RMweb Premium James Makin Posted February 2, 2022 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted February 2, 2022 Thanks so much everyone for the likes and lovely comments! On 28/01/2022 at 23:34, The Fatadder said: Love the gash in the side of 37225, the Mainline one looks rather nice as well. I really need to get some Mainline logos on my Mainline 37065 and finish it off. I think the livery really suited the 37 edit: as another unusual Virgin XC working which may have made it through Didcot, how about this? https://www.flickr.com/photos/151904976@N08/43886304042/in/pool-14754576@N21/ Cheers Rich, the Mainline livery isn't bad is it! It does sit nicely on the 37, and looking forward to seeing your 37065! The No.2 end on that was pretty horrendous to my eyes, like an unfinished nosejob gone wrong On 29/01/2022 at 00:25, Wayne 37901 said: Does anyone want to see more 37s? How many is too many? As someone who grew up with 37s in South Wales, you can never have too many! I remember them being on almost every freight in the early 1990s, apart from the odd 47 and occasional 56 turn. Then the 60s arrived and the 37s relegated to less arduous freight workings. Nice job on these un-refurbished type 3s James. Thanks Wayne! I think that is luckily the right answer to the question, as there are many more 37s coming on these pages too..! That's so cool seeing 37s all the time when you were younger, me being primarily down on the South Coast it was wall-to-wall Network SouthEast slam door EMUs, so seeing diesel exotica like that up at Didcot ("there's the real trains from the Hornby catalogue") was captivating! On 29/01/2022 at 19:16, billywhizz said: The damage and corrosion looks really effective on 37225. Enjoying following your rapid rate of progress James! Cheers. Bill. Thanks Bill! I wish it was as rapid progress as it looks In reality it's a year's worth of modelling time solidly going at it here and there in gaps of time and so on and boiled down into a few weeks of updates but it is fun to look back at via RMWeb as a reminder of where the time went! On 29/01/2022 at 22:29, Mr Pix said: Great work James . I have a Hornby class 60 in sector livery with a big Beastie branding. I want to remove it and add Metals sector’s decals without having to repaint , would be grateful for any advice.. cheers Jez Ooh that is a tricky one I am afraid Jez! I tackled a 60014 in the big beastie branding and annoyingly Hornby didn't print the grey behind the yellow, so there was no way it would ever be removed as the yellow/undercoat seemed to be printed directly onto the plastic instead of on top of the triple greys, I would recommend a half-spray job if you fancied - where you can mask the roof, orange warning line and yellow ends and just respray the Rail Grey and Flint Grey layers, it is a bit of a cheat but can work pretty well and saves the complexity of a complete respray, best of luck!! On 30/01/2022 at 09:21, Mophead45143 said: Hurry up and put a lot if effort into your 31's so that the inevitable new model is released!!! If you don't, I have five Lima bodies to adapt to Hornby chassis', all of which will require new glazing and many many tiny handrails etc., followed by a complete re-spray!!! Go on, take one for the team! P.S. Loving this thread by the way, as my earliest childhood memories are of the early privatisation era on the WR. Nice to see Merlin and Fag Packet HST's in model form, and looking forward to some tatty IC / Virgin combo's too! Cameron Haha, I reckon if we both start working on 31s then that'll surely trigger an Accurascale announcement! I don't envy you with those tiny roof handrails, there are tons of them! The HSTs are a lot of fun too, there will certainly be some IC/Virgin ones in due course, I've a stockpile of untouched RTR bits, a full Virgin set and Intercity-livered set and enough spare bits for a mixed up rake with more IC power cars. The recent Hornby FGW 'Fag Packet' HST announcement was an unexpected surprise so I have had a bit of a spending splurge on some sets there I must admit On 30/01/2022 at 10:16, 37403 said: On a similar theme to what everyone else has said, these are fantastic models, great work and look forward to seeing what's next. Not sure why, but I'm inclined to get out my P5 pocket book and start scoring these off hahahaha. A line up of the 37s would make it easier I would love to do a big line up of 37s and other locos! I'm looking forward to recreating the old collections of locos you'd get stabled at Didcot adjacent to the platform just cooling down and clanking away! I keep a spreadsheet of my loco fleet and it is starting to look a little like a P5 spotting book already! I seem to have an accidental knack of modelling consecutively numbered locos as well, don't know how it happens but that does give a bit of a 'trainspotting book' feel! On 31/01/2022 at 23:33, KDG said: James the correct number of class 37's is the number you first thought of, plus "some". Lovely rusty locos. I was posted to Benson '02 to '05 so managed to get to Didcot quite often when it was still reasonably busy, with plenty of freight. Nice. Thanks very much Andy! It is tricky to beat a rusty 37!! Those were great times at Didcot, we may well have been there at the same time and just not realised! It was a fascinating place to go to, even into the late 2000s you could still be sure of a good day out there before things really started to wind back, now it's a case of just recreating those fun times on a layout, and to an audience that may not have realised what Didcot was like in the days before the wires went up! Cheers, James 1 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthernMafia Posted February 8, 2022 Share Posted February 8, 2022 Another lovely pair James, 37013 is in my neverending queue of projects still to complete. I remember seeing that model of 37229 on eBay and thought it would have your name on it! Good work. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Popular Post James Makin Posted February 12, 2022 Author RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted February 12, 2022 Time for some big red beasties! 60005 and 60045 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Joining the fleet this week is EWS' 60005 BP Gas Avonmouth and 60045 The Permanent Way Institution, both modelled in year 2000 condition. 