the very front of the list! 37185 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The livery was also somewhat faded and had great weathering opportunities! 37185 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr With the livery faded down after the whitewash, subsequent layers of light brown (Humbrol 62 & 186) and darker brown highlights brought out the rust patches and oily, rusty water marks down the side. Small rusty bolthole patches also reveal where a crest was once affixed below the nameplate too. 37185 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr 37185 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Again, snowploughs set off the livery and enhance the whole appearance somewhat, why do they make locos look so good? 37185 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr These two locos are now frozen in 1998-condition, but like all my other '37' projects, the real pair have had very different lives in the period since; sadly 37185 fell by the wayside shortly after, and was scrapped in 2006, whereas 37170 miraculously survived a period of stay at EWS' Wigan CDRC and now lives on working for Network Rail as 97302, still doing a valuable role and pounding the network to this day! 37170 and 37185 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr I'm glad to get these two into service, they have 'miserable ballast train' written all over them...cue some rust bucket fish-based wagons needed to accompany them in 2020... Cheers, James 185 Weathering is on a different level. Ian 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sb67 Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 The latest 37's are superb! I do like that livery, think it suited the locos. James, when you faded the paint did you cover the whole loco in white then wipe it off, presumably the layers of weathering will cove any white residing in the crevices, or is it lightly sprayed over the original livery? Thanks. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
D6775 Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 Some stunning tractors there James, especially the dutch and grey ones. Never realised 057 had that odd NRN radio set up. Al. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 They look great, but , ( upload nit pick mode) 185 had lost its arrows by 98 I think, leaving the former 3 tone grey showing through ? looks way better with them though ! 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted December 22, 2019 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted December 22, 2019 Haha, yes I was wondering at the time how to make a grey arrow decal (I only have Fox’s silver-printed ones!) but either way proper arrows have got to be way cooler! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted December 22, 2019 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted December 22, 2019 On 21/12/2019 at 12:24, sb67 said: The latest 37's are superb! I do like that livery, think it suited the locos. James, when you faded the paint did you cover the whole loco in white then wipe it off, presumably the layers of weathering will cove any white residing in the crevices, or is it lightly sprayed over the original livery? Thanks. I think either methods could work to be honest! I must say airbrushing is a lot of faffing so love to just paint on by hand and wipe off, it does leave white/light grey in every crevice so needs to be followed by some brown and dark grey coatings to remove the white traces!! My trick is to first apply matt varnish over the original livery (after the renumbering is finished etc) and that gives the ‘key’ for the white paint residue to stick to the surface and tone down, without the varnish the white/grey paint would wipe off straight away! Cheers, James 1 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisis Rail Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 On 20/12/2019 at 17:21, James Makin said: Some exciting news to share, the baseboards for my new Didcot layout have now been put together! Yesterday fellow Loftus Road gangmember Mark Butcher popped round and we put together the Tim Horn laser-cut baseboards, the landmark first board of which can be seen below in all it's woody glory! I'll share more updates once further progress is made later in the New Year, but it's a start, after many years planning and mulling over details! The ultimate challenge is coming later - in theory it does, but whether it really can all fit in the back of a Focus..! Cheers, James Didcot? Before you start James - do you know how big a Cooling Tower actually is? #reallyquitebig Ian 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted December 23, 2019 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted December 23, 2019 1 hour ago, Crisis Rail said: Didcot? Before you start James - do you know how big a Cooling Tower actually is? #reallyquitebig Ian That would epic fun to model for sure! As a thoughtful space-saving measure they’ve kindly consolidated them all into a convenient pile of dust now 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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