James Makin

Tuesday at 22:28

Dirty Distribution Duffs... picking up where we left off, for those RfD '47's that didn't make it into the 'European' blue-roof livery of the last two locos covered, the remainder were generally left in their older BR triple-grey sector colours, like the two dirtbags joining the fleet this week.

47284 and 47355 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

In this penultimate update of the latest batch of locos tackled during 2023, here we see Trainload Distribution-livered 47284 and 47355, captured in late 1998 condition and with the livery basically falling off these machines in a number of places..!

47284 and 47355 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

The story starts in an unlikely place - raiding the stockpile of locos acquired over the years, this time in the form of a DRS blue model, and bizarrely an Anglia Railways turquoise model - the bodyshells of these were being flogged at a mere £12 each by East Kent Models at last year's Ally Pally show, so I ended up buying quite a few, I knew they'd have a use at some stage!

47284 and 47355 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

With the printing and colours stripped away, luscious new coats of triple greys were added, using the Phoenix Rail Grey, my custom light mix for the Flint Grey, and a pale roof grey (Phoenix Railfreight Grey), gloss varnished up and with Railtec decals applied, before final matt varnishing ready for some fun weathering. Don't ask why, but we've got yellow cabs for 47284, more will be revealed later...

47284 and 47355 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

The first task was to fade down the paint - by 1998, these locos' paint jobs were on their last legs - having been painted in the late 80s when Sectorisation was in full flow, they'd really deteriorated during the 90s. A coat of thinned white paint was painted on and wiped away, working fast and in downward strokes - muting the paint finish right down, and trying hard not to leave any actual streaks, but just a pale finish. The sector flash logos were also painted in faded shades of yellow and red, matching up to how each one looked in 1998.

47284 and 47355 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Having allowed a few days for the previous 'fade' layer to dry and harden, then the next layers of browns could be added - almost neat brown slopped on, sometimes thinned with enamel thinners, and then wiped away vertically downwards, leaving the dirt deposits to gather in the recesses.

47284 and 47355 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

The brown paint will linger on the matt-varnished bodysides, which is perfect for streaking effects, all that was needed was to remove the dirt deposits around the desired streak, leaving the dirty 'streak' in place, again following photographs of the real thing to match up the loco to how it looked back at the time.

47284 and 47355 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Further deposits were added on the roof too, especially the cantrail grilles, working in some dark grey to the recesses, and dragging it down the bodysides, which will eventually be used to replicate some of the exhaust grime brought down onto the body by rainwater. All this is completed to the soundtrack of Cher Lloyd, the optimum background music for all Distribution '47' projects.

47284 and 47355 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

With the bodysides suitably covered in grime, the old mottling technique came back again..!

47284 and 47355 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

47355 had a bit of ingrained dirt on the bodysides, so similar to 47304 featured a few weeks back, this is again achieved by adding some thinned brown to the bodyside, and rolling around a cotton bud, using a bit of trial and error, adding a little more paint and thinners, until the desired effect was created. This was then repeated with a slightly lighter shade of brown on top, to create a two-tone brown effect on the lower bodysides.

Each bodyshell was then given a final coat of matt varnish to finish off, and put to one side whilst the chassis was detailed.

47284 and 47355 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Alongside the usual addition of bufferbeam pipework and underframe detail, one little feature that I've rarely photographed but always do, is to paint the exposed parts of the brass contacts that sit behind the bogie side frames and stick out from behind the wheels. These are carefully painted dark grey or black, just to blend them in, so there's no chance of them showing through in photos!

47284 and 47355 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

The models are all reassembled, and as you can see, those bold brass pickup contacts have fortunately disappeared! Each loco underframe was given a traffic weathering of Phoenix Paints' track dirt and brake dust shades, as well as a drybrushing on Humbrol Metalcote Gunmetal too.

47284 and 47355 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

First up is 47355, a very average Trainload Distribution example that's been worked hard and nearing the end of a long career hauling a wide variety of freight on the system.

47284 and 47355 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

As well as general dirt, the loco had a number of damages and marks on the sides, which were recreated using fine 5/0 brushes and a range of browns, working from light to dark at the centre of the damages, and bits of paint missing with undercoat modelled using lighter shades mottled on, following pics of the real machine.

47284 and 47355 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Doing the faded logos was great fun! Being red, the sun soon bleached out the logos and in just a few short years, both the yellow and red had faded right down - the easiest way to replicate this was simply hand painting over existing decals to get the positioning and proportions right, rather than creating from scratch.

47284 and 47355 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

One of the interesting details on 47355 was the larger running number on the No.2 end, along with the ghosting of the BR arrow symbols, where the cast originals had been removed, leaving only surface rust, exposed metalwork and boltholes behind.

47284 and 47355 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Brush Type 4 No. D1836 was delivered new to BR in April 1965, first seeing service in the D16 area, for Toton & Nottinghamshire sheds. It would be involved in a serious collision at Beattock in October 1971, but would be rebuilt and continue in service, being allocated to Crewe Diesel, Cricklewood and Toton depots during the 70s and 80s, before the onset of Sectorisation and becoming part of the Distribution fleet at Tinsley in 1990. The machine would even see a brief renumbering to 47391 during the 1994-5 period, before reverting to it's 47355 identity.