60005 and 60045 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Much as the mighty '60's looked superb in their original triple grey livery, they did look rather snazzy in the Wisconsin-inspired colours of EWS, and joining a number of others already modelled in this livery are these two today. Here's how it went... 60005 and 60045 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The natural starting point was the hi-spec Hornby Class 60 model, hard to believe now in it's 17th year! Where has that time gone?! With many EWS-liveried releases out there, it made sense to use these and just do a spruce up and renumbering, save doing a full repaint. The original 60026 and a later 60048 were used here, the only difference being having to remove the nameplate branding from the latter, as well as the red printing. My preference for tackling the de-branding is to gently scratch over the red lettering/numbers to break the polished surface, and then carefully apply a bit of Humbrol enamel thinners, which then gets to work and dissolves the Hornby printing, leaving the yellow-gold band behind intact. 60005 and 60045 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The body is then gloss varnished, and Railtec's superb decals are added, arriving already made-up by Steve and in impressively quick timing! These could then be slid on directly without having to line up and space the digits as in the past. Nameplates were sourced from the Fox Transfers etched range, carefully cut out and fixed with matt varnish, before the entire body was treated to a final coating before being set aside for weathering. 60005 and 60045 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Fired up with a spot of the classic David Brent, the standard weathering washes started to be slapped on, going for some browns and dark greys to highlight the panel gaps, but otherwise the slab-sided beauties would be pretty clean and fresh for their 2000 condition. 60005 and 60045 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Small details were picked out at the final stages, such as the window frames, 60005 had silver frames on the secondman's side, whilst 60045 had flecks of silver showing through the painted front window frames at either end of the cab. Each loco had window blinds made up for the cabs, being just offcuts of card glued in with PVA. 60005 and 60045 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr I've long planned to model 60005 BP Gas Avonmouth, having seen the loco a number of times, and just liking the no-frills industrial name. I know many don't like the more corporate names but there's something quite 'matter of fact', and 'time-and place' about them - nowadays you get more oblique names like 'Sense' or maybe a 'Dick Mabutt' if you're lucky...! 60005 and 60045 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The former Skiddaw was given coats of Phoenix Brake Dust and Track Dirt to it's lower underframe, followed by Roof Dirt, Dirty Black and a darker custom mix of black & oily blue to the roof for the exhaust weathering. Humbrol Metalcote Gunmetal was brushed onto the bogies to highlight some extra detail, whilst the compressor area was drybrushed in greys and matt earthy colours to represent the whiter weathering often seen. 60005 and 60045 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Another absolute favourite crying out to be modelled was 60045 The Permanent Way Institution. 60005 and 60045 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr It's actually the second time I've modelled this loco, the first being a Lima version that I repainted and "super-detailed" back in 2003, using my then-new airbrush, the new Shawplan internal detailing kit, alongside the etched grilles and a first for me then, Ultrascale wheels. It never really ran that well, so I decided to swap the internals out for a stretched Bachmann Class 37/4 chassis (the dodgy body version, remember those!) and it then ran happily for many years on my Wells Green TMD layout. 60005 and 60045 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr I always had a hankering for a 'proper' Hornby 60045 though, so this time here it is! Everything's essentially the same as 60005 above, but brings the former Josephine Butler into the modern world, and my old Lima 60045 model gets a relegation to the stores cupboard! Being my first half-decent repaint though, the Lima one will always hold a special place in the collection, it was a transition point from the childhood messy blunders to the stuff you don't wince too much when taking a picture of I still make just as many blunders now, I just have some experience of how to cover them up..!! 60005 and 60045 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The best bit about 60045 that captured my attention the first time around, was the vast length of those enormous nameplates, inherited from 47644/47974 before it. 60005 and 60045 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr It's been lovely bringing these two red 60s to life in model form, especially when the real '60' fleet faces such mixed fortunes. 60005 would continue in service until 2009, joining what would become the infamous Toton scrapline, meanwhile 60045 was fortunate to eek out further time on the mainline, being cast aside during 2015, ending up alongside both 60005 and so many other classmates at the Nottinghamshire depot. Cheers, James 33 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifty11 Posted February 12, 2022 Share Posted February 12, 2022 More lovely work James! Particularly pleased to see 60045 done, that’s one on my hit list to do eventually as an old hand on the Fiddlers Ferry coal circuits. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDG Posted February 12, 2022 Share Posted February 12, 2022 James, as usual you've done justice to 2 fine Brush/Mirlees machines. I've always liked the presence of the 60's, and the names of course, Schehallion and Helvellyn being favourites, probably from my mountaineering days. Isn't it a crying shame that there is a long line of them languishing at Toton, and they'll probably never turn a wheel again? I suspect they'll eventually be scrapped on site being too far gone to move again. