RMweb Premium Neal Ball Posted June 9, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 9, 2023 1 minute ago, Graham T said: I did think about that solution for the handrail Neal, but think I will fall at the "no room for error" hurdle! The reality is that once in-service handrails bent at some very strange angles - prototype for everything! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Graham T Posted June 9, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 9, 2023 I'll just set those chaps from Bodgeit and Scarper loose... 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Graham T Posted June 9, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 9, 2023 Before I get to the stage of spraying the 57xx, can one of the gurus out there tell me if it was more common for the fronts of the tanks to be green or black? I've seen examples of both. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 I managed to straighten the handrail kink with just a pair of normal pliers, and cut off the excess once in place. I think the worst part of removing the top feed and associated gubbins is actually starting it - as you say it isn't actually too difficult if you take it slowly. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Graham T Posted June 9, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 9, 2023 Thanks Jules. Actually, seeing your recent posts about modifying panniers was what prompted me to finally make a start on getting this done! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Neal Ball Posted June 9, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 9, 2023 4 hours ago, Graham T said: Before I get to the stage of spraying the 57xx, can one of the gurus out there tell me if it was more common for the fronts of the tanks to be green or black? I've seen examples of both. Sorry I didn't see this earlier - I will check in the morning for you in the Pannier papers.... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Graham T Posted June 9, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 9, 2023 I took the advice of @Jules and managed to get the handrails straightened out with a pair of needle nose pliers 🙂 Now for some paint... 6 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules Posted June 10, 2023 Share Posted June 10, 2023 Looks good even before the paint! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Neal Ball Posted June 10, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 10, 2023 14 hours ago, Graham T said: I took the advice of @Jules and managed to get the handrails straightened out with a pair of needle nose pliers 🙂 Now for some paint... I’ve just tried that - the bend has gone, but I’ve added a strange angle 🙁 Ho hum! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Graham T Posted June 10, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 10, 2023 I wasn't able to get mine dead straight, but they are close enough for me! Using the needle nose pliers along the length of the handrail, as well as at right angles to it, seemed to help. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Graham T Posted June 10, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 10, 2023 Righto, this 57xx will ultimately become 3725. I have some cast plates for her and bufferbeam numbers arrived in the post yesterday from @railtec-models. Quick turn-around from Steve, and not having to wrestle aligning four very small numbers in a tight space is a real boon! (Usual disclaimer yadda yadda, just a happy customer). The green has been plastered on with diluted Railmatch GWR loco green. I'm still struggling with mixing the right consistency of paint for my airbrush to be honest. It's either too thick and so gums up the works, and splatters rather than sprays, or swings to the other end of the scale and is too thin. I think I should be aiming for a mix with a milk-like consistency, but ... Maybe I should add food colouring to milk? Anyway, here she is in all her "glory". A bit of touch-up required around the right-hand cab window, where some of the masking fluid has lifted a little of the paint, and I also need to paint the rails over the rear windows - they were masked with tape. You can still see the scar where the topfeed was removed, but it was a devil of a job to get into that area for filling and sanding, as I couldn't remove the tank fillers. I replaced the smokebox dart and added lamp irons. Now I just need to find the patience to leave it alone for the paint to harden before I do any more to it! 16 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold checkrail Posted June 10, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 10, 2023 Looks excellent. Only you will ever notice any residual scarring from topfeed removal, and even you won't notice it after a fortnight! (Btw, I have just the same problems with getting the optimum mix for the airbrush.) 