47284 and 47355 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Joining 47355 of course would be colleague 47284...

47284 and 47355 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Each loco was fitted with a brass wire 'hoop' at one end to work with tension-lock coupler fitted stock, and the usual complement of bufferbeam detailing, also crafted from 0.45mm brass wire.

47284 and 47355 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

47284 shows off its unique yellow cabs! Quite why these exist I am not sure - unless any readers can share insight? According to photographs, they appear to be applied from around 1996 onwards, and then slowly disintegrate in the two years up until my 1998 timeframe. Perhaps it was just another bit of fun from the outgoing Tinsley depot, a nod to the old BR Railfreight liveries of the past?

47284 and 47355 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

With the yellow ends sprayed on, the layers of grey on the cab sides were drybrushed on top, following prototype pictures, and using a range of grey and almost-white shades to build up a varied patina.

47284 and 47355 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Newer than it's sister machine here, 47284 was originally delivered to BR's 52A Gateshead depot as D1986 in January 1966. It would go on to have a strong North Eastern career with time spent both at Gateshead and Tinsley, before moving down to Bristol Bath Road for a decade from 1977. Eventually moving 'back home', it would see a return to Tinsley under the auspices of the then-Trainload Distribution sector in 1987.

47284 and 47355 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

The side on view shows the dry brushed gunmetal cantrail grille edges to good effect, being carefully painted on, and once dry, rubbed with a cotton bud to bring out a gentle shine.

47284 and 47355 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Up on the roof, each loco was firstly given a paint-on & wipe off covering of dark grey, over the pale grey faded roofs, highlighting dirt in all the recesses. This was later followed up with airbrush passes of grime shades - Phoenix's roof dirt, dirty black and my custom black & blue mix for immediately around the exhaust outlet.

47284 and 47355 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Bringing the story up to date for this pair, our yellow-cabbed friend 47284 would be finally withdrawn by EWS in March 1999, and meeting its maker at Wigan CRDC shortly after in November of that year.

Meanwhile, fortune was on the side of 47355, of course going on to become part of the Fragonset fleet, after withdrawal by EWS, also in March 1999. Repainted in classy black with large Fragonset lettering, and christened 'Avocet', the locomotive found a second life on the mainline, before eventual sideline upon the demise of the much-missed spot-hire company. Today, the loco can still be found in existence at Carnforth, albeit more of a derelict shell these days, waiting to be put out of its misery.

47284 and 47355 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

As always, it's been such fun bringing these two veterans to life - I've a strong love for grotty sector liveries and these two have certainly delivered! I'm enormously excited by the recent Revolution announcement of the WIA 'Arbel' car-carrier sets, and can see a bright future ahead for this pair pulling some very long trains indeed!

Cheers,

James

Tuesday at 07:16

1 hour ago, sb67 said:

@James Makin I've a question for you. I've got a class 47 I want to paint in Large Logo Grey, the pre sector grey and just before the red stripe was added but I'm not sure which paint to use, also is the same grey used for the loco roof? Seems an obvious question but is it just called Railfreight Grey?

Thanks

Steve.

Hi Steve!

Yes as far as I know it's the same Railfreight Grey across the roof and sides - though I am sure there'll likely be a few exceptions on locos where they didn't meet the same painting spec! I'd always check your prototype pics of a single chosen loco before starting, and even then, colour match by eye if needed as it may well have faded down slightly and by changing the shade it could help you later on in the weathering stages!

Funnily enough although Railfreight Grey was largely eradicated before my chosen time period (barring a cheeky 47016 or red stripe 56019) I often tend to keep stocks of this shade of paint as it's great for repainting the roofs of the sector grey locos too - plopping on a lighter shade to get a slight fade appearance on which to layer on more weathering!

Cheers,

James

April 25

I’m beyond excited by the announcement, something I’d longed for, for many years in 4mm scale, I’ll be giving many sets a natural & fitting home stabled in the yard on my Didcot Parkway layout, bring it on, great choice guys!

April 23

16 hours ago, WCML100 said:

something like this?

That looks awesome! It makes a big difference to the front end and elevates it from looking just like a set of odd bulbs thrust through the cab front, amazing stuff!

April 21

1 hour ago, The Fatadder said:

I assume you need to drill out all the marker lights on the 166?

have fun with that!

That would be grim! Bachmann didn’t model the Wipac light cluster at all, with just the two directional bulbs poking through a flat space, so I’m thinking a proper 3D print Wipac cluster could just replace that bit entirely and save a bit of frustration there hopefully! 😂

April 21

Thanks ever so much for the kind words guys!

On 19/04/2024 at 08:14, sb67 said:

James...... How do you get on with any shunting using the wire hoops?

And have you ever weathered an 08? some of them were pretty shabby as I remember!

Good question Steve! My locos mainly will be just pulling trains, so to do shunting with hoops could cause buffer locking - my plan is for the Didcot Yard and shunting stock to be equipped with something like the Spratt & Winkles at a later date.

I've done some limited weathering jobs on '08' shunters in the past - a recreation of 08644 in IC Mainline colours for my very old Cornish layout, and a model of the black 'IEMD 01' that lived on Wells Green, but not much since. I'll 100% be doing some in due course however - I can't have a model of Didcot Yard without the obligatory residents of the time - BR Blue 08804 and 08904, amongst other visitors during the late '90s period.

