EWS60065's Modern-ish Wagon Projects (Weathering, Modifying, Scratchbuilds)

[Jack374]

Funnily enough I’m in a strikingly similar position regarding the super tench! I had a Hornby representation of the FFA/FGA and added headstocks and new wheels, and made a bed (with weights) and started to build up the sides, then lost interest and it’s sat in a drawer since.

 

I’ve done this with a few projects - my idea of which models I want and what I want to spend time on changes (sometimes daily), so there’s no harm in shelving projects for a rainy day. I'll probably finish the FJA, one day, when I’m at a loose end with projects.

 

So I’d suggest you maybe shelve it for now, and do a bit whenever you find the urge to. It doesn’t have to be reworked in one sitting, or even one year! But eventually you’ll have a model that represents your ambition and skills at a particular point in time.

 

Thanks,

Jack.

[EWS60065]

17 minutes ago, Jack374 said:

Funnily enough I’m in a strikingly similar position regarding the super tench! I had a Hornby representation of the FFA/FGA and added headstocks and new wheels, and made a bed (with weights) and started to build up the sides, then lost interest and it’s sat in a drawer since.

 

I’ve done this with a few projects - my idea of which models I want and what I want to spend time on changes (sometimes daily), so there’s no harm in shelving projects for a rainy day. I'll probably finish the FJA, one day, when I’m at a loose end with projects.

 

So I’d suggest you maybe shelve it for now, and do a bit whenever you find the urge to. It doesn’t have to be reworked in one sitting, or even one year! But eventually you’ll have a model that represents your ambition and skills at a particular point in time.

 

Thanks,

Jack.

Thanks for that Jack, interesting to know you've started one. I'll put it away and maybe it'll get finished day or maybe I'll just end up getting a YQA type Super Tench from Revolution and bin it! Either way it's a useful learning experience 

[Bearwood West Yard]

9 hours ago, EWS60065 said:

Was yours an MLA or IEA? 

3D print files were for both. MLA and IEA are similar length and body rib pattern. I researched them back in 2020 but that was a while ago now, so I’d have to find and relearn everything I previously came across. I’m sure there’s a length over buffer I can find to get both wagons rough dimensions - then it’s guesstimating the rib thicknesses etc. A real pain that I can’t view or measure the cads I made that hold all the answers. 

[EWS60065]

3 More Engineering Train Formations

After the success of the first photoshoot on a plank with the Coalfish wagons, I've cobbled together some of the rest of the fleet, creating some more varied consists typical of 2010s engineering trains.

 

Super Salmon carrying S&C rails

 

 

Two runner wagons accomodate the overhanging load and timber dunnage can be seen carried in the rear Bass wagon. This is based on a real formation I saw a photo of.

 

 

Empty Falcons and Salmon

 

 

 

I want to increase the number of Falcons and Salmons in the long term but this still gives the impression. The newly built MLA is near the end and one of the mesh side OBAs is used too. This consist may be heading to a track relaying possession in order to pick up spoil/old track panels and deliver new sleepers and other supplies. Hauled by a Hornby Class 56 resprayed into Colas 56051 'Survival'.

 

 

Loaded Sea Urchins

 

 

An eclectic mix of worn out ZCA Sea Urchins all carrying new ballast behind equally weathered 66088. Inspired by the last Sea Urchin trains seen around 2015. These are a mixture of RTR, kits, and scratchbuilds.

 

 

It's always nice for me to fully appreciate the hard work and time I've invested into these wagons and I hope you've enjoyed seeing the photos as much as I did setting them up.

 

 

[Andy7]

Looking really nice. I do love an engineers rake above all else. The mish mash of differing wagons with different loads and also the spread of condition of the wagons. From newish MXA/JNA to knackered looking Salmons.

The outsize rail train looks really nice. Great job.

[EWS60065]

5 minutes ago, Andy7 said:

Looking really nice. I do love an engineers rake above all else. The mish mash of differing wagons with different loads and also the spread of condition of the wagons. From newish MXA/JNA to knackered looking Salmons.

The outsize rail train looks really nice. Great job.

Thanks for the kind words, engineering trains are my favourite too

[WCML100]

@EWS60065 - a great job on all of these rakes - they look really good! I do really like the OCA's, the colour and weathering is spot on. Are these Cambrian kit ones? Also where have you drawn research for these rakes? 

