Wright writes.....

[Benjamin Brady]

Good Evening, 

 

Just catching up and dropping back to your post on the new Thompson. I have been working on the Weaver Hill coaching stock and was weathering the sleeper train today.

 

However again after seeing the LB stock, I forgot to ask how do you go about weathering your own stock. Do you paint and dry brush or is it airbrush to get the base colours?

 

Cheers 

 

Ben 

[Andy R]

53 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

I'm delighted to report that the three non-motored GWR locos which were donated for CRUK have now sold; for more than I was asking!

 

Many thanks, Al.

I am equally delighted Tony. Great outcome. Steady stream of visitors to the shed I notice. Oh what fun. What better way to spend a day? 

regards Andy R

[Willie Whizz]

3 hours ago, PMP said:

I’m not following your point. The comment was made here (and elsewhere) that RTR pricing is too expensive, it’s preventing people entering the hobby, or people are being priced out of the hobby. If people want to buy a specific model it may be too expensive for them. That’s life.  We can’t all afford Bentley’s either, but those and the high end RTR (new) are selling, as are the lower spec trains and cars. And following on from that the second hand market is doing well too. If someone has a limited amount to spend on their railway hobby, they won’t be able to afford some of the high spec products. That doesn’t prevent them from entering the hobby, and neither does it force thrm

out of it, only their mindset does that.

You said:  “Why do railway modellers ‘have’ to start at the top end quality?, the answer of course is, they don’t.”

 

They don’t ‘have to’ in an absolute sense, yes. But to create the model they want to create, if serious about the hobby, there is (usually) only a limited range of models to buy, whether RTR or kit. The more esoteric the prototype selected, the more expensive the models are likely to be. 
 

“Any old car that will do the job” will suffice for many people on a limited budget. If (like another poster said) I want a Vauxhall Vectra though (or something more upmarket and specialised) and nothing else will really do, then you may well have no choice but to cough-up top prices - or not model railways at all. If I want to model only the South Highland Railway c. 1910 then the availability of cheap diesel loco models is of no interest or use to me. Whereas “any car that will do the job that I can afford” will often do. 

[St Enodoc]

6 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

a computer model railway is the thief of time

Corrected...

[Dunsignalling]

7 hours ago, Willie Whizz said:

You said:  “Why do railway modellers ‘have’ to start at the top end quality?, the answer of course is, they don’t.”

 

They don’t ‘have to’ in an absolute sense, yes. But to create the model they want to create, if serious about the hobby, there is (usually) only a limited range of models to buy, whether RTR or kit. The more esoteric the prototype selected, the more expensive the models are likely to be. 
 

“Any old car that will do the job” will suffice for many people on a limited budget. If (like another poster said) I want a Vauxhall Vectra though (or something more upmarket and specialised) and nothing else will really do, then you may well have no choice but to cough-up top prices - or not model railways at all. If I want to model only the South Highland Railway c. 1910 then the availability of cheap diesel loco models is of no interest or use to me. Whereas “any car that will do the job that I can afford” will often do. 

Those who are "really serious about the hobby" will always find a way of partaking within their means. 

 

Since the turn of the century, we have been deluged with RTR models of much greater detail and choice of liveries and variations than we could have imagined even a few years earlier. Initially, these were ludicrously cheap for what they were and many (me included) got into the habit of buying whatever we fancied, without considering how, when, or even if we might use it.

 

As a result, I and hundreds (if not thousands) of others have accumulated at least ten times more locomotives than any layout we have room for will accommodate. On reflection, this is daft, and not something to which new entrants should consider either normal or desirable in the longer term.

 

I don't have garden space for a railway hut like Tony's or that housing my pal's 50' x 18' empire (which he spent a year negotiating planning and two years self-building in thermal block before layout construction could even begin). I am therefore in the process of working out which 50% (minimum) of my hoard to dispose of in order to free up room for a half-decent home layout; I'm finding some stuff I don't even remember buying!

 

The truth is that, for most of us, on layouts to which we can honestly aspire, we'll never really need more than a dozen locos to run a representative service and most could make a sensible beginning with a third of that.

 

Catching a serious dose of the collecting bug is a different matter entirely, and one which has always been exclusively the province of those with very deep and well-filled pockets.

 

Is much of the angst expressed over rising prices perhaps rooted in desired quantity more than affordable quality?

 

John

Edited May 17, 2023 by Dunsignalling

[Chamby]

58 minutes ago, Dunsignalling said:

Those who are "really serious about the hobby" will always find a way of partaking within their means. 

