Tom F

Sunday at 19:08

A little something different. This DJ Models Austerity 0-6-0 for @Sir Hadyn of this parish.

Weathered to photos provided by the client.

Probably the most vibrant coloured livery on anything I've weathered before!

March 28

37 minutes ago, gr.king said:

Good luck Tom with the change of work emphasis towards something more enjoyable and less stressful. Take care to ensure that the weathering work doesn't become a chore as the music-teaching evidently has done.

thanks Graeme

I don’t think I’ll drop the teaching completely, but I think working from home and less driving is definitely a step forward. The more I do, the more it helps my confidence.

March 28

11 hours ago, john new said:

Excellent work, particularly like the O/h ES1

Thanks John

I love the variety that the work brings in. From standard to narrow gauge.

March 27

Evening everyone.

I was having an email chat with Tony earlier regarding my weathering business. Tony kindly suggested I share some of my recent work in here.

I began weathering professionally back in 2019. I am a peripatetic violin teacher in various schools by trade. Originally it was only ever meant to be a top up to income, but increasingly I've been beginning to rely on it more.

I've become very frustrated with the teaching, and with 400 miles being clocked up for 32 weeks of the year, I'm looking at a change. I'd like to make the weathering more full time, perhaps moving to twice a week, or potentially three times a week.

Anyhow enough of my rambling, here's some examples of my work of late.

March 27

The final locomotive of this commission, was this Hornby Gresley A1 4475 Flying Fox.

I've always enjoyed weathering apple green locomotives, there is just the wonderful contrast of the slight grubbiness and the glorious colour.

At one time as some of you may remember, this was my primary interest, so it's been lovely to revisit these engines of the art deco period once again.

March 26

First up of the recent commissions. A Hornby A4, which the client had renumbered to 4467 'WILD SWAN'.

I was tasked with weathering to a condition familiar to the A4s in the late 1930s. Sheen on the streamline casing, but the build of oil around panel joins (in particular the cylinder casing).

March 25

A sneak peak at the latest two LNER commissions to come off the workbench.

March 23

After a fairly rubbish throat infection, and a course of antibiotics, I'm now back on the workbench.

The first of several commissions passed through the workbench today. Hornby Model Railways LNER A4 'SILVER LINK'.

The was particular interesting to work on, as the client was quite specific on the condition they wanted her depicting in. I also worked from this fairly well know shot of her at Grantham in the mid to late 1930s.

More LNER Pacifics to follow...

March 9

A rare occasion in the 1930's, when Old Reliable and Old Faithful were utilised together on empties to Ward Fell Slate Quarry.

March 4

The last of the recent back of commissions for my client. This Bachmann Class 24.

Moving on to something a bit more from the art deco era....

March 2

Two very different locomotives to work on recently.

North Eastern Electric Auto Railcar. Worked from period photos, where it was fairly clean.

Accurascale Deltic, in a bit more of a grubby state, again working from photos supplied by the client.

February 11

4 minutes ago, Gypsy said:

Thanks Tom - I understand...

I thought they might be Modelu - not sure what search terms to use though - can you remember how they're described?!

Many thanks and best wishes,

Gyp

To be honest, I couldn't quite remember, so I've had a look through the Modelu catalogue for you.

These seated ones were used:
https://www.modelu3d.co.uk/product-category/finescale-figures/industry/1870-1947-ind/workmen-early-20th-century/

But the gravity train figures maybe useful too.
https://www.modelu3d.co.uk/product-category/finescale-figures/industry/1870-1947-ind/gravity-slate-train/

All figures were painted by @Dan Evason of Tunnel Lane Model Railways, highly recommended.

February 11

1 hour ago, Gypsy said:

I've said it before but its such a shame that Tom has felt unable to post outside Facebook (which I don't use, probably for similar reasons to his stopping posting elsewhere).

Does anyone know, or could someone who does use his Facebook group ask, where the seated figure in the guard's van is from?

Many thanks,

Gyp

Good morning Gyp

The seated figures I use are all Modelu.