 

thanks

[EWS60065]

1 hour ago, WCML100 said:

@EWS60065 - a great job on all of these rakes - they look really good! I do really like the OCA's, the colour and weathering is spot on. Are these Cambrian kit ones? Also where have you drawn research for these rakes? 

 

thanks

Thanks very much, apart from the first one they're not based on exact trains but with engineering pretty much anything can happen. The idea of Salmons and Falcons with a Bass in between is a common formation, however I only have one Salmon so it doesn't look quite right! The Sea Urchins are inspired by some of the UKRailwayPics photos from the early 2010s as well as the ones that were parked at Eastleigh until around 2016 (?). 

Both OCAs here are Cambrian yes but I do have 3 Bachmann ones too (not in that lovely Railfreight pink though!) 

[ess1uk]

Great work on your wagons 

[Mark Saunders]

If you fancy doors!

[EWS60065]

13 minutes ago, Mark Saunders said:

If you fancy doors!

Thanks for the close up shots, I wimped out of modelling the type of MLA with these doors! 

[Mark Saunders]

28 minutes ago, EWS60065 said:

Thanks for the close up shots, I wimped out of modelling the type of MLA with these doors! 

There are lots differences between the builds which are most noticeable in the ends and bogies with minor differences on the bottom of the stanchions. Hawks are now mixing in with the Falcons & Red Snappers.

[Mark Saunders]

When you realise it really a mix and match to create what you want!

[EWS60065]

Cambrian OCA in Departmental Grey/Yellow

 

Amongst working on the Falcons and Salmons (more on that next time), I've found time to put together a Cambrian OCA I had lying around. This was part of a joblot I got a few months ago and it's one of the older kits with black and white plastic parts. I feel like I've built hundreds of this kind of wagon from Cambrian so it didn't take long for me to assemble it and add the usual modifications.

 

I chose to paint it in grey and yellow as I only had one OCA in said livery. I was inspired by James Makin's wonderful work on his Bachmann OCAs in the same livery and I tried to follow the advice given for tackling them. I'm very pleased with the results, achieved using James's paint on and wipe off method highlighted on his thread - this is probably my favourite Bass wagon I've produced so far!

 

 

You may know that I'm a big user of acrylic paints so I took several measures to give this weathering method the best chance. The base coat was sealed with Vallejo matt varnish to protect it from chipping when being rubbed. I then added some acrylic paint retarder (produced by MIG) to the brown in order to increase the working time so that streaks could be made.

 

 

 

The effect is perhaps less extreme than my first attempt (see below). While I do prefer my more recent effort, the sheer variety of weathering effects found on Bass wagons today means that both wagons look acceptable together.

 

 

 

Thanks for reading!

[James Makin]

Great work Tom, love it! 😎

[WCML100]

both look really good! weathering is very convincing of the prototypes out there!

 

what is your thoughts on a Bachmann OCA v's the Cambrian offering?

[EWS60065]

1 hour ago, James Makin said:

Great work Tom, love it! 😎

Thank you, I'm happy I was able to utilise some of your methods in acrylics! 

[EWS60065]

1 hour ago, WCML100 said:

both look really good! weathering is very convincing of the prototypes out there!

 

what is your thoughts on a Bachmann OCA v's the Cambrian offering?

Thank you, I've got to admit a like a good Bachmann OCA - already made up and no fiddly livery painting to do. I'm sure you're aware of the side thickness but with some careful colouring I can hide it well enough for my purposes.

I think the Cambrian body does look better though - ideally you'd have a Cambrian body on a Bachmann chassis but who wants to go to the trouble of doing that?! 

I've noticed the Bachmann one seems slightly taller but the difference isn't really too noticeable. 

[WCML100]

18 minutes ago, EWS60065 said:

Thank you, I've got to admit a like a good Bachmann OCA - already made up and no fiddly livery painting to do. I'm sure you're aware of the side thickness but with some careful colouring I can hide it well enough for my purposes.

I think the Cambrian body does look better though - ideally you'd have a Cambrian body on a Bachmann chassis but who wants to go to the trouble of doing that?! 