The kind of appearance would be visible from John Cordrey's shot, for example from Flickr of 08804 -

08804 Didcot Yard 09.05.1998 by John Cordrey, on Flickr

Similarly-numbered 08904 also was active around this time, and captured in David Burrell's shot here -

BR Class 08 08904 - Didcot by David Burrell, on Flickr

These will be great fun to paint and weather! The existing base models from Bachmann and Hornby have been around an awful long while - suffice to say I don't think it's wise to start on an '08' weathering project at this time, but one day there'll be a need for a reliable set of shunters to power the yard!

On 19/04/2024 at 09:19, WCML100 said:

agreed - bring on the turbos! would love to see what you have in store for them!

Haha, they will be entertaining! If only Bachmann had done the '165' they'd promised all those years ago, that would make life a lot easier too! Their 166 Turbo is definitely a good candidate for a fun few projects, wish we saw more of them about in model form, the stylish-looking beasties feel a little forgotten!

Cheers,

James

April 18

1 hour ago, Clan Mcadder said:

lovely class 47s , they have become a favourite of mine these past few years ,

sorry if this is a daft question James , but how do you attach the wire hoops you make ?

many thanks

James

Thanks, that's not daft at all! I find the best results for me are to drill through the bufferbeam with a small Archimedes drill to allow a 0.45mm handrail wire to pass through - typically each hole will be under the inside of each buffer shank, to give a good width. Then, I'll bend up the 0.45mm brass handrail wire into the 'U' shape, and push into the bufferbeam.

Finally, once pushed in enough, I'll then add some liquid superglue, and just leave it to dry. Once dry, the excess brass behind the bufferbeam can be trimmed slightly, and bent back round behind the bufferbeam out of the way, and then add a little more glue as required, it should then be a rock solid fitting!

The wire hoops sometimes need a little height adjustment once you've got it back on rails, but the 0.45mm wire should be bendable enough to allow easily, and then it's on to the fun of fitting the screw couplings and bufferbeam pipework etc to complete!

Cheers,

James

April 18

17 hours ago, sb67 said:

Fantastic 47's James! I'll never tire of seeing your weathering, all very inspiring 👍

Thanks ever so much Steve! I did wonder if everyone might get bored of the ‘47’s!

I know it’s generally things like class 37s and 60s etc that seem to grab a lot of enthusiast attention but modelling the location and time period here, one can’t move for ‘Duffs’!

Though having worried about boring viewers, just you guys wait until I get onto the ‘Thames Turbo’ DMU fleet 🤦‍♂️🤣

April 15

Sorry guys, it's the next instalment of the big 'Brushathon'!

Whilst many might be pondering the merits of the new Bachmann vs Heljan 'Duffs', my recession-busting advice is to leave both and tart up the old cheap ones instead..! 😂

47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Joining the possibly-monotonous but adorable fleet of '47's are former Railfreight Distribution examples 47236 Rover Group Quality Assured and 47286 Port of Liverpool, modelled in late 1998 condition.

47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Both were based on Bachmann's classic 2013-release of 'Diamond Jubilee', stockpiled after once being knocked out by Rails of Sheffield for a mere £59.99 to clear, oh to return to the glory days!

47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

As with all my others, the old branding was stripped away from the bodyshells using enamel thinners, given a coat of gloss varnish and new Railtec decals added, in with Fox's etched plates to complete.

47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

The fun weathering stage began in earnest, applying base coats of dark brown paint over the body, which was then wiped down with cotton buds and kitchen roll, to a background track of the superb Rose Gray.

47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

After the initial paint was wiped away, then cotton buds laced in enamel thinners could be dragged vertically down the bodyshell to remove even more of the brown pigment - the desired end look was a generally clean appearance, but with some streaking and track grime.

47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

More of the brown & dark grey paint residue was removed from the sides, leaving marks around areas such as the nameplates where rainwater has washed gathered dirt down the sides of the bodyshell, following prototype pictures for guidance.

47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

The final stage of the bodyshell weathering was adding the little extra marks - especially around where the Tinsley depot plaques used to be attached. Using a spare etched plaque as a guide marker, small amounts of brown and grey paint were dabbed on with fine brushes to recreate the ghosting on the bodyside - the more shades of paint, the more depth you can add!

47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Down on the chassis, the Bachmann detailing parts were added, and a few pipes substituted for fine 0.45mm brass wire, where the original packs were robbed for previous loco projects..! Once sorted, the chassis were given a blowover in Phoenix Paint's brake dust and track dirt.

47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

47286 Port of Liverpool has been a long time coming, being a good one from back in my early trainspotting days!

Starting life as D1988, the 'Brush 4' was delivered to British Rail's 52A Gateshead depot in February 1966, and seeing subsequent allocations at Tinsley, Leeds Holbeck and Bristol Bath Road during the '70s and '80s. As Sectorisation took hold, the machine would return to Tinsley as part of the Railfreight Distribution fleet, until closure of the depot and falling under the remit of EWS at Bescot.

47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Small touches on the underframe included drybrushing with Humbrol Metalcote gunmetal.

47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

The nameplates were applied using matt varnish, giving hours of drying time and the benefit being that any excess is hidden under the final coating of matt varnish, sprayed across the entire bodyshell, and covering a multitude of sins!