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 46444 Posted February 12, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 12, 2022 Not 'Dick Mabutt`?!!! Cracking work as ever James and thanks for another wonderful and inspiring update... Have you done any of the BZ 37's at all? These are the ones I remember the most in my Devon/Cornwall days. Going back to Class 60's again another favourite was 60035 'Florence Nightingale' in Transrail livery.. Thanks once again. Mark 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dj_crisp Posted February 12, 2022 Share Posted February 12, 2022 Cracking Job! I've always thought EWS livery really suited the 60s and one Hornby did ok on! They look smashing. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted February 12, 2022 Share Posted February 12, 2022 Super ! loved the 60s in EWS . seeing 60019 in 1996 started me up in this madness all over . David brent ? classic green especially " equality street " 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MRC_Jacob Posted February 13, 2022 Share Posted February 13, 2022 Lovely stuff again there James, the 60s looking the part! Your weathering is sublime! J 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sb67 Posted February 14, 2022 Share Posted February 14, 2022 James, I've been looking through your thread and posts from a while back to get some info on how you add transfers to wagons? Do you paint the whole thing gloss or just the area where the transfer will go and what do you use to fix the transfers? Many thanks. Steve. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted February 16, 2022 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted February 16, 2022 Thanks for all the kind words! On 12/02/2022 at 18:48, Swifty11 said: More lovely work James! Particularly pleased to see 60045 done, that’s one on my hit list to do eventually as an old hand on the Fiddlers Ferry coal circuits. Cheers Tom, I was always surprised how long 60045 lasted for in the end, it had a lucky innings compared to some of the others, must be about a decade's extra service over the infamous 60081 On 12/02/2022 at 19:48, KDG said: James, as usual you've done justice to 2 fine Brush/Mirlees machines. I've always liked the presence of the 60's, and the names of course, Schehallion and Helvellyn being favourites, probably from my mountaineering days. Isn't it a crying shame that there is a long line of them languishing at Toton, and they'll probably never turn a wheel again? I suspect they'll eventually be scrapped on site being too far gone to move again. The mountain names are superb, some of them are quite dreamy as well! I'm no mountaineer but some day it would be rather tempting to go up some of the peaks that the locos were named after just because of the railway connection. The '60's used to sometimes make school Geography lessons more interesting, when a mountain name would occasionally get mentioned and my ears would prick up thinking 'ooh that's actually 600XX' I can't wait to see what happens with the rest of the 60s, you get the feeling they haven't got too many years left, if 60006 has gone already and some already sold on to new homes, the remaining few must be on borrowed time...itll be interesting to see which favourites are working on a preserved railway in 20 years time, decked out in original sector liveries or "Heritage EWS", and those which have ended up as giant flame-cut number panels on someone's wall! On 12/02/2022 at 20:10, 46444 said: Not 'Dick Mabutt`?!!! Cracking work as ever James and thanks for another wonderful and inspiring update... Have you done any of the BZ 37's at all? These are the ones I remember the most in my Devon/Cornwall days. Going back to Class 60's again another favourite was 60035 'Florence Nightingale' in Transrail livery.. Thanks once again. Mark Cheers Mark! The St Blazey 37s were great fun, I think the best years were before my modelling period though, I just love the sight of them in new Trainload Distribution branding or the hybrid ex-Scottish machines in Intercity Mainline with the Lizard depot plaque applied over the top, things of beauty there! I can't rule out doing a mini layout of that some day just as it'd be so much fun to do to scratch that itch! I keep telling myself to focus on the main project though..! The nearest I've got is 37669 which used to be a BZ machine at one stage in the 90s but one of the good things about modelling 1998 was the EWS common user policy had just come in, so things could turn up off their beaten track, so no reason why more ex BZ machines couldn't appear at Didcot! There's a few good machines to choose from but 37671 would be somewhere near the top of the pile to do someday. A great shout there on 60035 in Transrail! Funnily enough that machine very very nearly happened as part of this batch, but was just pipped at the post by something else that will appear in due course instead! On 12/02/2022 at 22:44, dj_crisp said: Cracking Job! I've always thought EWS livery really suited the 60s and one Hornby did ok on! They look smashing. Thanks Will, yeah the EWS livery just sits so nicely on the slab bodyside, and paired with the right nameplates too, they make very eye-catching machines! I do quite like Hornby's version of the livery too, aside from the early ones having a yellowy-gold stripe, they are not bad at all! Still lots around to choose from when buying, though I keep ending up with right dogs with the horns missing, ploughs missing and bogie frames obliterated haha! On 14/02/2022 at 19:53, sb67 said: James, I've been looking through your thread and posts from a while back to get some info on how you add transfers to wagons? Do you paint the whole thing gloss or just the area where the transfer will go and what do you use to fix the transfers? Many thanks. Steve. Cheers Steve, I've been liking the wagons in your thread! When I've done mine, typically I'll end up varnishing the whole wagon side in gloss, just using the Railmatch/Humbrol/Tamiya etc aerosols, I figure if I cover the whole side then it gives even depth/layers compared to treating a specific area, then after the decals are added I'll varnish over with Railmatch matt varnish and leave for a month or so before tackling with the thinners-based washes just to avoid accidentally lifting the layers of varnish! Hope this helps and look forward to seeing more of your projects! 