RobboPetes

It's amazing how dirty these vehicles actually got whilst in service!?

Interesting to see the 2 different grades of coal in the hoppers behind the class 47. I would have thought the grain hopper was returning to East Anglia empty, while the MEA at the back is interesting, as it appears to be empty...??? Being a Speedlink working also means that all of the wagons may have not been going to Derby Road???

Very nice and admire your persistence to the end. Thanks for posting and look forward to more from you.

Class 47 looks absolutely excellent - the level of detail and the lengths you go to to achieve this is truly astounding!

Buildings look good. Look forward to seeing more.

Thanks for the comments. They will look much better once they have DGs fitted and are weathered.

You're right ess 1uk. These are usually the lessons you don't forget!

A few weeks ago I thought I would do some weathering on my rolling stock. I wanted to create the filthy conditions that you get with the ferry vans. I thought I would use the side of an old Tiger POA, as this closely ressembles the sides of the Cargowaggons and VGAs, i.e. panels with ribbing. I used Railmatch Sleeper Grime thinned with enamel thinners using a no 3 brush in downward strokes. The end result is the paint does not dry in the recesses for some reason. Next time I will dry-brush these areas before appying the weathering. The best part of 20 years ago a good friend of mine showed me his PECO tankers he had painted and weathered. Impressed, I wanted to do the same with the eight wagons I had just super-detailed. Allowing my enthusiasm and impatience to get the better of me I used some Railmatch paint that had a slightly thick texture to it. I was happy with the wagons once they had been lettered and quite often ran them at my local club. Roll on to now and I thought it would be a good time to try and weather one of these mites. Using a similar concoction to the above, I used a soft, wide brush to do the work, ensuring I got into all the nooks and crannies. As can be seen from the image, I missed (top right-hand corner level with the walkway). I am not happy with the texture, which is dimply in appearance. What I should have done all those years ago was to thin the paint BEFORE painting the wagons, thus saving time and frustration now. It might not seem like at the time, but taking an extra day or two at the time will prove its worth years later. Do not do what I did and allow one's enthusiam and impatience to rule the head! Nowadays, I will take the extra time to do what needs to be done. Is it down to age or experience? I don't know, but it works.

Very impressive. It certainly looks great too! Who would have thought it could be so easy to produce this in 2mm scale? Look forward to seeing the other buildings when they have been built.

Absolutely superb Julia!

The layout is superb and the fine pictures would certainly give me the inspiration to get started again! The weathering of the stock is enough to make me envious - oops, gives me the motivation to do my own up to a similar standard. The standard you have reached would certainly act as a motivator to many, including myself. The words on here certainly would give me the motivation to get started on the layout again. Good luck!

Very nice Work. It's amazing how a little amount of work can make such a big difference.

These wagons look great! Look forward to seeing more from you.

That looks excellent Pete. I was thinking of using silver sand for my ballasting requirements, but will now look at the work you have done. I must admit it is a tedious job but the results are much better when you take your time with it. I must admit, the colour of the ballast looks good enough to not require painting - it certainly would look OK as it is in a goods yard. I will have to do further research on this to satisfy myself this is the way for me to go. Rob

One word - superb!

Some very nice work you've done here. I, too, have some more to make to go with the 3 I have already made. I want to change those horrible buffers for something new and am waiting for Steven Harris fron the 2mm Scale Association to make the buffers he promised last year. Any further news on this we be on my blog - Marsh Lane Sidings. Good luck and keep up the excellent work.

Excellent work. I agree with the respect bit. I believe there is always something we modellers can do to improve the new models, such as replacing the brake wheels on the BDAs or adding the end steps/painting the end handrails white on the VGAs, etc.

Very inspirational. Keep up the good work and I look forward to seeing more of your work.

Look forward to seeing this one develop. Good luck!

What I plan on doing is having 8 SPAs, 6 for coil traffic and 2 for speeklink traffic. This way I get enough coils to do 10 coils per wagon for 6 wagons. I could use the SPAs for trainloads of steel plate, or any number to suit my requirements.

Very nice. At least the board is not covered in track allowing for some scenic work to be added.

The crane is superb! It almost looks as if it works as well.

The footbridge really does look the part, espicially liking the work you have done with the mesh. Keep up the good work and look forward to seeing more as you do it.

Certainly seems like a good model to do as an alternative.

Bloomin' heck, Bernard! I remember reading all the articles on these as I got hold of the through the late 80s/early 90s. I even bought 2 VTG Ferrywaggons to do the conversion - still waiting for me to pluck up the courage and have a go. As I read more on construction techniques and gain more confidence the sooner it will be before I get these wagons done. It's certainly interesting to see the stock again. As you said - where has the 30 years gone?!