47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

There's so many fun 'Distribution' 47s, and with a big stack gently being drawn down on, I couldn't do just one more..!

47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

47236 Rover Group Quality Assured was always on the agenda to be modelled at one point - you might've guessed my love for giant nameplates, and there are few 'Duffs' that can match this ensemble of castings!

47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

In contrast to 47286, this machine had a long time Welsh association, being delivered to BR as D1913 at 86A Cardiff Canton shed in October 1965, where it would remain allocated for over two decades, right through until transfer to Tinsley in 1987 to join the Railfreight Distribution fleet.

47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Those marvellous nameplates would be inherited from sister machine 47323, which had carried them up until 1996 when reallocated to Freightliner. Whilst always being more of a Ford fan myself, one cannot fail to be impressed by those giant metal slabs with the iconic Rover and Land Rover logos!

47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

At one end of each loco, my usual wire-loop coupling was added, allowing it to work with tension-lock fitted stock whilst retaining the full complement of bufferbeam detail.

47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Meanwhile, up on the roof of each loco, washes of browns and greys had been applied to get dirt gathering in the grilles, before a dusting in Phoenix 'Roof Dirt', 'Dirty Black' and my custom mix of dark blue and black for the exhaust weathering.

47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Other small weathering details include the greasy buffers, after having dusted each loco with the traffic grime via airbrush, these were then gently dabbed with a cotton bud that had been dipped in more gun metal paint, leaving a semi-shiny greasy splodge!

47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Tracking what came of the beloved trainspotting locos of the period can be somewhat pot luck, but sadly these two didn't have the greatest fortune - having served almost 35 years a piece, both would be withdrawn from service by EWS in February 1999. 47286 would be swiftly cut up in September 2000, meanwhile the remains of 47236 would linger on until eventual cutting at Carnforth in November 2017.

47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

I'm excited to eventually put both of these machines to work on the many automotive trains that passed through Didcot Parkway - bring on the Revolution 'Cartics' and of course the KSA Rover car-cubes!

Cheers,

James

April 11

On behalf of Worthing Model Railway Club, we are very excited to announce our next exhibition, taking place this September.

After a year's break, we are set to put on one of the largest model railway shows that the club has ever undertaken, with a bumper crop of exhibits to see!

Worthing Model Railway Club - Annual Exhibition 2024

Saturday 28th September 10.00am – 17.00pm
Sunday 29th September 10.00am – 16.00pm

Featuring layouts, traders & society stands. Full details will be uploaded once confirmed.

Venue:
Durrington High School, The Boulevard, Worthing, West Sussex, BN13 1LA

Tickets:

Adults: £6.00 each

Accompanied Children go FREE

Worthing MRC bring together a collection of model railways, traders and society stands at our annual exhibition, taking place in September 2024. Refreshments & catering will be available throughout the show. The event takes place at a spacious venue, and includes free parking and disabled-friendly access. The venue is approximately 10 minutes walk from Durrington-on-Sea railway station.

Further details will appear here and online closer to the time, and keep an eye out for our all-new Worthing MRC website launching in due course - bookmark www.worthingmrc.co.uk in your browsers for when the page launches soon!

April 9

3 hours ago, atom3624 said:

It's been 5 days since this 'eagle has landed' yet still no videos apart from a couple of teasers on YT.

Surely they're not all shelf queens and 'boxed as new investments'?

It would be nice to see and hear how this model presents itself, and performs.

Al.

I'm loving mine so far, it is beautiful and that bright red is gorgeous! I'm taking it up the club tomorrow night to run on our (Worthing MRC) 'Loftus Road' layout, we're having a big 'Shed' off where a few members are keen to see what it's like compared to the older sound-fitted Hattons ones and some custom retro Bachmann models, it should be fun!

I model at a glacial pace but I am sure it'll appear on my 1990s Workbench thread in a few months time (link in signature), ever so slightly weathered and settling-into-service condition for late 1998/early '99 period. When the normal EWS version (minus wingmirrors) is announced is when the squadron buying begins - the wallet is safe for a touch longer 😄

Cheers

James

April 2

11 hours ago, IOW O2 said:

However being a DC only modeler it was a bit disappointing it did not have cab lighting like previous Bachy’s. Lesson learned never assume. Unfortunately it was only after chatting to Bachmann near the end of the day they said they no longer do this on DC only models.

Just to show you can't please everyone, I actively remove cab lighting from all of my locos once they go 'through the works' - taking the circuit board right out to prevent anyone running them with the cab interior light on - just as the amount of times I've been operating the Club layout at shows and you come back from lunch break to find your mates have lit up the fleet like a Christmas tree! 😄

March 30

Happy egging weekend guys!

Joining us today is a former Stratford 'white roof' celebrity, albeit one that's fallen on hard times...

47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Modelled in 1998 condition, 47596 was a part of the former Rail express systems fleet, inherited by EWS at privatisation, and eeking out the remaining time left on the mainline network.

47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

The route to this locomotive was similar to my other Res examples, with the Bachmann 'refurbished' 47745 model being disassembled and 'de-furbished', to match the details of the real 47596, keeping the livery as intact as possible to make it a quick project.

47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

This also meant stripping away the front-end multiple working jumpers and filling in the holes, with a repaint of Phoenix Paint's post-1985 warning panel yellow across each end.

