Revolution Ben

Hello, This is looking very good. Where is the backscene from? It's very effective! cheers Ben A.

Hello Phillip, Glad to see this project going again - keep us updated! cheers Ben A.

Hello Mark, I'd like to echo the thoughts of some others here: apart from the quality of your work, and ambition (esp with the EMU conversion/scratchbuild) what really impresses me with your layout is the overall concept and design, and the way everything combines to create a complete, harmonious and neatly executed vision. cheers Ben A.

Hi Dave, Nice job on the weathering. The most important thing for me is that your locos have lost that "shiny toy" appearance and the matt finish, with the dirt, gives them instant "weight." If you do fancy going further then have a look at some photographs. My own observations suggest that the wheel faces are never black. Even when brand new locos arrive on the dockside with freshly painted black bogie frames, the wheel faces have a rusty finish. To replicate this I use the technique pioneered by Pelle Soleborg (sp!) of painting with a dark/dirty grey-brown then dusting on dirty rust weathering powder. I don't know about you, but I am always wary of how colour "scales down." For example, pure black never seems to me to look right in N. I tend to give all my bogies (not just locos - all stock) a dusting of dark grey sprayed from above to create a feeling of depth, and to give the impression of the black "catching the light" in upper facing areas. If you have a copy to hand, the MBAs and Class 60 pictured on p105 of this August's MR have had this treatment - see what you think. Also, even newly painted locos rapidly acquire a patina of track dust on the bogies - as soon as they've travelled just a few miles it appears - and as it's carried by disturbed air it tends to gather on horizontal or forward facing areas first. Weathering powders or a dusting from the airbrush can help here - once again you can assess the effect for yourself on the models mentioned above. Peronally, while I find the airbrush invaluable, I find weathering powders are brilliant for depicting some of the more localised spills and stains seen on most railway vehicles. Incidentally, thanks for posting all the images and updates. I really enjoy following your progress and I think you're doing a great job! I too think the second attempt at the river looks even better than the first! cheers Ben A.

Hi folks They tried an un-numbered BR Blue loco (a 73) with decals for the modeller to fit about 3 years ago but sold hardly any. Having said that, I like having separate bits to fit - gives an added frisson when opening the box (that does sound a little tragic) and also makes me feel that I am doing something to improve the loco and makes the bits easier to paint. cheers Ben A.

Good job on this so far Jim. Any further progress to report? cheers Ben A.

What a neat solution! I am very impressed with the "even-ness" of the flats you have filed onto the mast. cheers Ben A.

Hi Simon Fair point about the price, but one of the good things about these silver bullets (compared to the similar but different Burngullow-Irvine ones) is that they can be used realistically in shorter rakes of 5 or 6 wagons. See: http://www.stevenrobertsons-railwayphotography.fotopic.net/p55983050.html http://charlesgwoodland.fotopic.net/p53337653.html Oh, and it's not unusual to see clean, cleanish and filthy ones in the same rake: http://paul-greenwood.fotopic.net/p49495274.html cheers Ben A.

Hi Jo, Nice work - as usual! What will you use to get the variation on the underframe colour? Paint or weathering powder? cheers Ben A.

Hi David Fantastic job. And yes - really captures the dramatic lines of the unit and distinctive livery. Have you thought about adding a little fine detailing in the pantograph well (insulators, cable runs) to add value? It also occurs to me that some computer printed panels might help to enhance the air conditioner units on the roofs - which are particularly visible in N. Also, I love your perspex base - what a stylish way to display the model! cheers Ben A.

Hi Jim, Yes, your description of the TPM chassis units is right. And yes, they would be very suitable for the JSA conversions. cheers Ben A.

What a great photo. Really has that feeling that you've just happened to capture a moment in time. Thanks for posting. cheers Ben A.

Hi Jim Looking good so far. At the stage you are at, the most important thing is that the wagon sits right and is square and true - and from the photos is looks like you have cracked this! A possible tip: When scratchbuilding, I too got irritated that there didn't seem to be any easily obtainable plastic pipe or rod compatible with Farish/N-soc/ATM bogie pivot holes, so I started using the bogie pivots from TPM tippler kits. Bernard Taylor has reject tippler chassis sprues and is usually happy to sell them for a modest amount (£1 each last time I think) and these are quite a time-saver. Good luck with the rest of the build! cheers Ben A.