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sb67 Posted February 16, 2022 Share Posted February 16, 2022 4 hours ago, James Makin said: Cheers Steve, I've been liking the wagons in your thread! When I've done mine, typically I'll end up varnishing the whole wagon side in gloss, just using the Railmatch/Humbrol/Tamiya etc aerosols, I figure if I cover the whole side then it gives even depth/layers compared to treating a specific area, then after the decals are added I'll varnish over with Railmatch matt varnish and leave for a month or so before tackling with the thinners-based washes just to avoid accidentally lifting the layers of varnish! Hope this helps and look forward to seeing more of your projects! Thank you James. It's interesting you mention leaving it a month or more before using thinners based methods. I left a wagon 3 days thinking it would have dried thoroughly and when I put even a light wash on the varnish started coming off! Fortunately the effect it gave wasn't too bad. I'll def leave the rest a bit longer now! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mophead45143 Posted February 16, 2022 Share Posted February 16, 2022 7 hours ago, James Makin said: The mountain names are superb, some of them are quite dreamy as well! I'm no mountaineer but some day it would be rather tempting to go up some of the peaks that the locos were named after just because of the railway connection. The '60's used to sometimes make school Geography lessons more interesting, when a mountain name would occasionally get mentioned and my ears would prick up thinking 'ooh that's actually 600XX' I have a friend like that James, always reciting class 60 numbers when discussing mountains! I tell him off though, as in my mind he ought to be reciting class 44 numbers! Cameron 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Popular Post James Makin Posted February 16, 2022 Author RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted February 16, 2022 (edited) I couldn’t resist sharing a snap of my latest purchase! The sign is one of the iconic lamppost boards from the great place itself, and in the classic Intercity Claret style from the late ‘80s onwards. There’s ghosting evidence of the newer Great Western stickers being applied over the top at one stage too, which is fun to see. It’s about 4ft x 2ft, I was surprised at the size as they looked so much smaller attached to a lamppost high in the sky! It’s just fun to think it was on the station during all my spotting visits, if only I knew which exact lamppost though! Massive thanks go to Marcus Lambert (if you’re reading this!) for giving me the heads up that it was for sale, it would’ve been rude not to buy it then! Now just got to work out where to hang it..! Cheers, James Edited March 31, 2022 by James Makin . 20 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris56057 Posted February 17, 2022 Share Posted February 17, 2022 Hi James, The station sign is a lovely addition to the layout - superb. Your EWS Tugs have come out really well, fantastic attention to detail. I've got one that needs weathering so you've given me the impetus to get on with it! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Popular Post James Makin Posted February 20, 2022 Author RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted February 20, 2022 Next up in the diesel 'lucky dip' machine we have...another pair of old 37s! 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Joining the fleet this week is Transrail 37154 and ETH-fitted 37426 in EWS livery, both modelled in late 1998 condition. 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr I am partial to a good scabby freight 37/0, and this Transrail example fitted the bill nicely, with its distressed sides and yellow ploughs, meanwhile 37426 represents some of the recently-refreshed 37/4s that saw turns on the North Wales loco-hauled services, and from time to time would surface at Didcot on other duties. The starting point would be a pair of Bachmann models, a split-headcode Coal-sector 37049 and another EWS 37411 bodyshell. 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr It is always fun removing the branding from the more recently produced Bachmann models, the coal branding here is satisfyingly just peeling off in sheets! After de-branding, the split-headcode ends were swapped out for centre-box lens versions, and the roof sanded down to represent 37154's arrangement. 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Meanwhile, the EWS one had its old branding removed, and renumbered with Railtec's superb EWS decals that Steve kindly put together a few years back - superb service! The body was glossed beforehand, and then the transfers sealed in after with a layer of Railmatch matt varnish. Other details added included Shawplan etched roof grilles and making sure the arrangement of old & new electrification flashes matched the prototype for 1998, they did seem to change often! 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Accompanied by some classic Norwegian electropop, the weathering stages could begin, both locos received the usual washes of dark browns and greys, painted on in varying thicknesses of wash and wiped off, leaving engrained dirt in the recesses. The pic below shows the next transition, after the initial wipe, you get a streaky, grimy appearance that you can then wipe back further with cotton buds, dipped in enamel thinners. This grimy layer can be fashioned into mostly translucent streaks of dirty grime if needed, working vertically from top to bottom. The left hand side of the loco below shows the clean area, vs the untreated part on the right. 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr With this layer of weathering complete, each loco body then receives the final detail painting, adding the little rusty patches and marks, picking out anything else and general corrections before a final layer of varnish to seal this layer of weathering into the body, before the final airbrush misting over the top of the reassembled body & chassis at the final stage of the project. 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The final airbrushing stage sees a range of browns and greys applied, together with the final roof exhaust shade of black & blue on the top. 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr 37426 was a bit of an average Joe loco by the late 90s, having been painted out of it's old Intercity Mainline colours and losing the unofficial painted Tinsley 'Mt Vesuvius' name in exchange for a much more corporate lick of EWS maroon & gold. 