47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

One of the interesting tasks involved was a reverse of the 'Crewe-cut' cab, reinstating the bufferbeam cowling and lower cab sides, here with just a sliver of styrene strip, glued in and later filed down to match the body profile. Each entire cab side would then be given a coat of red, matched as near as possible to the Bachmann shade for consistency.

47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

The nameplates came away nicely with a little Humbrol enamel thinners on a cotton bud, working away gently and avoiding contact with the upper grey band. Other modifications glimpsed at the top of the picture include new circular plated boiler cover, and sanding down Bachmann's unwanted moulding marks on the cantrail and around the cab roof.

Once finished, the model was given a coat of gloss varnish and decals could be applied, along with other Res locos being worked on at the same time...but spot the careless error..!

47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Having painstakingly spent time lining up the individual numerals using Fox number decals on the cab sides, and being quite satisfied with the results, eagle-eyed viewers will notice that I'd actually applied them to the wrong locomotive - with them being put on the bodyshell for 47741, doh! 🤣

With the brain re-engaged, the decals were then put onto the correct bodyshell, and this was then given a coat of Railmatch matt varnish, and left to one side for a month until weathering could begin.

47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

I won't bore everyone too much with the usual stages as per my previous posts, but layers of brown were added on, varying from almost-neat paint through to washes, then being wiped away vertically down the side of the bodyshell.

47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

The bright red then gave way to a more muted finish, and forming a basis onto which more detail painting could be applied such as little blemishes and marks seen on the real thing.

47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Down on the chassis, the version with the full-cowling was used in place of the original chassis (donated to a different loco!) and the underframe with the battery-box-only variant was used - with the middle section removed from the Bachmann moulding to further open out the space under the loco.

47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

A hoop coupling was added at one end, allowing it to work with tension-lock-fitted stock, and giving space for the full complement of bufferbeam pipework to be installed.

47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

One really interesting feature about 47596 in its late 1990s guise is the wear and tear picked up - in particular on one side, heavy scarring that highlighted the positioning of the Aldeburgh Festival nameplate that it wore earlier in its life! A range of grey and brown shades were used to recreate this, being touched on by a 5/0 paintbrush.

47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

The locomotive has quite an interesting history - delivered new to 82A Bristol Bath Road depot in March 1966 as D1933, the Brush Type 4 would go on to see allocations at Bescot and Tinsley, before taking on the alias of 47255 under the TOPS renumbering, and seeing a strong association with the Eastern Region, being shedded at the likes of Gateshead, Leeds Holbeck, Stratford, York and Thornaby.

47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

It would receive train heating equipment and a legendary Stratford white roof, before being adorned with the Aldeburgh Festival nameplates in 1984. As the decade drew on, it would find itself reallocated to Network SouthEast, powering the loco-hauled commuter trains out of Paddington until moved under the wing of the Parcels sector in 1990.

47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

The loco would continue on in service with EWS until withdrawal beckoned in May 1999, but happily, this machine would find itself a space in preservation, and can today be found at the Mid Norfolk Railway, united with its Aldeburgh Festival nameplates, and currently resplendent in original BR Green livery.

47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

It's always great fun to bring back locos from the past, especially the more average ones that might have a hidden history behind them, even if they're not a great looker at that point in time! A wide variety of freight workings now await the loco in due course!

Cheers,

James

March 21

I remember stinking out DEMU Showcase at Burton in 2006 doing a Limpet plastic bulging demo with a soldering iron, those were the days 😂

I’ve got a Dremel gas powered soldering iron these days and you can get effective results gently applying some heat and teasing out the bottom with various implements, but at the same time there’s a risk if you go too much it’s game over..!

Limpets looking lovely so far Steve, great weathering.

The leaf suspension can be gently chiselled off and replaced with the Bruninghaus spring mouldings or bodged with a scalpel if you’re feeling adventurous!

March 21

My first big show - Warley 1999!

Amongst the layouts, the centrepiece was Pete Waterman's BR Blue Class 37 - 37029 - the everlasting memory being just how ridiculously large a locomotive is when viewed from ground level, blew my 13yr old mind at the time!

March 18

On 16/03/2024 at 11:21, 37403 said:

60s are brilliant James! Definitely something great about a big T example.

Are we going to get a Toton style Class 60 line up?

What was your source of yellow paint?

I tried railmatch against a Hornby 60 and it looked far too orange but yours looks to have blended in nicely.

Haha thank you! I’d certainly love to do a Toton scrapline recreation with the fleet 🤣

I’ve always used the Phoenix post-85 warning panel yellow in all of my projects where yellow respraying is required, with the ones featured here they’ve all had full yellow panels repainted on top of a grey primer base to wipe out any trace of shades below, as annoyingly the old DB livery donors don’t have the yellow extending up the cab pillars, that would indeed be a nightmare to match in anything other than a full respray!

Cheers,

James

March 15

Time for some more Type 5s!

60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

The irresistible draw of a big T..!

60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Joining the fleet today are Brush duo 60021 Pen-y-Ghent in unbranded grey and 60034 Carnedd Llewelyn in classic Transrail colours, modelled in late 1998 condition.

60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Bulking out the heavy freight contingent in the collection, these two locos will be ideal power for the frequent MGR coal trains and steel services on my Didcot Parkway layout. Based on some cut-price Hornby cast-offs, here is how it went...