 

Since the turn of the century, we have been deluged with RTR models of much greater detail and choice of liveries and variations than we could have imagined even a few years earlier. Initially, these were ludicrously cheap for what they were and many (me included) got into the habit of buying whatever we fancied, without considering how, when, or even if we might use it.

 

As a result, I and hundreds (if not thousands) of others have accumulated at least ten times more locomotives than any layout we have room for will accommodate. On reflection, this is daft, and not something to which new entrants should consider either normal or desirable in the longer term.

 

I don't have garden space for a railway hut like Tony's or that housing my pal's 50' x 18' empire (which he spent a year negotiating planning and two years self-building in thermal block before layout construction could even begin). I am therefore in the process of working out which 50% (minimum) of my hoard to dispose of in order to free up room for a half-decent home layout; I'm finding some stuff I don't even remember buying!

 

The truth is that, for most of us, on layouts to which we can honestly aspire, we'll never really need more than a dozen locos to run a representative service and most could make a sensible beginning with a third of that.

 

Catching a serious dose of the collecting bug is a different matter entirely, and one which has always been exclusively the province of those with very deep and well-filled pockets.

 

Is much of the angst expressed over rising prices perhaps rooted in desired quantity more than affordable quality?

 

John

 

I am one of the many: what seems like a reasonable monthly rate of spend on my hobby has built up over the years into a collection that is much greater than my layout needs, and represents what seems like an inordinate spend.

 

There are many reasons for this.   My interests are broad, but my layout represents just one carefully selected time/location that I focus on.  I have sufficient stock to run it in either the early fifties, or BR blue diesel era.  I also have a few pre-grouping trains as another personal interest, plus some western region hydraulics and even four modern image rakes that run on club layouts.  Then there is the legacy of my earlier interest in Swiss metre gauge....

 

Is this excessive?  It’s certainly way more than I need, but it still gives me much enjoyment.

 

Yet this indulgent collection has also cost me well under half the price that my next door neighbour has just spent on his new camper van, and my annual hobby spend is way less than other friends spend on their holidays, golf club fees, sports cars...  and especially those with boating interests!  

 

So you see, it’s all relative. 

[Tony Wright]

4 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Corrected...

Days like yesterday make a model railway the reason for time!

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Chas Levin]

10 hours ago, Northmoor said:

The burnt-out brake van is a common scenic feature on layouts (not quite approaching the bus on a bridge) but that is by a large margin the best rendition I have ever seen; really exceptional attention to detail.  It looks significantly larger than OO.

I must agree: not something I'd model myself but an absolutely stunning job!

 

I sometimes think there's quite a sharp dividing line between those who seek to model reality and those who seek to create a fantasy or perfect world - though I realise that's a generalisation of course and many have a foot in both camps.

I must admit to being a 'perfect past' modeller (not 'past perfect', which is too tense for me😁) and I don't even weather anything, but something like that brake van transcends anyone's own modelling preferences doesn't it?

 

Difficult to stop looking at the picture, seeing more and more details...

[Dunsignalling]

48 minutes ago, Chamby said:

 

I am one of the many: what seems like a reasonable monthly rate of spend on my hobby has built up over the years into a collection that is much greater than my layout needs, and represents what seems like an inordinate spend.

 

There are many reasons for this.   My interests are broad, but my layout represents just one carefully selected time/location that I focus on.  I have sufficient stock to run it in either the early fifties, or BR blue diesel era.  I also have a few pre-grouping trains as another personal interest, plus some western region hydraulics and even four modern image rakes that run on club layouts.  Then there is the legacy of my earlier interest in Swiss metre gauge....

 

Is this excessive?  It’s certainly way more than I need, but it still gives me much enjoyment.

 

Yet this indulgent collection has also cost me well under half the price that my next door neighbour has just spent on his new camper van, and my annual hobby spend is way less than other friends spend on their holidays, golf club fees, sports cars...  and especially those with boating interests!  

 

So you see, it’s all relative. 

Agreed, but there's a danger that we established hobbyists assume the newcomer has similar immediate aspirations to ours. They don't, just as we didn't when we began, because our viewpoints are entirely different. Where we might clamour for the ultimate iteration of a very specific (e.g.) Class 47 that "fills a gap" in an existing loco roster, a beginner's desire is more likely to be for a "typical" example.

 

Similarly extending into multiple eras is something that happens over time, often by starting with a broad modelling period then, as ones collection increases, splitting it into two or more, better delineated ones.   

