Simon's workbench

Simon

Flying Squad
Last night and this morning I have been "freight forwarding"…

Southern ply van, vacuum pipes fitted, underframe painted, body lettered with "Onebits" transfers. Blackboard left to be painted.

Letter1.jpg

Plastic brake van lettered:

File2.jpg

Brass brake van lettered:

Letter3.jpg

Toad: First weathering of chassis and ends of body:

Letter4.jpg

Simon
 

Simon

Flying Squad
I have sealed all the transfers with Johnsons Klear, and am now summoning up the courage to further weather the "Toad"…

In the meantime, and in the spirit of trying to move on some of my older projects, I have tonight been cutting and shutting one of John Dale's brilliant wagon underframe etches to provide a chassis for my Liskeard, Looe & Caradon composite coach for which I cast some springs four years ago:confused:

Here are the results with the coach and a few other bits that I have collected for it.

Oldcoach.jpg

It is a bit of a waste to carve up John's brilliant design (one of which sits under my GW 2 plank wagon) but this was the quickest way I could see of getting a credible chassis under this model and I will also use various parts of the etch on other projects - in fact a brake lever from it is earmarked for the Accucraft "Camerton" wagon that I bought sat the AGM in 2016.

I'm sure the master will forgive me:p

Simon
 

Simon

Flying Squad
I have weathered a few bits tonight. The Toad, the roof is too dark and needs lightening, otherwise not too bad I think.. I'm aiming for a recently painted van, this one appearing in the "Titfield Thunderbolt"

Toad1.jpg

The RCH mineral has been toned down.

Toad2.jpg

And the concrete hut has some earth tones added, It now needs suggestions of the shingle showing through the matrix, an airbrush would probably be useful.

Toad3.jpg

In other news, I have started soldering the chassis up for D6315 and the vintage coach is now sitting on its wheels.

Simon
 

Peter Insole

Western Thunderer
Simon, that delightful hut reminds me that I have still got to tackle the SR Exmouth Junction concrete footbridge kit (superbly laser cut in 1/32nd for us by Woodbury Models - nudge, nudge, plug, plug!) for Bagshot!

The problems with that are twofold though:

Firstly, the bridge has several "faces", so will need to be painted before final assembly - with some handling risks as well as potential adhesion issues?

Second, How on earth do I best represent the aggregate "show through" that you have just mentioned?

I partly comfort myself with the knowledge that there would have been significantly less of the "shingle" visible when the structure was still relatively new than we generally like to think! Evidence of that fact was clearly visible on the weather protected undersides of the prototype.

a-f_bagwbaseSAM_3544.JPG a-f_bagwbaseSAM_3570.JPG

Just look at how smooth - and creamy coloured the raw finish is! It is worth noting that this particular example has been standing since the Ascot to Frimley Junction line was electrified in 1938!

The hut appears in the posting as it is, and to be pretty damn close to this finish already?!

a-f_bagwaSAM_3541 LATER ELEC FITTING + GAS.JPG

Finally, this view shows the contrast - and probably more like that which most of us would expect it to look like?! Yet this effect is entirely contemporary - and the result of almost eighty years worth of exposure to the elements!!!

My real fear is that it would be too easy to inaccurately overdo the paint job - but then again, if I were to do the bridge as it should be for the late fifties or early sixties it might look slightly too clean and oddly under cooked?!

Anyway, I have had a few thoughts on the technique:

Way back, I had to frequently use an airbrush for commercial illustration work. The original, infernal instrument is hiding somewhere amongst my junk - complete with it's special "spatter cap". I used to set the air pressure low, fit the cap and get a lovely even speckle effect on parts of the artwork where required!

When it comes to it, and if I can't find the aforementioned, I may resort to the old trick of simply puffing with a bit of tube across a loaded paintbrush - although that is much, much more difficult to control the spread!

I wonder if lightly blowing a gloss varnish instead of any specific colour, using either method might be ideal for this and your hut job?

Might be worth a trial...?

I will be very interested Simon, as it looks like you will be having a go before I get round to mine!!

Pete.
 

jamiepage

Western Thunderer
Simon,
They really are splendid photos. of three superb models. The gently rusted Toad tinwork is excellent, but the 7 planker's solebar/ underframe really is utterly convincing. It just reeks with character.
Jamie
 

Simon

Flying Squad
Thank you for your kind comments Jamie and compliments of the season to you and everyone else here.

I have been studying Irwell's "Southern Nouveau and the lineside" for ideas over the holiday, it is full of really good source material for modelling the Southern and it's concrete, although the writing is a bit superficial to be honest - who'd be a publisher eh?

Anyway, it oddly motivated me to break out the brushes for a bit of Boxing day brutalising of a few wagons…

First up and target of activities was my "Toad" which may be featuring in one of the magazines soon if I can get it right. I was concentrating on the chassis, putting in rust "highlights" around the chassis, lightening the footboards under the veranda door and otherwise trying to follow a decent reference picture a friend had flagged up for me. I think it is finished, although I may yet deploy some weathering powders around the footboards particularly. Apologies for lousy picture with chassis in shadow, I need to take a picture outside really.

Weather1.jpg

Feeling a bit brave I blacked up the destination boards on the Southern ply van and then washed and brushed some weathering mix over the bodywork, which was more effective than I had a right to expect.