Hello folks, I would approach this problem in a faux-statistical way, and making some assumptions: (1) When wagons work they get dirty. (2) Working wagons do need to be maintained, and during maintenance they are sometimes given thorough or partial cleaning. (3) Wagons can be either "shiny", "slightly dirty", or "filthy brown." (4) The ECC and NACCO markings always seem to be visible, even on dirty wagons. I suspect the company has these wiped clean more frequently. (5) I am only considering "running grime" and not any white clay stains spilled during loading. I do not know how often the wagons are given the kind of service that does involve a clean. Also, the speed with which they go from "shiny" to "slightly dirty" to "filthy brown" will vary according to weather; vehicles get dirtier far more quickly when recent rainfall has made track dirt slightly damp and "sticky." To reproduce the "slightly dirty" phase, you will need to weather a pristine wagon. If one looks at photos of China Clay trains in the EWS era, it is clear that most of the time, the wagons are a uniform dirty colour. There are some occasions when one or two of the wagons are "a bit dirty, but still clearly silver" and on rare occasions there are wagons in the consist that are "shiny" and clearly fresh from works. If you only want to run a single, representative train it seems sensible to me, when considering which models to purchase, to choose a photograph that appeals and buy accordingly. If you want to run a "fleet" of wagons, then studying more photographs around your chosen date, noting the numbers of wagons in each "level of dirtiness" should help you decide on what proportion to buy. cheers Ben A.

Dave They look very nice indeed - and bode very well for the N Gauge ones! This is an iconic wagon and deserves to be available r-t-r. cheers Ben A.

Very nice work, the OHLE really finishes it off nicely. I have never thought seriously about depicting an electrified prototype before, but the upcoming Dapol 86 and OHLE is getting me thinking... cheers Ben A.

They look very nice, but did the NCB ones really have pink handrails? Or is it just my monitor?? cheers Ben A.

Hello Jim, Good luck with your project; I look forward to following your progress. cheers Ben A.

Hi Grahame However good the Dapol 56 turns out to be, from your point of view the loco pictured in your post has one crucial feature: you did it. I have some older models that don't stand up necessarily well to the newer stuff but I would never get rid of them because they represent a (to me) formative period in my own modelling and still give happy memories. cheers Ben A.

Wow - that backscene really is quite superb. I think you had the right reason for recruiting Ron!! cheers Ben A.

I agree with you. I have given the blogs a try but I prefer the "story development" and accessibility of a topic. cheers Ben A.

Addendum: Images of both N Gauge Society kits can be seen here: http://ngaugesociety.com/benefits/kits/kits.php3?start=0 then select "1980s" kits and click on "display." cheers Ben A.

Although the shorter versions aren't available in N, the longer version is available as an N Gauge Society kit in two variants; Grainflow Polybulk green and Scottish Malt Distillers blue/white. The kits have similar plastic parts but alternative etches details to represent differences in discharge gear and end platforms/strengthening ribs. cheers Ben A.

Hi folks Apart from the volume of potential sales, there is another issue with undecorated models in the UK compared to the US. In the US a significant "rump" of the hobby model small or imaginary shortlines. Undecorated models are very useful for them. In the UK there isn't such a tradition. There is another consideration: Some of the undecorated Sentinels will almost certainly be lettered/numbered to a poorer standard than r-t-r - yet anyone asking at an exhibition about the model will probably just be told "it's a Model Rail Sentinel", and may incorrectly assume that the finish on the r-t-r products is poor and be put off buying.... It's a shame, because I like the idea of undecorated models, but I can see the arguments against... cheers Ben A.

Hi Grahame Glad you posted a link to this page on the N-gauge Yahoo group else I wouldn't have found it - haven't really got the hang of these blogs on RMWeb. Yet I had found the page about the signal box. This looks like a great project - good luck with it. I remember I was in Guy's Tower for a few days in the late 1990s and remember seeing the Pullman liveried 73 (when it had the silver roof) rattling through with an engineer's train, so there's another loco-hauled option! Have you settled on a track plan yet - or even a rough schematic - that you could post? cheers Ben A.