 

I suspect that few beginners initially imagine ever  possessing two dozen or more models of the same class, which is commonplace amongst those who have been accumulating locos at a rate of one every couple of months for twenty-odd years. In that time, I have built up a fleet of 30-odd Bulleid Pacifics and I don't doubt there are numerous conglomerations of A3s, Class 37 and 47 (to name but a few) out there that outnumber it.

 

All things are relative, both between and within hobbies.

 

John

 

 

 

Edited May 17, 2023 by Dunsignalling

[Tony Wright]

11 hours ago, Benjamin Brady said:

Good Evening, 

 

Just catching up and dropping back to your post on the new Thompson. I have been working on the Weaver Hill coaching stock and was weathering the sleeper train today.

 

However again after seeing the LB stock, I forgot to ask how do you go about weathering your own stock. Do you paint and dry brush or is it airbrush to get the base colours?

 

Cheers 

 

Ben 

Good morning Ben,

 

My own weathering is done using matt enamels (various greys/browns/blacks), dry-brushed on with a sable, then, at times, washed off (at least in part, with thinners. This leaves muck in reveals and gaps. 

 

I don't own an airbrush. 

 

Some examples..................

 

 

 

I left the sides of these Bachmann carmine/cream Thompson cars un-sullied, just weathering the underframes/bogies/ends and roofs. 

 

I'll do the same with the latest maroon Thompson.

 

 

This Hornby SR bogie van has been quite heavily-weathered as described. 

 

 

Removing over-painting from the windows with thinners caused this 'fogging' on a Hornby gangwayed Gresley, though it might be a happy accident. 

 

 

A cotton bud removed excess 'dirt' from the windows (when the paint was still 'wet') of these Hornby non-gangwayed Gresleys. 

 

I hope these help. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

Edited May 17, 2023 by Tony Wright
clumsy grammar

[Tony Wright]

10 hours ago, Andy R said:

I am equally delighted Tony. Great outcome. Steady stream of visitors to the shed I notice. Oh what fun. What better way to spend a day? 

regards Andy R

Good morning Andy,

 

It is a great privilege to have so many visitors seeing Little Bytham.

 

Yesterday, I had a derailment (more caused by a visiting loco, really), and my friends were delighted to discover that it can happen on LB! 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Tony Wright]

1 hour ago, Chas Levin said:

I must agree: not something I'd model myself but an absolutely stunning job!

 

I sometimes think there's quite a sharp dividing line between those who seek to model reality and those who seek to create a fantasy or perfect world - though I realise that's a generalisation of course and many have a foot in both camps.

I must admit to being a 'perfect past' modeller (not 'past perfect', which is too tense for me😁) and I don't even weather anything, but something like that brake van transcends anyone's own modelling preferences doesn't it?

 

Difficult to stop looking at the picture, seeing more and more details...

Good morning Chas,

 

'and I don't even weather anything'

 

There is a sharp dividing line - I weather everything (or have things weathered if it's a painting commission - usually slightly, so as not to obliterate beautiful lining). 

 

This is not just confined to locos/stock, but to lineside structures, architecture, signalling, etc, as well as road vehicles. I have to say, with regard to the last-mentioned, so many layouts look unrealistic to me where there are scores of gleaming vehicles on any roads.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Bernard Lamb]

24 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

Good morning Chas,

 

'and I don't even weather anything'

 

There is a sharp dividing line - I weather everything (or have things weathered if it's a painting commission - usually slightly, so as not to obliterate beautiful lining). 

 

This is not just confined to locos/stock, but to lineside structures, architecture, signalling, etc, as well as road vehicles. I have to say, with regard to the last-mentioned, so many layouts look unrealistic to me where there are scores of gleaming vehicles on any roads.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Good morning Tony,

On that point may I flag up the work of Keir Hardy. His road vehicle weathering is without equal. 

Worth a study by anybody who is looking for a realistic finish.

Bernard

[Willie Whizz]

38 minutes ago, Bernard Lamb said:

Good morning Tony,

On that point may I flag up the work of Keir Hardy. His road vehicle weathering is without equal. 

Worth a study by anybody who is looking for a realistic finish.

Bernard

Where might one find it to study, please?  This is an issue I know I shall need to address in due course. 

[Barclay]

3 minutes ago, Willie Whizz said:

Where might one find it to study, please?  This is an issue I know I shall need to address in due course. 

Have a look at their website - www.emgauge70s.co.uk, though you may be on it for some time !

[Tony Wright]

An example of Tom Foster's vehicle weathering...............

 

 

An EFE die-cast bus (which now carries the appropriate destination/route number). 