Weather2.jpg
Flushed with lack of disaster I used up the dregs of paint on the brass BR brakevan, which is now a better visual match for the plastic version weathered earlier.

Weather3.jpg

I'm of on a bit of a road trip for a couple of days but hope to have a running day out in the garden over the holiday period when all these weathered wagons can be made up into a train in decent light.

Simon
 

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Simon

Flying Squad
No running of trains, but a few snaps this morning before further socialising took place…

Van1.jpg

Van2.jpg

While I can see various imperfections and the garden line remains massively unfinished these pictures are the kind of effect I have been aiming for - there's a lot to be said for natural light:)

Simon
 

queensquare

Western Thunderer
Had the good fortune to have a proper look at these during the above mentioned 'socialising' yesterday and they really are fabulous. The wagons are beautifully modelled and 1/32nd has a real presence but the subtle weathering has breathed new life into them.
Photographed in natural light they look stunning.

Jerry
 

Simon

Flying Squad
Thanks very much Jerry.

I managed a bit of work on the chassis for D6315 tonight. Having messed up the fold for the lower flange on both sides:rolleyes: I removed it and instead soldered on replacement strips of brass, suitably bent to shape, along the bottom edges of the chassis.

D6315chassis.jpg

The fuel tank I made up at the club some weeks ago, a bit of filing and filing required and then fitting on the fiddly bits.

Next job is making up the frame that fits into the resin body casting and which sits on top of the main chassis pictured here.

It's a long haul but at least I have started it, I'm aiming for green with discs and no yellow panel as the finish.

Simon
 

Simon

Flying Squad
Not too much activity around here, although I have (with permission) fairly recently repainted two of Dave Easto's bogie bolsters, I picked the two last built ones which had rather light "sand" coloured effects that stuck out a bit.

That was some weeks ago, and I have been thinking a bit of lettering would look good. Analysis suggests that the closest prototype to these fine wagons are the early BR built Bolster Cs to GW pattern Apart from a lack of rivets(!) the slight moot point is the use of diamond framed bogies, according to various sources the early ones had these but I can't find any pictures, no matter, this is what I'm saying they are!

So I was looking for transfers the other night, I could cobble together enough bits from my "one bits" transfers for just one wagon, and this wouldn't include the centre markings or "bogie bolster" branding. Cambridge Custom doesn't do a Bolster C, Fox don't do anything useful, hmm, someone must?

Well, it was by now nearly midnight on Wednesday this week, and I found the Railtec site, nothing ventured etc, I sent a message could you do 1/32 versions of Bogie Bolster C lettering? Blow me, not five minutes later comes an answer from Steve - yes, what do you want? A reply, another response and its yes please from me, and I went to bed.

Yesterday morning, check my emails, 40 minutes after I'd crashed Steve had sent the artwork, was this OK?

I replied yes, then paid what I think is a very reasonable £19.95 for transfers for eight wagons.

This morning they arrived, 8 sets, some nicely observed variations amongst the numbers and a few spare bits.

This evening I applied them to the two wagons, went on beautifully, applied some Micro Sol and they are now drying off, a coat of Johnsons Kleer to follow tomorrow night and then a pray of matt varnish after a bit more weathering probably.

I'm really impressed with the stupendously good service (Steve did say I was lucky with my timing) and also with the quality and ease of application of the transfers - fantastic! I look forward to lettering the other five and then building an eighth to show Dave how it "ought to be done" (hollow laughter and sceptical looks all round).

DSCN0137 (1).jpg

DSCN0135.jpg

Thank you very much to Steve at Railtec Transfers, you have really cheered me up:)

In other news my "Toad" is scheduled to make an appearance in the next MRJ about which I am pretty chuffed too.

Simon
 
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Simon

Flying Squad
Good news!

Do you think MRJ would also like a couple of photos of you researching toads? ;)

Nice job on the bogie bolster, by the way.

Thanks Tim

Was that the same sort of time I was "researching" telegraph pole insulators on the Settle and Carlisle?

Thank goodness we're all grown up and sensible now:p
 

Simon

Flying Squad
I have been lettering Dave's bogie bolsters, strengthening the coupling springs which were way too weak and doing a bit more painting, generally darkening things down a bit. With all five "long" bolsters lettered, this morning I did a spot of weathering:

DSCN0152.jpg
DSCN0153.jpg
DSCN0154.jpg

So that's all five finished, although I think I will weather down that last very light grey one, I was trying to leave one in a slightly more "Dave-ish" finish. Edit 22.00; I have filthed it:cool:

That leaves the two short bolsters, which equate to the Bogie Bolster A. My lettering doesn't suit these as they would have been ex GW, and a bit unlikely at that, although in one of Larkin's books there is an angle trussed example of an "A". Worse still, at least one is vacuum fitted (Dave started off adding more detail) but this indicates the Ashford built 1961 vehicles, but they were running on the more modern "Gloucester" bogies, although they would have Bxxxx numbers...

Hmmm, what shall I do? I could always make a pattern and do them in resin - I'm slightly tempted. In truth, the diamond framed bogies are unlikely for all these vehicles, but in general terms I feel strangely unworried about this:p

Hopefully they'll all get a run tomorrow, we may need snowploughs according to some weather forecasts:eek:

Simon
 
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