Yes, I'm sorry how disappointing it is for other RMweb members, however after I last posted on here several months ago, my suspicions were confirmed when I received a message from an RMweb member, who I had banned from my group on suspicion of them taking my photos and posting them elsewhere. They confirmed this but I was basically told I should be grateful that they were sharing my modelling with their fellow Thomas fans, and any problems I had with this were my problem, not theirs!

I was very grateful for Andy York's support in this, but it is for that reason I do not plan to share my modelling outside of my facebook group anymore.

February 4

Something a bit different on the workbench today.

Heljan/Rails Of Sheffield North Eastern ES1 for my client. I worked from two colour photographs of the ES1 which have certainly helped with trying to represent the more subtle areas.

January 29

2 hours ago, John Besley said:

Hello Tom, how did you do the motion?

Hi John

My usual method of a mixture airbursh, powder and drybrushing.

January 29

Another week, and another two items of rolling stock through the workbench.

The K1 was really fun to work on, with my client requesting something similar to this photo from flickr.

The Brake Tender was weathered to a photo on Paul Bartlett's site.

Both very enjoyable models to work on.

January 21

Currently working on commissions with a North Eastern flavour.

It has been nice to work on one of the new Bachmann G5's, a loco close to my heart. 70+ years ago I would have been able to see them pass by from my bedroom window heading up the valley.

Followed by an Oxford Rail J27

Both locos were weathered using photos supplied by the client as reference. My client wanted them depicted towards the end of their working lives.

January 15

Good evening Tony

Thought you might like to see one of your builds I've recently weathered for a client, the current owner of my old layout Cwm Prysor layout.

If I remember correctly, this Western Region 16XX was the test build for the South East Finecast kit.

Ready to be returned to the client in February.

December 31, 2023

4 hours ago, The Johnster said:

The other big cement-devouring project in that part of the world was the Tan-y-Grisiau-Llyn Stwlan pumped storage scheme on the northern flank of Moelwyn, which flooded the Ffestiniog and neccessitated the construction of their deviation route, but TTBOMK cement for this was delivered via the Conwy Valley branch from Llandudno Jc, the surviving standard gauge route to Blaenau Ffestiniog. The flask traffic used this to access the stub of the GW branch from the northern end.

Not quite correct, there are photos of presflos stored at Blaenau Ffestiniog GWR for the Stwlan Dam project, which suggests cement for Tanygrisiau also came in via the Bala Branch.

Also the Bala Branch came off the junction with the Ruabon-Dolgellau-Barmouth line, not Oswestry.

My friend Geoff Taylor is currently modelling Bala Town, Bala Junction and Trevor Stations.

December 30, 2023

4 minutes ago, Tortuga said:

That bridge in the distance of the first photo looks sort of familiar - is it the one by the preceding station, which (IIRC) you were intending to model before you decided to move on to Sudarian pastures?

That's because the said bridge use to be on the layout 😉

5 minutes ago, Tortuga said:

(I had a quick look back through the last few pages, but the photos weren’t displaying)

They were unfortunately lost in the RMweb upgrade

This might help:

December 29, 2023

I've spent the day with a familiar looking layout...

Geoff has decided to extend Cwm Prysor. A month ago, @Dan Evason of Tunnel Lane Model Railway erected new extension baseboards, and today I made the first visit, commissioned to do the landscaping and scenery.

The first part, was the Welsh Hillsides heading off towards Arenig. Geoff and I have a few ideas which we are throwing around with regarding this area, and how to incorporate some visual interest.

Stay tuned....

December 24, 2023

With the last of the weathering commissions finished for the year, it just leaves me to wish my clients, friends and followers a very Merry Christmas.

I'll be back on the workbench on the 2nd, with a healthy amount of work to be getting on with over the next coming months.

2024 I hope to make the business more full time, so I hope to be able to share more examples of my work more regularly.

All the best

Tom

December 20, 2023

Recently finished a weathering commission of Nesta. Lovely engine to work on.

December 20, 2023

Something a little closer to home for me, was this lovely Bachmann 009 Quarry Hunslet 'Nesta', commissioned by @Sir Hadyn of this parish.

December 19, 2023

Moving from GWR prototypes, this week I've been work on some late LMS and BR Standard types.
Both were weathered with reference to photographs provided by my client.

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