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post Graham T Posted June 10, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted June 10, 2023 I managed to resist fouling up messing about with the 57xx this evening, but spent a few minutes playing trains instead. A rather busy scene at Chuffnell R, just to show that trains do appear there from time to time! This led to some ponderings about CR Mk II, which may be a somewhat different beast - more on that anon. But the thoughts included: probably stay with Peco bullhead track, but go for OO-SF British Finescale points (and make sure that I get the track billiard-table smooth!) hand paint the backscenes to blend in with the scenery plan things a lot more carefully, especially the baseboards and electrickery 20 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Graham T Posted June 11, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 11, 2023 A quiet day today, so I've pushed on with painting the soon to be 3725. (I added some real coal to the bunker last night). Amazing what a difference a spot of paint makes... All the blackwork has been redone with a mix of black and leather brown. Whistles painted brass, and the pipework under the tanks with copper, then darkened with a wash of the black/brown mix to tone them down. Vermillion used on the buffer beams. All paints are Vallejo acrylics. The pipes running from under the soleplate to the bottom of the cab steps (no idea what they are) are pretty chunky, and I toyed with the idea of removing them and replacing with some rod - but have decided that discretion is the better part of valour in this case, and so that's been left for another day - if ever! Finally for now, a reminder of how the loco looked before I started butchering it... 9 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Neal Ball Posted June 11, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 11, 2023 41 minutes ago, Graham T said: A quiet day today, so I've pushed on with painting the soon to be 3725. (I added some real coal to the bunker last night). Amazing what a difference a spot of paint makes... All the blackwork has been redone with a mix of black and leather brown. Whistles painted brass, and the pipework under the tanks with copper, then darkened with a wash of the black/brown mix to tone them down. Vermillion used on the buffer beams. All paints are Vallejo acrylics. The pipes running from under the soleplate to the bottom of the cab steps (no idea what they are) are pretty chunky, and I toyed with the idea of removing them and replacing with some rod - but have decided that discretion is the better part of valour in this case, and so that's been left for another day - if ever! Finally for now, a reminder of how the loco looked before I started butchering it... That looks great Graham - did you use Vallejo for the green as well? Much better than the post WW2 black… 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Graham T Posted June 11, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 11, 2023 Ah, no - the green is Railmatch post-1928 GW loco green. Do you use Vallejo green for your locos Neal? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Neal Ball Posted June 11, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 11, 2023 6 minutes ago, Graham T said: Ah, no - the green is Railmatch post-1928 GW loco green. Do you use Vallejo green for your locos Neal? No! But that’s why I was asking…. I use the Railmatch paints which obviously I can’t get in Spain / the EU 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Graham T Posted June 11, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 11, 2023 I did manage to get a few pots of acrylic sent here a couple of times, from Howes. They stressed that they were willing to send but couldn't guarantee that the paint would actually arrive! 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post Graham T Posted June 11, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted June 11, 2023 The crew, fire irons, and number plates have now been added. I fixed the decoder into one of the pannier tanks with some black tack, and then the loco went back together nice and easily (yes I know, really!) Popped her on the track, and she still runs nicely, which is always a bit of a bonus... So now she has been re-programmed to her new identity as 3725, and had a dab of gloss varnish applied where required in readiness for transfers. 17 6 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold sjrixon Posted June 11, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 11, 2023 Very nice! You've done a smart job there. I really need another Pannier..... 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold longchap Posted June 11, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 11, 2023 You're getting good at this Graham. 1 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Neal Ball Posted June 12, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 12, 2023 7 hours ago, Graham T said: The crew, fire irons, and number plates have now been added. I fixed the decoder into one of the pannier tanks with some black tack, and then the loco went back together nice and easily (yes I know, really!) Popped her on the track, and she still runs nicely, which is always a bit of a bonus... So now she has been re-programmed to her new identity as 3725, and had a dab of gloss varnish applied where required in readiness for transfers. Excellent work Graham 7 hours ago, sjrixon said: Very nice! You've done a smart job there. I really need another Pannier..... You cant have enough Pannier tank locos 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KNP Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 Very nice job, every GW layout needs one or more Panniers. More the merrier. 5 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BWsTrains Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 lovely work Graham, I've an BR Era 57xx Black Pannier of no use in my setting and your efforts might well spur me to take it back to the 30s! But I must get those uncouplers installed first. Too many interesting distractions are an impediment to progress, whatever that is? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Graham T Posted June 12, 2023 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 12, 2023 Thanks for all the kind comments, always much appreciated! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now