westernviscount

Hi 34, Thanks for the reply. My next question was going to be next steps for fixing the drive cup. Will give this a go.

Hi folks, I have recently bought a second hand class 47. On the surface all is well. However, at start up and stopping the control is not as smooth as i am used to. Bachmann locos usually perform brilliantly when operating them as prototype i.e. gradual power up and braking. This example however jolts forward slightly when power is first applied (dc). The motor begins to whir but no movement, then a little movement follows then all is well. I notice a slight crack in the drive cup inside and wonder if this means there is some slipping occurring. My Heljan hymek suffers with the same issue and also has a crack in tge drive cup (connector betwen drive shaft and motor). Any ideas or experience would be gratefully received.

Hi folks, Could anyone provide any info about the suburban mk1 in br blue? What areas would they be seen in and what year were they finally withdrawn? Many thanks Dave

I saw your layout at Shenfield and must say it was really effective and really neatly presented. Excellent layout. Ha ha, i too had a similar "fan boy" reaction to Mr. Futers. What a legend.

Hi folks. Many thanks for the responses. I suspected it represented a change and it appeared the grey is overpainting the bauxite. Mine was the other way around. I understand the pre-TOPS lettering however i am going to go with the assumption it was de-piped in the very late 60's early 70's. Thanks again.

Hi all, A bit of reverse research here. I finished a 20t brake van as illustrated. It represents what i think is a change of use for the van but i wondered if anyone knew why a van would be painted in such a way. Here is a prototype example... https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brbrakevan504/h41655bb Many thanks

Excellent work!!

WH Smith are giving 20th Sept as is the online seller newstand.co.uk.

Here is the completed Ration kit of the SR Bogie B van. As discussed in previous posts about the build, the kit is complex but satisfying. I am happy with the overall impression the model gives. The weathering is as outlined in my quick and dirty weathering post. Briefly, the body is sprayed matt and then decalfix and powders used. The underframe uses brake dust colour as well as up the body sides. These are applied more generously nearest the bottom of the sides and around raised detail. Powders are applied without decalfix for more heavily weathered areas. I perhaps should have weathered the windows bars before securing but they may well have remained relatively clean. I masked the windows when i matt sprayed thus the cleanliness. I no in reality the windows would have been weathered heavily too but i didnt want to take any risks clouding them up too much. Maybe next time! This will make a welcome addition to the layout.

Hi Folks, I've completed another wagon using the decalfix + powders weathering technique. This time around I have gone for a heavier finish. The wagon is a parkside 13t Steel Open wagon kit. As before, the wagon is completed to ex-works condition, applying decals by modelmaster. With this wagon, I left it with the gloss varnish finish I applied for the decals to adhere to and attempted to apply the decalfix +powders mix. The solution pooled up and left a powdery residue upon drying which didn't look good at all. So, always work on a matt surface with the decalfix+powders. So, after spraying the wagon matt varnish I applied decalfix + humbrol smoke weathering powder. The solution is applied all over the body, adding more smoke powder around the raised details. The blackness of the smoke powder naturally build up in random areas and can be made heavier by adding more powder as per the right hand end of the wagon here. As with most weathering, lighting can change the effects quite drastically. With that in mind, it is worth weathering under the same type of light conditions as your layout is under or checking the look of the vehicle periodically. Whilst the decalfix + smoke mix is drying, rust powders are worked over the top, thicker this time so they build up in areas to build up a rust texture as caught here on the right hand end. Again, lighting is everything and I have to say the effect isn't quite as pronounced by eye as it is here. As before, the underframes were painted dark grey originally then worked over with a decalfix + brake dust mix. areas of fresh rust are dusted further with powder. This time round I elected to matta varnish the vehicle to dull the sheen of the decalfix which was more apparent on this wagon van the planked van I did previously. Matt varnish spray should be used in thin powder coats as the heavier you go, the more the powders will be dulled. You may wish to dust your vehicle first (note the top lip of the wagon). Although blurry, note how the texture looks different from this angle and looks a little "dusty" for my liking. The inside planking was done using a technique described in Martyn Welch's the Art of weathering. A palette was prepared of humbrol 121, 64 and gunmetal. The 121 and 64 are stippled onto the planks, not mixing the colours entirely to make an uneven finish. whilst still wet/tacky the gunmetal is drybrushed on to create a weather worn unpainted plank effect. I often become impatient and over do certain bits or don't follow instructions. Sometimes, I use the varnish spray in poor conditions (too cold) and over spray also. This leaves a frosty white finish which van ruin your model but in some instances can help create a faded effect like the top of the far side of the wagon. This also helped with the below example. Again, I am pleased with the results of my recent flurry of modelling which usually comes of a good holiday! Again, if you do try theses techniques, do so on something non-precious!!!

