4mm An EM Workbench: Mini-Signwriting (rough)

AJC

Western Thunderer
Stop posting pics of that BV! All its doing is pushing me to redo the roof on mine!

Lovely work as ever!

Matt

It’s alright, you’re safe now! Well, until Hornby release their new version, anyway...

Adam
 
XPO: Staveley

AJC

Western Thunderer
The beginnings, or rather the halfway point, of a project. This is a Bachmann 7 plank which I picked up for next to not a lot and had planned to turn into another internal user, until I turned to the letters page of MRJ 250 which included notes on Lowestoft goods yard from the '50s. Therein were notes on the latter days of one of Staveley's numerous fleet of PO opens. A bit of investigation found that POWsides do suitable (well, almost) transfers, here we go:

Staveley_001.jpg

The sky blue drop shadow may or may not be right, but it isn't what the notes said and so, out with the tiny paintbrush:

Staveley_002.jpg

Lettering next...

Adam
 
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AJC

Western Thunderer
Jeepers! Hats off to you for repainting the blue to red.

It's actually relatively easy (honest!) I mean, it's pre-undercoated, and fairly obvious where the paint goes. The good thing about the red is that it doesn't show on the black at all.

Adam
 

7mmMick

Western Thunderer
I’m always watching from the sidelines Adam but I have to say I love ex PO wooden bodied stuff, I need to get into hand lettering myself and with your efforts and the John Hayes book I’m itching to produce something myself. Very inspirational,

Mick:thumbs:
 
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AJC

Western Thunderer
A pair of Cambrian hoppers, in homage to the memory of @Colin Parks, shown in a state of undress here: https://www.westernthunder.co.uk/index.php?threads/whats-on-your-workbench.3804/page-102#post-183485

Catfish_11.gif

To go with my earlier Catfish, rendered in Gulf Red is this one in black. Now neither the Southern nor the Western actually had allocations of these, but they had some on loan during the '60s, some lettered 'on loan to CCE SR with empty to brandings for Frome Quarry which is ideal for the Somerset-based layout I have in mind and both are based on Dave Larkin photos.

Catfish_and_Herring.gif

And here's the accompanying Dogfish with proper SR-friendly wide chutes:

Dogfish_023.gif

So far as the models are concerned, they are reasonably 'straight' with replacement handwheels from Stenson Models: http://www.stensonmodels.co.uk/product-category/all-products/4mm-products/ (these are the former Colin Craig products) and really lift the wagons.

The trick to making them square, by the way, is to more or less abandon the designed location aids. I assembled the chassis - solebars, headstocks and end platforms (the latter assembled so that they are flush with the top of the other components: 5 thou' overlays were added over the top) - separately and stuck some lengths of 60 thou' behind the headstocks. Another bit of 60 thou' wedged the hopper in place and it's nicely solid. I've built enough of these for a representative rake now...

Adam
 
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XPO: Staveley

AJC

Western Thunderer
Another thing, finalising the wear on the ex-Staveley mineral. As we last saw it, the direction of travel was apparent but the whole was a bit clean and less than careworn. So the next stage (following Martyn Welch) was to add a fading wash over the top (a mix of Humbrol matt leather, 62 and matt black, 33) and then pick out the iron work in a rusty mix (Humbrol 100 and metalcote gunmetal). This was allowed to dry for a day or three before the next stage.

Staveley_005.jpg

Here, I've faded the white in the lettering representing wear and paint loss by overpainting the lettering with very dark grey following a very good colour picture of a Denaby PO in internal use somewhere in the Kent coalfield in Jeffrey Grayer's Industrial Railways of Southern England in Colour (a really excellent book from Crécy with proper large format pictures featuring what it says on the tin). The chassis wants a bit more treatment, I think and a load prior to being released to traffic or, in time, Bradford's siding at Podimore for use as a semi-mobile coal bin.

Staveley_006.jpg

Adam
 
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matto21

Western Thunderer
Nice - just bought a Cambrian Catfish myself having been inspired by the photo of one in Geoff Kent's 4mm wagon book.

I think the Dogfish was the first kit I ever built...

Matt
 
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AJC

Western Thunderer
Nice - just bought a Cambrian Catfish myself having been inspired by the photo of one in Geoff Kent's 4mm wagon book.

I think the Dogfish was the first kit I ever built...

Matt

The Dogfish was my second (the first was the mark 1 Parkside Grampus with the multi-piece ends and that 'orrid basket - dad had a cupboard's worth of Airfix minerals at the time...). Both have subsequently been rebuilt - they needed it - and, for completeness, here's that first Dogfish:

Dogfish_6.gif

Adam
 

matto21

Western Thunderer
Much better than my attempt. Firstly painted black badly, the repainted even more terribly into grey/yellow and completed with the Cambrian rub down markings (remember them?)

Matt
 
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AJC

Western Thunderer
Much better now. The rebuild involved almost total dismantling and wholesale replacement of couplings, buffers and so on. Mine originally had those rub-down transfers too: it now has the same artwork on waterslides which ModelMaster did and may still do. They are based on some of Dave Larkin's photos and Barry and Colin's own observations (drawn by Barry, so Colin told me - somewhere in this thread, I think!).

Adam
 

matto21

Western Thunderer
I think I used a single sheet of the rub downs to mark every one of my kit built/repainted wagons using bits and pieces with no regard for accuracy!

I must try to find my Dogfish, if it still exists, and rebuild it too.

Matt
 
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