Graham T

It takes a bit of time, but is very satisfying!

Thanks very much Bill. It's rather tricky getting the wash to do anything to the lettering; I might have to try something different there. Maybe some powders, or perhaps I'll roughen the lettering a bit with a fibreglass pencil and then do another wash... What do you think?

The latest batch of wagons has now had a spray of matt varnish, and so weathering has begun! First stage is a Mig dark wash, left on for 15 minutes or so and then most of it removed with a rigger brush dipped in thinners. I couldn't get at the inside of the open wagons properly with the brush, so used a cotton bud instead. Next will be some frame dirt airbrushed onto the frames, and then perhaps some powders too. Here they are varnished... And looking far too pristine, but the dark wash soon puts paid to that...

It's a good concept, but the flaw in it for me is living in Austria. By the time any kit I order from the UK eventually arrives, the motivation has probably departed. I might very well have forgotten why I even bought it in the first place as well!

That looks suitably filthy 🙂 I'd try to get some dirt onto the verandah area too, if that's what it's called.

Useful to know, thanks.

Exactly what I did on Chuffnell R with the station building as well Mr A. Have you modelled all the internal walls? If not, I'd think about doing that too, otherwise it can look a bit weird if you can see through the building more than you should be able to.

And here are the other two wagons done. Still not as straight and level as I'd like, but they should pass muster once they've been weathered, hopefully... Matt varnish tomorrow, and then once that's set I have a whole trainload of wagons to weather!

That’s something I’d also like to know, as I’m considering it for CR Mk II.

I've been having some fun (?) with Pressfix transfers today. I think these look good, are relatively easy to use, and are good value. I just have trouble getting them on straight! Putting together a string of six separate numbers that looks level and properly spaced is still beyond me. Anyway, I got the first two done. Two more to go, which hopefully I'll get done this evening, and then they'll be ready for some matt varnish.

It's a lovely little scene Rob. But please allow me to be extremely picky! You've fallen foul of something that always trips me up, the dreaded tangents (or similar, because I guess this one isn't strictly a tangent). I'm talking about the water tank chain lining up with the top of the dome... I normally end up with telegraph poles apparently growing out of loco chimneys and things like that!

Thanks, I think that's more due to my wonky track laying!

I can't see the one that you mean, to be honest Neal. But I'm sure you're right, I know that my track is pretty uneven in many (most) places, which also doesn't help matters. It's something I really must get right on CR Mk II.

The Mink of Spades?

Confused? You will be...

Not entirely sure what mine is made up of, but, to be on the safe side, I'm not going to lick it...

From what I've read it's a poor insulator - which suggests to me that it is actually conductive. Anyway, getting rid of some of it seems to have done the trick. And enough of those negative vibes man!

The lever frame is decorational only 🙂 If I remember rightly the levers are from Dart Castings, and I knocked up the frame itself from coffee stirrers and plasticard. I've now trimmed away some of the lead, and am pleased to say that seems to have cured the problem. PS the levers are indeed from Dart Castings: link

Thanks for the input chaps. I did wonder if the Cordon might be the culprit, being all white metal, but no. So a bit more fault finding eventually unearthed (see what I did there?) the problem child. Strangely enough, the problem stems from adding weight to the wagons. On the opens I've added lead sheet under the floor, and as you can see I did a very shoddy job on the LMS one-plank wagon... ... with the result that the wheel backs are intermittently making contact with the lead strip and so causing a brief short. So I need to pop the wheels out and see if I can remove some of the lead without destroying the wagon! The construction probably isn't as square as it should be either - in fact I know it isn't! Nick, do you have a link to that jig you mentioned please?

I think you're probably right Colin. It makes more sense to assemble the outgoing goods on the line shown in this photo; then the goods loco can still run round its train, and so can a loco stood at the platform if required.

If you're even slightly familiar with the meanderings of this thread, you'll know that my slapdash approach to modelling means that gremlins are never far away... And so it proved to be when I was playing with testing the new wagons last night. I put together all of my kit built wagons (there aren't many), and topped and tailed them with the Collett Goods and a Toad. Whilst they look the part, a problem appeared with running. One of them seems to be causing a short when it runs through my - poorly laid - pointwork. Which is a shame. As has recently been discussed at length over at @NHY 581's thread, items that look the part but don't play nicely on the layout aren't much good to us in operational terms. So I think perhaps the first thing to do is check the back to backs, and then run them up and down the layout in different configurations until I can identify the culprit. None of that will be made any simpler by my opting for three link couplings! Oh well 🙂 In the meantime here's a few pics of a train. Luckily you can't hear the clicking noises...

I finally finished painting the wagons (I think). None of them are perfect, but they don't look too bad from normal viewing distance. Weathering will help too! Before that I will add the transfers, and then a coat of matt varnish. I rather like this one, but the camera shows a gap under the roof at one end. Interiors of the open wagons were done with a mix of Vallejo light brown, black, and white.

I agree that’s a risk, which is why I also referred to the earlier suggestions about testing it somewhere out of sight first.

I don’t think I’d want to take one out there…

Using the same method recommended by @MrWolf and @longchap, you could also give isopropyl alcohol a try (on the shirtbutton, I mean...)