60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Despite the big jump in prices in recent years, with some digging it's possible to find bargains! This DB Schenker 60 donor came off eBay, the bogie side frames all broken up and details like the handrails, buffers and horns missing - a bit of a wreck, but a good basis for a renovation project!

Similar to the last update, the base colours of each model were sanded back and new layers of primer and triple grey paint added on top, having dug out the old Badger airbrush for a few sessions.

60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

I took extra time to do the masking, which usually helps to pay off in a neater finish when peeling it all off, and any little ragged edges touched in with fine brushes - there's always something that needs doing usually! Once the layers of varnish are added, any little hand brush marks always disappear luckily!

60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

One of the most fun parts of any loco project is adding on the decals and plates, and it starts to come to life - having applied a layer of gloss varnish over the paintwork, Railtec's Transrail decals are added, along with numbers and plates from Shawplan, before that all-important final layer of Railmatch matt varnish to lock it all in before the weathering could start.

60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Many will be familiar with this stage! It's a classic technique but the paint-on/wipe-off stage serves me well, the streaky effect is then up to you on how dirty your chosen prototype was during the era in which you're portraying it in.

60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Having wiped away the main paint, the residue is then knocked back with some enamel thinners on a cotton bud, to the recommended soundtrack of one of my favourite Ladytron albums, Velocifero - the lashings of synth and ice-cold vocals setting off those triple greys to a tee(!)

60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Exhausting work of course - removed from the main body, each moulding is first painted brown before being mottled in a variety of darker browns or lighter greys as appropriate, with a smidgen of talcum powder to add a touch of texture to the finish.

Next, the little detail-specific elements can be added using photographs for guidance on positioning and colour, including the ghosting of where the depot plaques used to sit under the secondman's area.

60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

The outline of a spare depot plaque etch was used to mark out the area, and a range of light and medium browns were layered on using fine 5/0 brushes, following Flickr photos to match the effect on each side of the respective prototype loco being modelled.

60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

60021 Pen-y-Ghent in all its glory! I've got to admit a certain love for the dull ones, as I've said before, these are the ones you'd most often see on a day's trainspotting - just an average loco at the time, and most often glimpsed on a dull or wet grey day at that!

The chassis was weathered with a mix of Phoenix paints again - the brake dust and track dirt shades being sprayed on over the black base, before being topped off with some Humbrol Metalcote gun metal to highlight raised detail in certain places, and grey oily marks on key areas around the buffers, bogies and fuel tank spillages too.

60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

60021 was delivered to BR's Trainload Metals at Thornaby in January 1991, before later allocations at Immingham in 1993 and eventually Toton in 1997, by then already well under EWS ownership. The loco lost its Trainload Metals logos around this time and would go on as one of many to operate for some years in this unbranded state.

60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Many will of course be familiar with its namesake, the 2,277 ft Yorkshire fell's name having been bestowed on old BR 'Peak' No. D8 from back in the day, before being chosen again as a subject for Railfreight's naming policy on the Class 60s - quite possibly the most attractive set of names allocated to any set of diesel locomotives in modern times.

60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

The classic side-on view shows the giant expanse of plain triple grey - it's amazing how big a difference it makes by taking away the colourful sector logos, the slab sides being relieved only by light traffic weathering.

60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

One fun element on 60021 was the missing '0' in the running number at the No.1 end around the time of being modelled in 1998.

60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

The nameplates were secured with a splash of matt varnish, and lined up on the bodyshell using the position of the roof panels to dictate the location. Brian's Shawplan Extreme Etchings nameplates are incredibly good - the rendition of the cast BR Rail Alphabet lettering is crisp and beautiful!

60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Each cab received a degree of detailing, with a driver and personal items modelled in the leading end, and window blinds put in - just offcuts of card secured with PVA glue, to avoid risk of damaging the plastic glazing.

60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Time for a splash of the bold! Transrail 'big T' 60034 Carnedd Llewelyn is certainly more of a looker and testament to Railtec for the crisp bright decals doing their work.

60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Similar to it's lower-numbered classmate, 60034 was also first delivered to BR's Trainload Metals at Thornaby, accepted into traffic just a month before, in December 1990. Having then spent several years as the backbone of the Cardiff Canton 'Metals' fleet, the machine would swap its blue & yellow chevrons for the 'Big T' branding in 1996 just prior to takeover by Wisconsin Central Railroad's new 'EW&S'.

60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Much as it would've been lovely to have modelled the Cardiff Canton 'goat' depot plaques, these were removed during mid 1998, and wanting to model the loco with the later 1998-onward electrification flashes, this meant however it could be replicated with just the rusty plaque marks instead.

60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Down at the No.2 end, I opted to fit brass wire loops on each of the locos, to enable the working with tension-lock coupler stock, and still retaining the full-depth front fairing and pipework. This is 0.45mm handrail wire, drilled into the chassis and wire bent round behind the bufferbeam for strength.

60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

At 3,491ft high, Carnedd Llewelyn is listed as the second highest point by relative height in Wales - and fine name for a locomotive class designed to move mountains!

60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Up on the roof, each locomotive received firstly a paint-on/wipe-off treatment to highlight the panel lines, followed by a dusting of dark greys to represent the layers of dirt and exhaust grime built up around the exhaust silencers.

