well filled baps The Sheep Chronicles : These are the adventures of a Sheep, the Works Forecat and Naughty George,

[NHY 581]

1 hour ago, MrWolf said:

He may end up being a dog that thinks he's a sheep?

 

He's apparently looking forward to helping me with Lucky the Sentinel when a few new bits arrive, hopefully tomorrow. 

 

He tells me we can do it while we're watching the footy on telly. 

 

Rob

[Schooner]

Best way to watch the footy. In a different room, doing something else...

 

😇

 

 

PS. The The Ewes Brothers (I assume?!) quote in your sig makes me laugh every time Rob, top value!

 

Edited March 24, 2023 by Schooner

[Winslow Boy]

Well as you asked mine is currently fast asleep but with ears up just in case the biscuits are produced having been out for an hour and half this morning. She has been fed and is on the chair of observation or CHO.

[NHY 581]

35 minutes ago, Schooner said:

 

PS. The The Ewes Brothers (I assume?!) quote in your sig makes me laugh every time Rob, top value!

 

 

 

Like it ! 

 

 

 

 

 

[2ManySpams]

7 hours ago, Limpley Stoker said:

Is your woofer allowed into the railway room or are you still in house training mode ?  I can’t let mine loose in my shed because she wants to run off with anything chew sized !

 

Pannier tanks would surely fit the bill of being chew sized. 

[Limpley Stoker]

At least if I drop anything I’ll know exactly where it is - it hardly reaches the floor !

[Winslow Boy]

4 hours ago, NHY 581 said:

 

 

Like it ! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh Lord now we're in trouble - sheep in black.

[Tortuga]

I was thinking Reservoir Sheep

[Winslow Boy]

42 minutes ago, Tortuga said:

I was thinking Reservoir Sheep

 

Gone I'll bite Who's Mr Green?

[NickBrad]

On 21/03/2023 at 18:37, John Besley said:

How about a bus bar using two lengths of brass rod spaced an 1" apart this can be fixed in place with a brass cleat made up 2 or 3 per length.

 

I've used 1/16th brass rod inside buildings as bus bar in 16mm garden railways station building and a loco shed

 

Further thoughts on the above to fix you could use strips of 15amp Choc block  (terminal strip connector) - thread the bar through the choc blocks clamping in place and screw the blocks in place with 3.00mm wood screws through the mounting holes if you use a block 3 wide it will give you plenty of segregation allowing room to make connections by soldering to the bar

 

Following up on this idea, why not simply grab a length of code 100 track, (that I'm sure most of us have hung on to, even after switching to code 75,) and use that as your bus? Already held apart by the plastic sleepers and a bit cheaper than brass rod

[NHY 581]

7 hours ago, NickBrad said:

 

Following up on this idea, why not simply grab a length of code 100 track, (that I'm sure most of us have hung on to, even after switching to code 75,) and use that as your bus? Already held apart by the plastic sleepers and a bit cheaper than brass rod

 

Morning Nick. 

 

What have we told you about this common sense thing you keep using........... ?

 

Will you never learn ? 

 

Rob. 

[NHY 581]

Morning all, 

 

A bit of work was done on prepping for SWAG yesterday and Saturday and this saw a few outstanding jobs ticked off. 28 days to go...........

 

I also found time to catch up on a few threads on here. This is a good read. 

 

https://micromodelrailwaydispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Issue-8-Spring_final.pdf

 

Mullie of the Parish and his Upwell micros are featured. 

 

You'll have chance to see Martyn's approach as he is at SWAG with some examples of his modelling and I know will be happy to explain how he does things. 

 

Over on Western Thunder, this is coming together very nicely.....

 

Thread 'Bank Top Yard (Industrial)' https://www.westernthunder.co.uk/threads/bank-top-yard-industrial.11539/

 

Chris is knocking together a very nice industrial layout. Very subdued and very effective. 

 

The Temporary Acting Works Apprentice had his first trip out on Saturday and we visited a DIY store. He had a lovely reception from staff and customers alike and he did very well indeed. Took it all in and behaved himself though the glove display was "of interest".........

 

 

All good stuff. 

 

 

Rob

 

 

 

 

Edited March 27, 2023 by NHY 581

[Mark Forrest]

On 20/03/2023 at 22:45, John Besley said:

How about a bus bar using two lengths of brass rod spaced an 1" apart this can be fixed in place with a brass cleat made up 2 or 3 per length.

 

I've used 1/16th brass rod inside buildings as bus bar in 16mm garden railways station building and a loco shed

I have used brass tube as bus bar in the past, using choc block connectors to hold them in place.  Works very well. More recently I've done the same with nickel silver rail.