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr What was interesting however, despite being outshopped only a year or so before, it had already managed to lose a bit of the '6' decal on its running number, which of course meant this had to be replicated here! 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Later years would see this replaced with a new decal, but for the 1998-1999 period it had to be modelled! 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr I've created 37426 here as a dummy loco, for a couple of reasons - firstly, I'm not that adept at doing DCC consists of powered locos, and secondly, this uses up an old chassis from the very first Bachmann misshaped-body 37/4 I ever had! Formerly my old EW&S 37886 that used to run on Wells Green TMD, despite much maintenance, it had always been a poor runner, so after many years of loyal, but troubled service, instead of just selling it on, the loco has donated parts to a variety of 37s going forward! The original South West Digital version 1 sound chip went to my own 37411 model a couple of years back, the rolling chassis here to 37426, whilst the motor and flywheels repowering a dodgy Dutch 37, and the rest of the other salvageable detail parts have gone to other 37s in the build this year, so it lives on, in kit form! 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The loco has a conventional wire hoop at one end, and at the other, above, a long hook, so this can then plop over a loop on another loco or tack on the end of a train formation. 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr I can't resist a forlorn 37/0, there's just something nice about a mundane, dull '37' just going about it's business and getting tatty around the edges! 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The prominent 'Big T' logos came from Railtec and go on so nice and easy as one-part decals, compared to the older three-part versions from Fox. 37154 had a lot of bodyside damages, dirt and rust coming through the paintwork, modelled with fine 00000 brushes and some browns, working from light to dark shades. 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr One notable thing about the livery was the 'cut' T on one side, for some reason, there was just a bit missing, so this was removed from the decal before applying to the model. It also didn't have the 'Transrail' lettering either. 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Little extra touches included drybrushing the chassis with Humbrol Metalcote gunmetal, which was then polished once dry to bring out the raised surfaces, and the snowploughs were Bachmann versions, glued to the chassis and thinned down at the rear with a mandrill sanding attachment to ensure no rub from the bogies. 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The unusual rectangle buffers were sourced (i.e. stolen) from one of my Hornby Class 92s. With the forthcoming Accurascale 'Dyson' behemoth, they won't be seeing the light of day much more anyway! 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr On its last legs! 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr As always, it's been a great exercise to preserve these two mighty machines in miniature; 37154 would continue spluttering along into 1999 before seeing storage and eventual transfer to the WNXX pool, ahead of the scrap man calling at Wigan in 2000. Meanwhile, shiny red 37426 would eek out a few more years, becoming part of the EWS Sandite fleet in 2003, before eventual storage the following year. It would later be sold to DRS and stored at Carlisle where it would see out the rest of its days until meeting it's maker at CF Booth's in 2013. With so many of today's 37/4s achieving widespread celebrity status, mainline running and an almost-certain place in preservation ahead, '426 was one of the unlucky ones that just slipped through the net. 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Looking forward to getting these running on a variety of services! Cheers, James 30 12 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted February 20, 2022 Share Posted February 20, 2022 very nice James ! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Fatadder Posted February 20, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 20, 2022 Like the idea of the dummy 37, I currently have most of an old 37/4 chassis (gear towers, block and probably the oo wheels.) quite tempted to 3D print a new set of bogie frames and fuel tanks and add another 37 to run in multiple on the long distance clay flows…… 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mophead45143 Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 On 02/02/2022 at 13:32, James Makin said: Haha, I reckon if we both start working on 31s then that'll surely trigger an Accurascale announcement! I don't envy you with those tiny roof handrails, there are tons of them! Cheers, James James, did you make a start on your 31's then...? https://accurascale.co.uk/blogs/news/accurascale-2-brush-up-with-br-class-30-and-31-brush-2-in-00-4mm It wasn't me..... Cameron 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne 37901 Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 On 16/02/2022 at 23:57, James Makin said: I couldn’t resist sharing a snap of my latest purchase! The sign is one of the iconic lamppost boards from the great place itself, and in the classic Intercity Claret style from the late ‘80s onwards. There’s ghosting evidence of the newer Great Western stickers being applied over the top at one stage too, which is fun to see. It’s about 4ft x 2ft, I was surprised at the size as they looked so much smaller attached to a lamppost high in the sky! It’s just fun to think it was on the station during all my spotting visits, if only I knew which exact lamppost though! Massive thanks go to Marcus Lambert (if you’re reading this!) for giving me the heads up that it was for sale, it would’ve been rude not to buy it then! Now just got to work out where to hang it..! Cheers, James Nice purchase James. I'm not sure if Marcus posts much on here, but he's a friend of mine so can pass on your thanks if you like. Cheers, Wayne 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted February 24, 2022 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted February 24, 2022 3 hours ago, Mophead45143 said: James, did you make a start on your 31's then...? https://accurascale.co.uk/blogs/news/accurascale-2-brush-up-with-br-class-30-and-31-brush-2-in-00-4mm It wasn't me..... Cameron Haha, I think our chat about them must've been a good omen! I was looking through the releases earlier and it could be seriously expensive, there's at least 5-6 I'd love to go for! The Dutch version especially looks extremely useful, with the driver's side headlight, and paired with some cheeky deletion of the ETH socket, could be a great donor for a few vulnerable-looking tatty messes that I've got in mind. It feels almost wrong somehow to be cunningly concocting plans on how I can wreck and ruin shiny brand new Accurascale locos that haven't even been produced yet..! Alongside that there was a few good survivors into my '98 time period, I was already planning an IC Mainline 31420 on the big 'hitlist' and a Regional Railways 31465...plus a BR Blue 31434, all relatively easy reworkings now rather than the big projects they once were, it'll be party time come next year! 2 hours ago, Wayne 37901 said: Nice purchase James. I'm not sure if Marcus posts much on here, but he's a friend of mine so can pass on your thanks if you like. Cheers, Wayne Cheers Wayne, we tend to message on Facebook (poor Marcus!) but I thought I've got to give a public shoutout as the least I can do too, I always wanted a bit of railwayana and especially something Didcot-related, but never thought I'd get a chance to get a sign post! The dream would be to own some of the fabulous loco nameplates from my spotting days but that really is on another level, when it's at the stage where you can buy a respectable family car for the same price as a small chunk of tarnished metal then that's when some serious thinking is needed! Cheers, James 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sb67 Posted February 24, 2022 Share Posted February 24, 2022 (edited) Fantastic work James! I love the dirt on the bonnets, that is what I remember most about that class, the bonnet tops were always grimy! Quick question, what colour do you paint your wagon buffer heads? Edited February 24, 2022 by sb67 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDG Posted February 24, 2022 Share Posted February 24, 2022 On 20/02/2022 at 15:18, James Makin said: Next up in the diesel 'lucky dip' machine we have...another pair of old 37s! 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Joining the fleet this week is Transrail 37154 and ETH-fitted 37426 in EWS livery, both modelled in late 1998 condition. 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr I am partial to a good scabby freight 37/0, and this Transrail example fitted the bill nicely, with its distressed sides and yellow ploughs, meanwhile 37426 represents some of the recently-refreshed 37/4s that saw turns on the North Wales loco-hauled services, and from time to time would surface at Didcot on other duties. The starting point would be a pair of Bachmann models, a split-headcode Coal-sector 37049 and another EWS 37411 bodyshell. 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr It is always fun removing the branding from the more recently produced Bachmann models, the coal branding here is satisfyingly just peeling off in sheets! After de-branding, the split-headcode ends were swapped out for centre-box lens versions, and the roof sanded down to represent 37154's arrangement. 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Meanwhile, the EWS one had its old branding removed, and renumbered with Railtec's superb EWS decals that Steve kindly put together a few years back - superb service! The body was glossed beforehand, and then the transfers sealed in after with a layer of Railmatch matt varnish. Other details added included Shawplan etched roof grilles and making sure the arrangement of old & new electrification flashes matched the prototype for 1998, they did seem to change often! 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Accompanied by some classic Norwegian electropop, the weathering stages could begin, both locos received the usual washes of dark browns and greys, painted on in varying thicknesses of wash and wiped off, leaving engrained dirt in the recesses. The pic below shows the next transition, after the initial wipe, you get a streaky, grimy appearance that you can then wipe back further with cotton buds, dipped in enamel thinners. This grimy layer can be fashioned into mostly translucent streaks of dirty grime if needed, working vertically from top to bottom. The left hand side of the loco below shows the clean area, vs the untreated part on the right. 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr With this layer of weathering complete, each loco body then receives the final detail painting, adding the little rusty patches and marks, picking out anything else and general corrections before a final layer of varnish to seal this layer of weathering into the body, before the final airbrush misting over the top of the reassembled body & chassis at the final stage of the project. 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The final airbrushing stage sees a range of browns and greys applied, together with the final roof exhaust shade of black & blue on the top. 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr 37426 was a bit of an average Joe loco by the late 90s, having been painted out of it's old Intercity Mainline colours and losing the unofficial painted Tinsley 'Mt Vesuvius' name in exchange for a much more corporate lick of EWS maroon & gold. 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr What was interesting however, despite being outshopped only a year or so before, it had already managed to lose a bit of the '6' decal on its running number, which of course meant this had to be replicated here! 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Later years would see this replaced with a new decal, but for the 1998-1999 period it had to be modelled! 