60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Since the period modelled, these locomotives have had a real chequered history! As many will know, 60021 has seen a second lease of life after retirement by DB - first moving to Colas and receiving their yellow, black & orange colours as Bustler, before seeing in a new image with GBRf, back as Pen-y-ghent in the now-legendary dark blue & orange.

60034 meanwhile would later lose one of its nameplates, and see its 'Big T' stickers disappear under the colourful EWS 'Zoo' logos, soldiering on in frontline service until 2008, before inevitable long-term storage in Toton Yard, along with the masses of other sidelined Brush Type 5s - who knows what the future could hold?

60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

I've very much enjoyed putting these together and can't wait to get these two going on some long coal and steel trains!

Cheers,

James

March 15

I can't believe my name comes up on that list, that's crazy, thank you! If only you guys saw the amount of bodging that goes on with each of my messy creations 😂

Big congrats to Accurascale too - reminds me of watching Raye at the Brit Awards 🤣

Cheers

James

March 8

21 hours ago, 37403 said:

Thanks James,dj and rob!

Certainly not looking at hijacking your thread James but could you link the stuff you use?

Seems quite a few derivates available.

I'll be painting my locos in enamel if that matters.

Ah no worries!

The version I’ve always used looks like this -

I’ve always just ended up buying it from a Halfords store, in the car paints section, but there seems to be something online, albeit possibly the packaging has changed, so can’t vouch if exactly the same item..!

https://www.halfords.com/motoring/paints-and-body-repair/primer/halfords-bodyshop-primer-grey-500ml-709143.html

Cheers,

James

March 7

15 hours ago, ERIC ALLTORQUE said:

About time @Steve Purves gave us the lowdown on the next batch,will ply him with brown ale at Ally Pally,that should do the trick.....:)

15 hours ago, McC said:

There may even be some samples.

Well after a night on the Brown Ale I don't think anyone would want to see your samples in the morning 😄

March 7

On 06/03/2024 at 12:31, 37403 said:

Out of interest James, do you have a preferred primer that you put on locos or stock which you're repainting?

I quite like Halfords grey cellulose primer to be honest! I've experimented with the white for lighter-coloured models but normally go for the grey as it never lets you down! The grey is great also for the sanding/body modification projects judging if you need to add a bit more filler and so on, and it seems to dry pretty quickly too which is a useful bonus !

March 6

12 hours ago, The Fatadder said:

Just need to strip with IPA, that way you don’t need to remove the glazing as it doesn’t touch it

Cheers Rich, this sounds most useful to know!

March 5

15 hours ago, 37403 said:

Not commented in a while but really enjoying the continued progress on your fleet.

Out of curiosity, what did you use to strip your problem loco? I wasn't sure if Matt varnish finish caused problems when trying to take paint etc back off.

Thanks very much! It was interesting actually, I wasn't sure what kind of a fight it would put up, but turned out that when agitated with a scalpel that the 3 layers of varnish came off in large sheets, proving very satisfying!

This was great for the flat sides on the bodyshell, and the fiddly areas were tackled with some fine emery boards, eventually the entire livery was sanded back to give a complete flat area onto which the new colours could be laid onto.

The old filler above exposed again for the first time in 8 years! It's possible to use the chemicals to strip this all right back to bare plastic but I like to keep all the glazing fittings secured to preserve a good fit, otherwise that could've been a good option.

Overall, strangely satisfying! It's not the only member of the 'old' fleet that's had a complete overhaul, strip and re-build, another one will be coming in due course in a few loco's time!

Cheers,

James

March 2

Coming to this late but loving the streaming on the 60, looking mighty fine! 😎

March 2

The opposition fights back!

47197 and 47206 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Whilst Didcot was a hub for EWS activities, the location saw numerous Freightliner container services passing through, connecting up places like Felixstowe and Southampton with Crewe Basford Hall and beyond, so it's only right to bolster the core motive power fleet with another couple of examples for good measure.

47197 and 47206 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Joining the fleet today are Class 47s No. 47197 and 47206 The Morris Dancer, modelled in late 1998 condition using the original Bachmann model as donors for a fun repaint project.

47197 and 47206 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

This might be considered a surprising origin! Back at the Ally Pally show last year, East Kent Models (EKM) were selling off the Anglia 47714 bodyshells at just £12 each, and me being me, having a thing for 'Duffs' and unable to walk away from a bargain, pugged away a stack for future projects like this! Here we can see above the printing being scraped away, to form the basis for Freightliner's 47206 The Morris Dancer.

Meanwhile, the source of 47197 came from a more unlikely source, a certain RfD 47 body...

47197 and 47206 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Long-time readers may remember some of my earlier projects, and as the skills and experiences grow over time I start to re-visit earlier things, and my model of 47241 Halewood Silver Jubilee 1988 tackled way back in 2017, that just kept irking me!

47197 and 47206 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

I wasn't completely happy with the loco - the side shown here was fine, but the other side that never appeared in the photos was a bit of a blunder - it was on this loco I learnt my lesson on leaving varnish for 30 days+ before weathering - a load got stripped off and despite bodging a repair, I was never fully satisfied. So it was with mixed emotions I stripped off the old bodyshell and set to work - a brand new and much-improved 47241 will appear further down the line.