My Dad once had a layout with a length of flexi track fixed underneath the board and used that as a bus bar for the track feeds.

[NHY 581]

23 minutes ago, Mark Forrest said:

I have used brass tube as bus bar in the past, using choc block connectors to hold them in place.  Works very well. More recently I've done the same with nickel silver rail.

My Dad once had a layout with a length of flexi track fixed underneath the board and used that as a bus bar for the track feeds.

 

I used thin copper tube and connectors initially on EWE. I then changed this to copper speaker wire which is also used on Bleat and Sheep Dip. But then my wiring is hardly challenging. This is the 'business end" of Sheep Lane. 

 

 

Nick's suggested use of redundant trackwork is very cost effective and had I thought of it, I'd have done the same here. 

 

Rob. 

 

 

[NickBrad]

6 hours ago, NHY 581 said:

 

Morning Nick. 

 

What have we told you about this common sense thing you keep using........... ?

 

Will you never learn ? 

 

Rob. 

 

Not me Gov, I stopped tryin ta learn the day I left skool. I am common tho, so I naturally have the scents of it I suppose. 

 

Seems Mark Forrest also has the same musings and I'm sure he has more brain cells than meself, so maybe this idea is indeed using common scents. (I'm now wonder how to evoke the smell of diesels from my layout....)

Edited March 27, 2023 by NickBrad
That there other fella used the same idea

[NHY 581]

Evening all,

 

I was asked over on Western Thunder how I went about my weathering. In response, I put together the below. Images have been featured on here but were lost back in 2020 so my apologies for the duplication for some of you. 

This then is what we started with...an Ex-GWR open from Minerva. I gather there were issues with the brake gear etc but that didn't, and still doesn't concern me.

 

I was quite taken with the colour of the interior and rather than repaint in various greys, white etc to simulate aged wood, I decided to leave as was and add a bit of contrast.

 

First job was a light blast over the underframe and body with Humbrol Dark Earth No.29, applied baaway of an aerosol. I don't possess an airbrush and this was the only paint applied to this wagon.

 

After this, all other weathering was using Humbrol weathering powders which were sealed with Humbrol matt acrylic varnish, No.49.

This is an example of my usual tool kit for this sort of job.

 

 

Note* This is a later image. I did not use the masking tape or the dark rust colour. Later photos will include the kit I actually used at the time.

I decided to start with the interior. As I say, I decided to leave the base colour rather than repaint.

 

I worked, plank by plank, initially using dark earth, sand, and white weatgering powders. The contrast between planks was gradually built up.

 

 

 

 

You can see the "tool kit" in this photo.

Also used was a bit of iron oxide then smoke which was applied over all the colours, picking out the gaps in the planks.

 

I just carried on until it looked okay.

 

Hi 
Iron oxide and rust was added around the various bolt heads and streaked.

Once happy, the interior of the wagon sealed using a light dusting of the matt varnish.

 

I then created a bit more contrast by rubbing the individual planks with a 4mm fibre brush. A bit more powdering, a bit more varnish and a bit more fibre penning until it looked okay and it was left.

Next stage. The exterior.

I decided to distress the joints in the planks and a dental spikey probe was drawn along the moulded gaps in the planks. An occasional wiggle, as well as the odd...ahem..slip...gave a less uniform appearance.

After this, black weathering powder was dabbed into these gaps. I then added iron oxide powder to the iron work in a haphazard fashion. Wheels are tackled at the same time.

 

After this, I started adding smoke powder to the whole wagon.

 

This toned down the rust and lessened the effect of the black.
I also added iron oxide to the springs and underframe, dark earth applied over the top of this toned it down. Black on the axle boxes and "grease points" of the brake gear as well as smoke here and there. Basically working by eye.

 

Then, once happy the powders were sealed with a light dusting of matt varnish.

 

Once dry, I then took a fibre brush and removed the weathering in varying degrees, plank by plank. Vary the pressure and you'll provide a bit of contrast to the colour of each plank. If more contrast is required, add a small amount of white, streaked along a plank and work it in.

 

The fibre brush will also provide a grain effect as you go.

 

Further rust was added using iron oxide, rust and a tiny bit of sand was added to the iron work and bolt heads, streaking downwards where felt necessary. I also highlighted some of the boltheads and chains with a HB pencil.

 

Again, once happy, a light dusting of matt varnish seals things in.

 

The last stage is flicking a large make up brush over the iron work. This will apply a burnished effect to the plot and highlight the texture of the powders and varnish.

 

And that's that....




Rob

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 27, 2023 by NHY 581

[Graham T]

A work of art, in my opinion!  Thanks for the how-to Rob.