I've noticed the Bachmann one seems slightly taller but the difference isn't really too noticeable. 

thats interesting to know. i have always purchased Bachmann ones, but after reading in several places that the sides are too thick, I can’t unsee it! So unsure whether to sell up and replace with cambrian ones 🤷‍♂️

[EWS60065]

1 minute ago, WCML100 said:

thats interesting to know. i have always purchased Bachmann ones, but after reading in several places that the sides are too thick, I can’t unsee it! So unsure whether to sell up and replace with cambrian ones 🤷‍♂️

Personally I'm happy with my Bachmann ones (nicer underframe moulding and good running quality for a start). While the Cambrian body looks better, building and painting them takes up a lot of time depending on how many you want. 

You could of course a take a file to the Bachmann sides as others have done! 

[The Fatadder]

I have done a lot of improvements on the Bachmann one thinning the plastic at the ends to the bare minimum to avoid the scale foot thickness that just looks so wrong out of the box inspired by the modifications James made to his.

 

The issue arises from the need to model thin sheet steel as plastic, both Bachmann and Cambrian use a similar wall  thickness for the wagon (hence the sides are pretty similar).  The ends however needed a compromise, Cambrian managed this by extending the wall towards the buffers (in the process significantly reducing the height of the ribs on the end).  Bachmann took the opposite approach, extending the wall into the wagon (in the process keeping the end with full thickness ribs).   Net result from most angles the Cambrian end does a better job of hiding its compromise, while the Bachmann wins it from a low 3/4 or end on angle (low enough not to see the top of the wagon.)

 

In my opinion solution James and I have used filing the inside edge of the wagon to a bare minimum at an angle (thicker at the bottom) gets to an ideal position for not a huge amount of work. Getting a top edge of the wagon which is not excessively wide (as per Cambrain) while maintaining the full depth ends (and better chassis) of the Bachmann. 

 

[WCML100]

7 hours ago, The Fatadder said:

I have done a lot of improvements on the Bachmann one thinning the plastic at the ends to the bare minimum to avoid the scale foot thickness that just looks so wrong out of the box inspired by the modifications James made to his.

 

The issue arises from the need to model thin sheet steel as plastic, both Bachmann and Cambrian use a similar wall  thickness for the wagon (hence the sides are pretty similar).  The ends however needed a compromise, Cambrian managed this by extending the wall towards the buffers (in the process significantly reducing the height of the ribs on the end).  Bachmann took the opposite approach, extending the wall into the wagon (in the process keeping the end with full thickness ribs).   Net result from most angles the Cambrian end does a better job of hiding its compromise, while the Bachmann wins it from a low 3/4 or end on angle (low enough not to see the top of the wagon.)

 

In my opinion solution James and I have used filing the inside edge of the wagon to a bare minimum at an angle (thicker at the bottom) gets to an ideal position for not a huge amount of work. Getting a top edge of the wagon which is not excessively wide (as per Cambrain) while maintaining the full depth ends (and better chassis) of the Bachmann. 

 

That is helpful thanks! That has swayed me to have a go at filing down my Bachmann ones!

[The Fatadder]

1 hour ago, WCML100 said:

That is helpful thanks! That has swayed me to have a go at filing down my Bachmann ones!

I find if you do go too far with the filing it’s easy enough to apply a dab of filler then incorporate the slight difference in texture into the weathering.  Just have to be extra careful of doing an ex works one though!(fortunately on my ex works EWS example I didn’t make a mistake!)

[EWS60065]

Some work on the coalfish

In the rain today I've been getting on with some extra visual improvements on my Coalfish rake. While previously they were a very uniform shade of brown, I've now added various details: painted over EWS logos, engineers' markings, patches over old graffiti etc. They are now more pleasing to observe on an individual level! 

 

Here are a few examples (haven't got on to the MTAs yet though)

 

Patch painted red with old yellow axle boxes. 

 

A similar finish but with newer red axle boxes and engineers' chalk markings. 

 

A couple of MPA coded wagons, one still retaining EWS branding. 

 

 

I've got 4 Bachmann MFAs in Ex Loadhaul black livery but since not many of the ones seen today carry it, I've decided to bodge them into an EWS sort of colour. 

This involved painting the sides with a dark red wash and wiping downwards with a cotton bud to imitate remnants of EWS Maroon. The usual details were then painted on and a new data panel added. 

 

 

I've also weathered up three more Dapol JNAs

 

Edited August 2, 2023 by EWS60065

[WCML100]

Good thinking on the MFA, the MHA’s look great too. Those individual markings really bring each one out, especially the MPA re-coded ones. The falcons looking very realistic too, especially considering how plastic these look in model form. What did you do to dull these down just right?