[NHY 581]

Any of the Oxford diecast range can be enhanced with a bit of weathering. 

 

Here's a Series One Land Rover I tinkered with. 

 

 

 

Rob.

 

 

Edited May 17, 2023 by NHY 581

[Barry Ten]

As well as being too shiny, one thing I can't stand with road vehicles is all four wheels not being in contact with the ground. With longer wheelbase models (doesn't seem to be a problem with cars) I arrange for a rocking suspension:

 

 

This model has also had light weathering, a repainted interior and a matt finish, but I hadn't done the roof at the time of the video.

[Barry Ten]

6 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Good morning Ben,

 

My own weathering is done using matt enamels (various greys/browns/blacks), dry-brushed on with a sable, then, at times, washed off (at least in part, with thinners. This leaves muck in reveals and gaps. 

 

I don't own an airbrush. 

 

Some examples..................

 

 

 

 

 

I left the sides of these Bachmann carmine/cream Thompson cars un-sullied, just weathering the underframes/bogies/ends and roofs. 

 

I'll do the same with the latest maroon Thompson.

 

 

 

This Hornby SR bogie van has been quite heavily-weathered as described. 

 

 

Removing over-painting from the windows with thinners caused this 'fogging' on a Hornby gangwayed Gresley, though it might be a happy accident. 

 

 

 

 

Should you not be happy with the fogged windows (I agree it looks fine in context), a little T-cut ought to restore the polish.

[micklner]

20 minutes ago, Barry Ten said:

 

Should you not be happy with the fogged windows (I agree it looks fine in context), a little T-cut ought to restore the polish.

T cut is far too abrasive, it will destroy the glazing totally. Lots of various polishes available online . Toothpaste might be better option?.

[Barry Ten]

40 minutes ago, micklner said:

T cut is far too abrasive, it will destroy the glazing totally. 

 

Not in my experience.

[Hollar]

On 08/05/2023 at 11:08, zr2498 said:

Now this is what I call a proper rolling road

 

 

Nigel Gresley looks rather live Ian McKellan in his film of Richard III.  Maybe this is why Thompson was so anxious to plough his own furrow

 

Tony

[Benjamin Brady]

HI, 

 

Thanks for the response the effect is great. I always switch between weathering with a brush and weathering with the airbrush, but I find the airbrush does take a lot of time with cleaning and setting up. The effect you have on all the coaching stock is subtle and has that in service look, and I am going to look at doing more coaching stock weathering this way, rather than getting the airbrush out. 

 

I have been doing a little modern stock but I do find it is mundane, on the other hand I enjoy doing the few steam locos I have. The Hall is up there with one my better attempts. I wanted to create a clean look on the loco with only a little bit or running in grime, my only real regret after doing this was not going to the effort to renumber it. The Q6 was done due to me living in the North East for a few years. 

 

Brush painting, with dry brushing also works well the 20t slaters hoppers have been finished this way and I do like  the effect. I really need to crack on and built the rest of the wagons for the train. 

 

You'll have to excuse the model this is Weaver Hill replacement. 

Edited May 17, 2023 by Benjamin Brady

[Tony Wright]

The altered/weathered Bachmann maroon Thompson CK is now in service on LB..............

 

 

It fits well (as it should) with another Bachmann Thompson in carmine and cream, and in the company of the 3D-printed Gresley RFO (which featured a couple of months ago in the RM).

 

 

My usual couplings and concertina gangways attached. 

 

This is superior to anything I've kit-built of the same diagram. 

 

I have to say, I find these Thompson carriages (though some call them Newton carriages) among the most-attractive of post-War stock, especially in BR colours. 

Edited May 17, 2023 by Tony Wright
to add something

[Chas Levin]

13 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Good morning Chas,

 

'and I don't even weather anything'

 

There is a sharp dividing line - I weather everything (or have things weathered if it's a painting commission - usually slightly, so as not to obliterate beautiful lining). 

 

This is not just confined to locos/stock, but to lineside structures, architecture, signalling, etc, as well as road vehicles. I have to say, with regard to the last-mentioned, so many layouts look unrealistic to me where there are scores of gleaming vehicles on any roads.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Evening Tony, yes, I cannot claim realism for my un-weathered stock or other models, but I'm not sure that realism is something I'm trying to recreate.

Or, if it is, it's a sort of idealised, make-believe, nostalgia-soaked fantasy version of realism, one that assuredly never existed anywhere other than in my imagination...

I am frequently in awe of others' genuinely realistic modelling but for me, it's about something different and modelling is (I hope) a broad church 🙂.