Excellent work!!

Thanks for the info folks. This makes a lot of sense although I was surprised.

Well Rob I have never used IPA at all so would not no. I'd always say try everything on an unloved piece of rolling stock first. I have seen IPA used to strip body shells but over a number of days. I use decalfix fix s it is designed to be used on painted surfaces and like the way it behaves, running into nooks and crannies etc.

Hi Paul, I have learnt an awful lot from rmweb and am happy to have contributed in some way. I have to admit my prototype knowledge is relatively poor so was unsure what to put. I saw a photo of a van with MT on it which i assume meant mixed traffic and no longer a dedicated produce carrier. Cheer

Hi Mikkel, Yes it is just an ordinary white pencil from a colouring set. A very cheap set at that!!! Cheers

Hi chaps, thank you for the comments. Apologies for confusing matters. They are simply weathering powders. I use carr's weathering powders primarily but i have found the humbrol smoke powder to be really good (a local toy shop had bought them by mistake and were selling them at £1.25!!!) I use a container like this... I put a few drops of decalfix in and then some smoke powder. I like to have the powder and decal fix unmixed, the decalfix one side and the powder on the other so i can vary the opacity of the mix. I then use a brush with a nice long, sharp tip to work the mix over the entire body, letting it flow into grooves. I suppose this might be where decalfix is better than water as it behaves very much like and enamel wash does and the wetness is longer than just momentary. It seems easier to build up the opacity with this method than using enamel washes also. I must say i have had the same powders for a decade!! After the decalfix + powder mix has been washed over and built up, small areas can be added to whilst the mix is still wet and blended in. It can also be brushed over the mix when dry to further pick out detail. Decalfix can leave a satin sheen so a quick coat of matt varnish spray would correct this but it didn't happen on the shocvan. Just to remind you, this is done on a matt varnished surface. I tried it on gloss and it pooled up. Again, many thanks for the comments guys.

Hi Folks. I thought I would share the results of some recent weathering I did on some kit built vans. The vans have mostly sat around since completion to ex-works condition. I see myself as an all round modeller however the flurry of activity at the beginning stages of a kit and the plodding, drawn out approach I have towards the end stages shows where my enthusiasm mostly lies. In short I love building a kit, kind of enjoy painting it and often dread weathering. Part of the dread of weathering may be in *that I feel I have all the requisite skill, space and tools I need to knock together a kit but I lose confidence in my skill levels when it comes to weathering and lack what I see as essential tools. Weathering is of course an area that demands confidence. Also, I demand that a job is done correctly and without an airbrush I have convinced myself I will not be satisfied with the end result and be confident the end result will remain as i intended after handling the model! But, I think I have made peace with the fact I will not own and be able to use an airbrush for a number of years but am not willing to have pristine models ruin the effect I am aiming for. So, the models below are completed as you can tell without an airbrush, instead I use Humbrol smoke pigment, a couple of rust and brakedust pigments by carr's and humbrol decalfix. Also a white pencil for handwritten legends. Prior to beginning, these vans have had a coat of humbrol acrylic matt spray from a rattle can. I use this to eliminate the high gloss varnish I hand brushed on prior to the decals going on. I start by having a small amount of decalfix on one side of a dish and smoke pigment on the other. I pick up a decent amount of the decalfix and mix in a little pigment. The solution is used as an enamel wash would be used and behaves in a similar way, running into grooves and around raised detail. more pigment is added to create a darker tone in corners particularly top corners and around the bottom of the van sides. The metal corner plates of the van is treated with a tiny amount of decalfix and a clump of rust pigment. The clumps allow for the appearance of thinker rust patches. I experimented with doing the hand written shunters messages before the weathering process but the decalfix removed most of it. Of course old messages would be removed by hand or through weathering so no great loss! A word of caution about the process. The decalfix runs neatly and evenly around matt surfaces but pools and is repelled by gloss surfaces such as ready to run models and high gloss models. This is evident in the the white vertical bands on the shocvan which show areas of pooling. The beauty of decalfix and pigment weathering is that although drying and sealing the weathering, water will reactivate it! The underframe is dealt with by applying a brake dust pigment and decalfix solution like a wash. Then areas of build up are treated separately and rust pigment dusted over where appropriate. The dusting will hopefully be sealed by the still wet decalfix but if not, the wagon will usually be handled by the body only so noy a problem really. I think what helps this technique is that I paint the underframes in dark grey as opposed to black. I mix humbrol 32 and 33 to make a very dark grey usually, but in the case of the fruit van I think I used pure humbrol 32 dark grey. Another note of caution would be that as a positive, the decalfix does its proper job of reducing silvering of the transfers even further BUT unless they have been sealed prior to this process they may become lose and move. Each of the wagons featured are sprayed with humbrol acrylic matt varnish from a rattle can BEFORE the process. Further protection could be added by a further coat of varnish but the effect may be deadened slightly. Its worth saying I heard of this technique from the wonderful humbrol how to vids on youtube. The guy is a scalemodeller and goes by the handle "scalemodel medic". One last warning, as I said weathering requires confidence so perhaps practise on a less valuable item first if you so wish to try this technique. Happy Modelling folks.

