Martin S-C

One of my most disliked jobs - painting coaches. I just don't seem to have the eye-hand co-ordination for it. Still, we must press on. Here's the four chopped about/base painted Hornby clerestories. Two in the Prussian blue and cream of the GSR and two in the Doncaster green and cream of the NMR. Things are complicated by the fact that the donor to the NMR brake coach was one of the later style Hornby vehicles that had the panelling painted on, so I've got a completely flat side to work on. Oh joy. My first thought is to treat the two green/cream vehicles in different styles, a simpler layout being used on the unpanelled coach. Here are some photos for inspiration. The Prussian blue S&DJR model you need to imagine with cream upper panels. The question is how detailed should I go? There is a model of a GWR clerestory above which has the simple scheme without any panel lining or highlighting but to me it lacks character. Most of the more complex schemes have a gold lining within the panel edges, something I really doubt I'm capable of doing. I have some very fine Staedler pigment lining pens in black for the details but I should perhaps try one in yellow for the gold panel edging. I already have a gold metallic marker but it's a 1.2mm point so probably both too wide and the wrong shade. All comments and suggestions are very welcome.

I think the minimum run is around 100 models... we could probably consume a quarter of that here on RMWeb - though if he uses Dapol products as a base he may have fewer customers.

Small concerns often added 100 or 1000 or some other large number in front of their actual numbered wagons. And when wagons were scrapped or their lease terminated the next leased wagon(s) would be added to the numbers list in sequence, and didn't replace the "lost" numbers - so increasing the apparent numbers of wagons a company owned. That being said, my rummages through PO wagon books have found several numbered "1" or in the single digits, suggesting that not every company behaved that way. And to swing neatly back onto topic - this strikes me as a wagon that might have run on the WNR. Built 1902 apparently and available as an RTR item but with steel channel solebars, so some fettling necessary.

Love it.

I'll need to look up about NCE wireless in the UK. I am always twitchy about wireless as signal drop can leave you in it, but since I have a wired NCE PoCa already I can use that as a safety back up in the same manner you do. More investigation necessary!

Ha! I would love to see that plate Annie.

And Mr Jenkinson took a leaf out of everyone else's book. David J was a curious mix of railway modeller. His research has benefitted us all and he was a superb scholar, but even on his so called "pure" 1927 LMS layouts he enjoyed his fictional bit of fun. I think this is important to be aware of.

John Ahern had American 40 foot boxcars on his layout. I feel I am in good company with my rolling stock. My layout is for fun, not for rivet counting - though I am not for a moment suggesting you are one of the latter, merely that I don't take such issues into deep consideration. I do draw a line... it just is a bit further forwards towards terra fantastica than the line that others might draw, and I'm aware James is one of the more serious freelance modellers I've met. Vive la differance is my cry... well, that and rule 1 always applies...

They show up on e-Bay with expensive frequency. I confess to having bought a few since my Ahern-verse allows them, though I baulk at the more bizarre liveries and try to avoid the more obviously out of period fonts and signage.

Probably a sensible move once you get past a certain number. I suppose if you owned a few very loved ones you could convert but if the numbers head past double figures it may be time to sell. It all depends how much you enjoy this kind of work. I know one lad who absolutely thrives on it and is happy to do this kind of work for his mates for free because he loves it so much! It takes all sorts!

Hi John Your work is so insanely tidy! I see you use NCE Powercabs to run the layout. I bought one a year back for testing and programming and am thinking of using them on my layout. I understand booster units can be fitted, probably necessary in my case as up to six locos could be moving at one time. My point and signal motors will be on a separate bus and the powercabs will be for driving only, points/signals to be worked from signal cabin frames at each station. What is your experience with the Powercabs?

Love that dyed sawdust grass. Not a bush, tree, nor patch of scrubby brambles in sight. A thing of its time and quite superb.

This needs to be "For repairs advise Crabb Bros., Sideways Sidings, Cromer."

My motto is railway modelling should be fun, first and foremost. If you are too serious I find it loses its appeal. I like this van, its so very obviously for humour that it's fine. No-one could mistake it for anything prototypical.

Cheers Kevin, I have ordered a bottle. Getting a bit stressed out over this little issue.

Frustration time. What do people use to glue in coach glazing? I have some hard acetate-type clear sheet which I think came from a Ratio kit and I cannot find an adhesive that will attach it cleanly to brass. I painted the interiors beforehand so the brass is now painted... probably a mistake but it would be impossible to paint the interior after the sheet is in. The kit has separate window droplights as well so the interior wall isn't flush - no matter what I try I cannot get the glazing strip to sit up tight against the windows. There's a horrible scale 3 or 4 inch gap in places. I can't be the first person to have struggled with this so what do people do?

Thanks for those replies Stephen, it helps clear up several questions I had.

How did the well-known legal issue between the GWR and Spillers flour with their PO painted iron mink flour vans fit into this? Be aware however that a number of breweries had their own vans, notably in Kent, probably because the traffic was not seasonal. Or were these railway company owned vehicles bearing the customer's livery as referenced above? There were a number of cement vans bearing PO liveries as well. There's always an exception one has to be (annoyingly) aware of.

When I was about 12 I went to France for a week with a school trip. I wanted to get my family something as a gift but had only schoolboy money at my disposal but hit upon the idea of getting them a croissant each. I was so proud of myself when I went into a local boulangerie and managed "Bonjour, cinque croissant sil vous plais; merci beaucoups". When I got them home a few days later everyone wore a fixed smile of enjoyment as they chewed through the stale leathery things... At least after 4 or 5 days croissants don't pong.

I agree. You describe yourself perfectly.

GW Collett Goods locos were tough old beasts. You could sink a ship with them.

The classic Great Western coaching livery of light and dark grey with locomotives in mid-grey.

There was once a normal service?

That got me thinking of how different (or similar) is a wash product from/to a very thinned down acrylic paint? My assumption (from ignorance really) is that a wash is designed to do quite a different job which is to employ surface tension to creep into corners, crevices and recesses, while a paint is designed to provide overall coverage. Even thinning down a paint should still give you overall coverage, just less thickly. Some experimentation is called for!

The answer is in my post - same point motor, but one is set up to be run by DC and the other by DCC. I don't know how much clearer my post could have been.