47197 and 47206 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

A complete triple-grey repaint ensued, using Phoenix colours and a custom faded Flint Grey recipe to complete. The yellow and two side greys were sprayed on, whilst the black and roof grey were just brush painted on - a great time saver and you can't tell it wasn't sprayed once a coat of varnish goes on!

Next, the bodyshells are coated with gloss varnish, then Railtec decals and a set of etched plates added, before giving a coat of matt varnish - and importantly waiting a month for the varnish to harden - I've learnt my lesson..!

47197 and 47206 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Now waiting a month between stages can be quite boring, so what I'll tend to do is have a load of other projects going on the background to chop and change between, and then come back to it when the time is right.

47197 and 47206 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Armed with some Avril Lavigne, work could start in applying the usual wash stages, some browns and dark greys to represent a mix of road grime and exhaust dirt, brought vertically down the bodysides by rainfall.

47197 and 47206 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

The streaking can be achieved by thinning the paint and gradually removing the paint around the area where the streak is intended to sit, following prototype photographs for guidance.

47197 and 47206 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Freightliner's machines were generally kept in pretty good external condition, so only a very light coat of traffic weathering was applied with the airbrush, a sprinkle of brake dust and track dirt, followed up by some roof dirt and a mix of black & blue on the roof exhaust area to complete.

47197 and 47206 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

There's something delightfully average about the Freightliner locos, at the time I was never that enthused by them - they were normally recently-repainted in uniform triple grey and so for me the EWS locos stole the glory, but as time has passed, just the thought of any '47' now seems a very pleasant concept!

47197 and 47206 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

My model of 47197 is now set for its new life as a Freightliner machine, having lost its tatty Railfreight Distribution garb and set to take up container train duties on Didcot Parkway when it's all finished. The one thing in common that the machine shares with it's old guise of 47241 is the flush headcode at the No.1 end.

47197 and 47206 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

In real life, Brush Type 4 No. D1847 was delivered new to British Rail's 5A Crewe Diesel Depot in June 1965, and would go on to see spells at Glasgow Eastfield, Crewe and Bescot during the 1970s and 80s, before settling down into the Cardiff petroleum fleet as Sectorisation took hold from the late 80s.

The machine would gain the legendary Trainload Petroleum colours, which it would later swap for Distribution diamond stickers upon transfer to the Tinsley fleet in 1993. Eventually, the machine passed to Freightliner and a repaint came to the current colours seen here in 1998.

47197 and 47206 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

One of the interesting things about 47197 was that it was fitted with sandboxes and bogie modifications as part of the improvement trials being developed for the forthcoming Freightliner Class 57s. It was also given the classic 'Crewe cut' cab, with the bufferbeam cowling removed and the front welded up to reduce drafts for the drivers.

47197 and 47206 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Finishing touches to the model included drybrushing Humbrol Metalcote gunmetal on the raised surfaces of the chassis and cantrail grilles.

47197 and 47206 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

I love economies of scale, so why do just one Freightliner '47' when you can do two..!

47197 and 47206 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

The fifth Freightliner 'Duff' to be added to the fleet so far is 47206 The Morris Dancer. There were a few interesting 'namers' back in the day, and this one always caught the eye!

47197 and 47206 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

One consistent factor between picking these two machines was the full array of underframe tanks - I had a glut of these leftover from previous '47' projects, so it is a big swapsie's recycling exercise here making the most of the assets available.

47197 and 47206 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

The Morris Dancer etched nameplates were affixed with matt varnish, my reasoning being that if any squeezes out then it'll disappear under the final coat of varnish, and you have hours of drying time to get the position just right.

47197 and 47206 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

There were little damages and marks on 47206, so these were replicated with a small 5/0 brush, gently touching in the marks following prototype pics - on the sides and yellow ends around the headcode panel recesses.

47197 and 47206 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Much like it's sibling covered here, this loco, D1856 was also delivered to 5A Crewe Diesel Depot, just two months later in August 1965. From here, their respective paths separated however - with transfers to Nottingham, Willesden and Cricklewood on the cards, before forging a long career in Scotland, being based out of Eastfield for much of the 70s and 80s, only really moving South as sectorisation took hold.

It would find a new home at Tinsley in 1988 under the auspices of Trainload Distribution, receiving those Morris Dancer plates in 1994, and only two years later it would find itself being newly painted into the now-classic Freightliner triple grey, along with its 'Crewe-cut' cab modifications at the same time.

47197 and 47206 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Having been delivered so close together, to then moving apart and becoming united again under the Freightliner banner, the two machines would go on to have a very different outcome after the period modelled.

47197 soldiered on in service with Freightliner until eventual storage in 2005, finally being broken up by TJ Thomson at Stockton in 2008. 47206 meanwhile, would see its Freightliner service cut short, with storage in December 2001. All was not lost however, as it was selected to be part of the later tranche of the Class 57 programme, being converted into 57605, and is still in service today with Great Western Railway, as Totnes Castle.

47197 and 47206 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr

Creating these two machines has been especially fun, both giving a new lease of life to a dodgy old model and turning a bargain-basement cast-off bodyshell into something useful going forward, quite rewarding considering the outcome is just a pair of very average mundane working locos that I thought were really quite boring back in the day! 😂

Cheers,

James

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