Very atmospheric. Excellent!!

After a couple of deviations into other projects i completed the Bogie B...or at least got very near! For a kit that is so detailed and packed with borderline pointless etches (door hinges!!! What a nightmare) the kit is strangely lacking window grilles. Luckily Roxey mouldings do an etch. I hadn't anticipated that modelling some drop lights in the open position would cause me problems but the grille etches are not quite wide enough so some slight bending was required. I am happy with the outcome of this kit and would recommend to anyone wanting an immersive but achievable piece of rolling stock. Next comes weathering into a "borderline disgraceful" state.

Hi David, Very fine looking trackwork and rodding. I would say you have made a good call on point rodding before ballast. it is very difficult to get a straight, flat run trying to glue the rollers on top of the ballast. It will also allow the concrete bases to be represented as having the ballast around them and just the tops visible. Excellent modelling! Cheers Dave

Thanks Paul. I hope you enjoy your build. I hope to see the progress you make. Are you going to replace the handrails?

A couple of notes on the details. Sadly, my local model shop didn't have lamp irons in stock. As i am prone to impatience i fashioned the upper side irons out of plastikard cutnintonthin strips and welded at a 90 deg angle. The lower one were made from brass handrails i had left over from another build. The safety rail for the veranda is 0.3mm wire. The vacuum pipe arrangement is made from 0.8mm brass wire and a springside (i think) steam heat pipe i had in the odds and sods box. Priming came next which exposed a couple of rough areas to be sorted before painting.

Hi sdjr The Wills has a more defined texture but the length of the sheets is limited thus more joins to conceal. I use slater's for 2 reasons: Length of sheet and the thinness of the sheet allows it to be laminated to form the layered bricks at the top of the platform edge. I used a strip of 3 brick courses layered on the main platform face and a single course of bricks in the middle of the 3 courses. I haven't taken many close ups but i think this pic gives an impression. The warehouse at the back actually uses wills corrugated sheets as it happens. Thanks for the comment. Dave

Part 2 of my kit bash of an LNER 20t Brake Van. So far the main structure has been built, foot-boards scratch-built and some hand rails fitted. Next, a feature quite apparent in it's absence from the kit is the underframe truss assembly. This is more apparent with my finer floor boards allowing more of the underneath to be seen. This was built up from 1mm L shaped strip by plastruct. The job is made simpler by placing a small piece of glass over a drawing of the girder to scale. Glass is used as it is none reactive to the plastic weld. Along the solebar, a set of triangular supports are put in place. These are represented on the original kit with a slight raised ridge. This was carved away at an earlier stage. The outer two supports are strips of plastikard laid at an angle.

A return to an old favourite here. The Dapol kitmaster 20t Brakevan is a firm favourite of mine and is a kit I return to often. It is a good datum for measuring my progress as a modeller as it is the first kit I built upon returning to the hobby and since then I have built a few different representations. It remains one of the best representations of a 20t brake van and at just 5 quid is an absolute bargain. This time round I wanted to make a bigger change to the kit and attempt to represent the earlier LNER brake van upon which the BR version is based. This is not a review but it is worth noting the amount of flash on this kit. It is is also worth noting that this is absolutely no consequence to the end product. A sharp knife and fine sanding blog with sort this right out. This picture is from a different build (same kit) and shows an essential tool for removing raised detail. Handrails will be replaced and it is best to remove them before the kit is constructed. The kit is built in the usual way but the floor ends are removed as the LNER brake van did not have the concrete weights which are represented in the kit. The handrails have been scraped away. A thin piece of plastikard is used for the end floor replacement. Grab rails which are present on the BR version are not required. The Footboards are shorter on the LNER version. It would be acceptable to cut down the kit steps but instead I decided to scratch build for a slightly finer finish. A thin plastikard strip is added to tidy up the bottom of the veranda. I have also added the plate above the lookout ducket which was not present on all examples and I assume was a later addition to perhaps ease corrosion as I would say this was an area where water would run off the rain strips onto. Holes have also been drilled to receive the .5mm brass wire handrail. Handrails have been added to this side of the vehicle. for the first time I have also put the handrail brackets on the horizontal grab rail. NEXT: Solebar strengthening triangles will be added, Underframe detail scratchbuilt and a roof fabricated (the Dapol one is a bit thick and is a mirror image of the prototype with the vents being in the opposite position to reality. Bed Now though! Nos da.