 

[MrWolf]

If you were told that was an O gauge wagon, you wouldn't question it. But that much texture that is actually to scale, ( take note everyone flogging weathered items on eBay!) that level in OO is pretty incredible.

You could get covered in muck just looking at it.

[Jon Harbour]

Fantastic step by step tutorial. Thanks!

[Schooner]

Don't mind me while I come back every few days and update to *applause* and then *interesting/informative* and then *like* and then and then and then...

 

Bloody brilliant job, bloody brilliant description, bloody brilliant resource. Merci bien M. Mouton!

[Schooner]

33 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

If you were told that was an O gauge wagon...

 

It's an O gauge wagon :)

 

...but the point stands - the weathering is to scale and so looks right, and good Lord but does all that effort show in the depth of colour and texture. Bookmarked with intent.

 

The insufferable bit is the b*gger really can do just as good a job in 4mm!

[NHY 581]

Morning all and many thanks for all your comments. It was nice to revisit those images and give some thought as to how I'd actually done it ! 

 

In lieu of any actual hands on modelling at present, it will do for now. There'll be a couple more posts shortly, put together in response to questions on Western Thunder. 

 

Rob

[SteveyDee68]

Fantastic! Thank you!

 

Now, to really fully demonstrate to those of us with zero skills but immense ambition exactly how to achieve your museum-standard weathering, you could re-boot this pictorial step by step guide into a full blown, Missenden-like workshop session by producing a real-time video tutorial, complete with an informative/instructive yet calming/soothing voice-over*? 😉

 

Given your other commitments, you might be able to do that to coincide with the fabled arrival of Rails of Sheffield’s new L1 loco**!!

 

Steve S

 

* Some denizens of RMWeb may think Nigella might be a suitable candidate for suchlike, but the emphasis should be upon a “calming/soothing” voiceover and not one more likely to raise the blood pressure in its listeners! 
 

** At this rate, sometime in 2026! 🙄

 

 

Edited March 28, 2023 by SteveyDee68

[NHY 581]

I treat all wooden bodied wagons this way. A lighter touch produces less variation to the planks, perhaps representing a wagon in better condition. You can of course paint planks etc which is something I've been doing.

Van rooves are first given a blast of matt varnish then I add black to pre-shade around thd raised detail such as rain strips and ventilators etc.

I then use a large make up brush to "splodge" on a mix of dark earth and smoke. This is then sealed with a dusting of matt varnish.

The final application of the varnish is key. I spray from quite a distance so it's a fine spray that lands. Too close/wet will just cause the colours to be lost. Disappointing after probably a few hours work......I know this !

Air brush owners may be able to produce a finer spray but as I don't have one, I use the tools available to me.

Another thing is whilst inspired by photos of the real thing, these are not slavish copies. For some this will be a bad thing but it's how I work. Others have said my wagons, layouts have a particular 'look' about them, making my stock easy to spot. I never really considered that but it must be down to this "seat of one's pants" approach. Who knows ? I just find it relaxing.

Another key thing is time. Don't rush and be prepared to stop when you think it's about right. Put it down and walk away at that point. I tend to revisit wagons with a fresh pair of eyes days later, sometimes a week or so. I leave then on the layout amongst the background they'll be seen in.

Which brings me onto the final point I forgot to mention. As I'm working on the wagon, I'll hold it under the layout lighting so I see things develop under the same lighting as the wagon will run on, if that makes sense. Helps with colour perception, I think. Anyway, it helps !

Here are a few, probably familiar photos for which I apologise for repeating. I hope they serve to show the variations possible using what is a very basic technique, if I can use that term.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rob. 

[NHY 581]

13 minutes ago, SteveyDee68 said:

Fantastic! Thank you!

 

Now, to really fully demonstrate to those of us with zero skills but immense ambition exactly how to achieve your museum-standard weathering, you could re-boot this pictorial step by step guide into a full blown, Missenden-like workshop session by producing a real-time video tutorial, complete with an informative/instructive yet calming/soothing voice-over*? 😉

 

Given your other commitments, you might be able to do that to coincide with the fabled arrival of Rails of Sheffield’s new L1 loco**!!

 

Steve S

 

* Some denizens of RMWeb may think Nigella might be a suitable candidate for suchlike, but the emphasis should be upon a “calming/soothing” voiceover and not one more likely to raise the blood pressure in its listeners! 
 

** At this rate, sometime in 2026! 🙄

 

 

 

 

Morning Steve. 

 

Thank you but I'm definitely not Missenden material and any voice over  would require a number of retakes due to 'potty mouth ' moments when things go pear shaped.......and they do......

 

I could not do this sort of thing live........

 

If anyone is to have a go, find a suitable expendable wagon to Dai Sect* first. 

 

*Welsh butcher. 

 

Rob