Steamy summers day in the late 50's

Nice.

From a diddy 4F to pacifics - I couldn't resist getting some pacifics and though they were extremely rare at Brid, there is recorded evidence and of course Hull and Scarborough would get them more frequently. Large express specials were able to reach Brid from the south or Leeds/North West via either Selby/Market Weighton/Driffield or ECML at York via Market Weighton/Driffield. After the Market Weighton cross country line was closed, anything coming via Selby could use the Dairycoates bypass route on the outskirts of Hull. Some specials went via either York/Scarborough and returned via Brid or even Newcastle/York or off the ECML at Pilmoor/Malton.

So I've got enough reasons to justify having pacifics even if my chosen examples never reached Brid but that's the world of modelling make believe  ;-) The 4F pressed into service from the Birmingham area - A1 Kestrel 'cos I like the name and it's from Leeds, A3 Harvester again from Leeds (and was seen at Hull) and I like the GN style tender and A4 Woodcock has a name with a personal family connection. The degree of weathering does of course vary and the A4 being from K's X would have been spotless before leaving Top Shed so has the lightest.

Here's a before & after of my K1 - seems such a shame to spoil the coat of clear shine I put on it but of course reality was not like that except when a loco first came out of the paintshop or maybe Top Shed!

Very nice Merv. 

Lovely stuff Merv - do you give lessons ????

Weathering is one of those jobs that I keep threatening to have a go at and then find something else to do.  I have practiced on a few wagons but feel that its all about the paint products.  I am guessing that usng the right paint in the right consistency gets you one stage closer.  I've got plenty of reference material and a decent airbrush so its just plucking up the courage.

Would you be happy to share your hints and tips either here or on the H&T thread?  I am sure I would not be the only one interested in how to get such good results.

Barry

Hi Barry, sorry for the late reply but we've been away since you posted.

I'm very much a novice in most of my modelling techniques being self taught with help from numerous books, magazines and on-line sources. With particular reference to weathering, I must mention Tim Shackleton, Mike Wild George Dent and Chris Nevard for inspiration.

Trial and error is very much the name of the game - there is no magic formulae. Everybody will approach it differently and as for the desired effect/colour, we all have varying eye sight and perception let alone memories of what we think we used to see 'back in the day'!!

I'm sorry if this seems rather vague however please ask if there's anything in particular you wish me to explain. Here's a list of weathering materials/tools I use:-

                      Humbrol: Clear Varnish (as base coat), Matt black, Metal Cote
  Phoenix Precision paints: Brake dust, Frame dirt, Roof dirt
  White spirit
  MIG ‘oil & grease’ mixture (for adding  to valve gear, lubricators, etc.)
  Modelmates ‘Rust Effect’, ‘Brick Joint Filler’ (for lime stain /streaks)
  Deluxe Materials ‘Glue ‘n’ Glaze’ (for lamps to simulate lens – tiny blob!)
  Airbrush Compressor (AS18-2)
  Carrs weathering powders
  Various brushes, sponges, tissue and not forgetting fingers!!
      
              

Merv - thanks for your reply.  I find that detailed lists of materials are often missed from the "how to" vids on YouTube.  Clearly there are techniques but the right tools for the job are just as essential.

If my novice attempts turn out half as good as your K1 I will be pleased.  My WD came "weathered" but all the photos I have of them in traffic suggest that a "rolling scrap" look might be more appropriate!!

Barry

Hi Barry, re the K1 - I spent far less time on it than the WD which as you quite rightly say, mostly were seen in a very 'scrappy' condition!

In general after giving my locos a 'clear ' coat, I applied (spray) 'Brake Dust' to the wheels and lower areas then the 'Frame Dirt' to middle areas below the boiler line and wheels - no need to mask and don't worry about slight over spray between areas as dirt could find it's way of spreading! Lastly a coat of 'Roof Dirt' over the top and in varying degrees sides of the boiler and cab - I found the Precision colour needed a bit of matt black adding as it proved too light a grey - which is probably ok for coaches as the smoke from chimneys would be it's heaviest at the loco end of a train.

Not forgetting tenders of course which I sprayed at the same time attached to the loco for consistency.

If you add real coal (crushed) first then don't forget to mask the load…yes you got it I did indeed forget so I learnt the hard way, well I did say it was all 'trial and error'!!

I also applied some 'oil & grease' afterwards to valve gear/rods, etc. and while I remember…before starting any spraying I would fit as many of the add-on parts as possible and the vacuum pipes would have silver/metal cote applied whilst the steam draincocks could be anything from a coppery colour to dark brown.

Best of luck with your efforts Barry - if I can do it, I'm sure you'll have no problem….just dive in!!