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr I've created 37426 here as a dummy loco, for a couple of reasons - firstly, I'm not that adept at doing DCC consists of powered locos, and secondly, this uses up an old chassis from the very first Bachmann misshaped-body 37/4 I ever had! Formerly my old EW&S 37886 that used to run on Wells Green TMD, despite much maintenance, it had always been a poor runner, so after many years of loyal, but troubled service, instead of just selling it on, the loco has donated parts to a variety of 37s going forward! The original South West Digital version 1 sound chip went to my own 37411 model a couple of years back, the rolling chassis here to 37426, whilst the motor and flywheels repowering a dodgy Dutch 37, and the rest of the other salvageable detail parts have gone to other 37s in the build this year, so it lives on, in kit form! 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The loco has a conventional wire hoop at one end, and at the other, above, a long hook, so this can then plop over a loop on another loco or tack on the end of a train formation. 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr I can't resist a forlorn 37/0, there's just something nice about a mundane, dull '37' just going about it's business and getting tatty around the edges! 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The prominent 'Big T' logos came from Railtec and go on so nice and easy as one-part decals, compared to the older three-part versions from Fox. 37154 had a lot of bodyside damages, dirt and rust coming through the paintwork, modelled with fine 00000 brushes and some browns, working from light to dark shades. 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr One notable thing about the livery was the 'cut' T on one side, for some reason, there was just a bit missing, so this was removed from the decal before applying to the model. It also didn't have the 'Transrail' lettering either. 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Little extra touches included drybrushing the chassis with Humbrol Metalcote gunmetal, which was then polished once dry to bring out the raised surfaces, and the snowploughs were Bachmann versions, glued to the chassis and thinned down at the rear with a mandrill sanding attachment to ensure no rub from the bogies. 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The unusual rectangle buffers were sourced (i.e. stolen) from one of my Hornby Class 92s. With the forthcoming Accurascale 'Dyson' behemoth, they won't be seeing the light of day much more anyway! 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr On its last legs! 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr As always, it's been a great exercise to preserve these two mighty machines in miniature; 37154 would continue spluttering along into 1999 before seeing storage and eventual transfer to the WNXX pool, ahead of the scrap man calling at Wigan in 2000. Meanwhile, shiny red 37426 would eek out a few more years, becoming part of the EWS Sandite fleet in 2003, before eventual storage the following year. It would later be sold to DRS and stored at Carlisle where it would see out the rest of its days until meeting it's maker at CF Booth's in 2013. With so many of today's 37/4s achieving widespread celebrity status, mainline running and an almost-certain place in preservation ahead, '426 was one of the unlucky ones that just slipped through the net. 37154 and 37426 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Looking forward to getting these running on a variety of services! Cheers, James Phwoar triple grey with big T stickers, phwooooarrr! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted February 25, 2022 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted February 25, 2022 On 24/02/2022 at 06:49, sb67 said: Fantastic work James! I love the dirt on the bonnets, that is what I remember most about that class, the bonnet tops were always grimy! Quick question, what colour do you paint your wagon buffer heads? Thanks very much Steve! It is fun doing the bonnets, like you say, they always seemed to be grimy even if the rest was cleaned! I have to make a temporary 'shade' to cover the windscreens while spraying down from above with the airbrush so that they don't get caked in grime! For the wagon buffer heads, they tend to be a mix of dark greys - Humbrol 32 mixed with 33 matt black, I normally paint the whole of the wagon underframe and buffers at the same time using Humbrols 1/32/33/62/113/186, mottled on but generally the buffer bits get the dark grey mottling with maybe a splosh of the browns added in! Anything that doesn't look quite right gets another going over, but it is rather random I must say I am loving your OAAs on your thread, it is making me want to get out some Hornby bodies I've had stashed for a decade or so and mate them up to some Bachmann van chassis, one of the projects on the giant long to-do list for some day! Now with all the locos completed I am getting some wagons in again, starting with the next batch of Barbels! 21 hours ago, KDG said: Phwoar triple grey with big T stickers, phwooooarrr! I've got to admit the Transrail scheme does look good! I wasn't so much of a fan as a youngster just preferring Loadhaul over Transrail or Mainline but it is growing on me as time goes by! Cheers, James 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Popular Post James Makin Posted February 25, 2022 Author RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted February 25, 2022 It's time for some 47s that are past their best-before date! 47224 and 47229 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Joining the fleet this week is 47224 in Trainload Petroleum livery, modelled in early 1998 condition, and Trainload Distribution-liveried classmate 47229, modelled in late 1998 condition. 47224 and 47229 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr I do like a scabby 47, and these two are no exception! The starting point was the Bachmann model, and the 'old' one at that - how strange to think we have a new one out! 47224 and 47229 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The 'Herbert Austin' release is a classic go-to donor here, perfectly applied Trainload greys and branding that easily comes off if needed, and at least until the pandemic and prices going a bit crazy, could easily be had reduced or secondhand for sub-£100 prices at shows across the country. A touch of enamel thinners had the nameplate and depot plaque branding removed back to plain grey, and a start was made on some of the specific features of each loco on the bodyshell. 47224 and 47229 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr For Trainload Distribution 47229, the livery would remain the same but there were a few updated features to incorporate, the RfD multi-working Elephant socket was added from an old Heljan 47 plastic sprue. As they can be quite stickey-outey and easily broken off, a piece of brass was drilled in behind it to give extra security in mounting. A Crewe-cut cab conversion was done too, shaving off the bottom part where the cowling was around the front and sides of the cab, and changes to the roof intake grille for the airhorns. The original Bachmann 47 moulding also suffered with having plastic tooling marks across the roof ends and at the No. 2 end top side, so these were filed back smooth in line with all my other examples. Next up, came the livery fun! 47224 and 47229 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr In common with much of the Trainload Distribution fleet, the red logos didn't last too long in the sunlight, and 47229 had a very faded and tatty logo on one side (the other may have been replaced more recently, or maybe it only ever faced one way into the sun! ) - so a start was made by scratching away the old colours where needed, and then painting in faded shades of the logo over the top. Decals were added from Railtec for the numbers and Petroleum flashes on 47224, and the loco bodies sealed in with Railmatch Matt varnish and left for a month before tackling the weathering. 47224 and 47229 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Early 2000s Rachel Stevens is really the go-to choice for any sector '47' project, here we can see the usual initial layers of paint wash going on, which is then removed with paper towels to get the most off, working in a vertical motion, followed up by cotton buds dipped in enamel thinners. Some dirty streaking fun could be had over the light grey livery alongside the dirt build up in the usual places. 47224 and 47229 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Both locos had body corrosion in certain places alongside battle damage and scars from past nameplates and plaques that were great to add, mainly using fine 00000 brushes. Overall traffic weathering was the same as the others in this batch, a sprinkling of Phoenix Paint's track dirt and brake dust on the underframe, and then moving upwards, 'roof dirt', 'dirty black' and my custom mix of black & blue for the exhaust weathering. 47224 and 47229 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr 47224 in its beautiful Trainload Petroleum livery is one that's been on the modelling hitlist for absolutely years. There were not many left by my modelling period and I saw a pic of one withdrawn petroleum 47 being used in Fire Service training exercises in RAIL magazine back in 1999 and thinking that I really would love a model of one, one day! 47224 and 47229 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr With nameplate scars left by it's old Shell Arcidae nameplates, 47224 does look a little past its best! 1998 was a transition year for the loco, with it soon changing hands from EWS over to Freightliner, where the loco would soon lose its Petroleum decals for anonymous grey. 47224 and 47229 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The loco had the original bufferbeam cowling still intact, and had the battery-box-only underframe, which required some modifications from the donor model. Correct Bachmann battery box sideframes were obtained as spares, but with the middle section of the moulding removed to give the correct open air look underneath the loco, and the various pipe runs added in from strips of brass wire. 47224 and 47229 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The black headcode boxes are an interesting touch, and go to show that despite the unkempt scabby appearance, someone, somewhere was giving it a bit of enthusiast attention! 47224 and 47229 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Moving on through, we have similarly tatty 47229 in Trainload Distribution joining the ranks too... 47224 and 47229 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The Railfreight Distribution fleet in the late 90s was superb, a real hotchpotch of machines from the clean and shiny 'Euro' versions with blue roofs and big corporate nameplates, through to some absolute dumps with old liveries peeling through their faded late 80s triple greys. 47229 sits somewhere inbetween, the triple grey has seen better days and the logos on one side have long bleached out, but overall no as bad as some classmates. 47224 and 47229 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr My favourite side is the one with the dodgy sector flash, topped off with some scarring of the where the BR arrows were once affixed to the cabside. 47224 and 47229 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Despite having many of the life extension modifications made to the other Railfreight Distribution 47s, this example escaped the paintbrush, so was left to soldier on into the 90s with the older colour scheme and could be found at the head of many automotive trains heading through Didcot, and consequently straight into my modelling remit! 47224 and 47229 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr 47224 and 47229 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Modelling these two locos has been very enjoyable as always, bringing back some iconic late 80s liveries but with the dank rusty condition of the passing decade of hard work! 47224 and 47229 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The locos would have similar fortunes, with 47224 being shipped off to Freightliner and debranded, seeing out service until 2003, meanwhile 47229 was sidelined by EWS first in late 1998 before final withdrawal in 2001. Both machines would be scrapped in 2007, at Crewe and Stockton respectively. 47224 and 47229 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr I look forward to placing these locos at the head of some meaty trains! 47229 would be a good candidate to be a double header with other RfD locos on the automotive flows, whilst 47224 can turn up on a wide variety of services, or even on the first Freightliner flows before it lost its gorgeous branding! Cheers, James 24 9 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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