Ruabon Brook: more stock (still no layout)...

Well after a long period of narrow gauge modelling I fancied digging some of my own OO stock back out between commissions (more on those this Friday), I've finished off a few more items and re-worked a pair...

First of all, four items all fitted with Kadee couplings destined for the other OO layout, Mollington Road. These are all 'period' and 'location' agnostic, but designed to feel right in a 1960s - 1970s setting. One kit, one new ready to run and two old re-worked ready to run from the 1990s. 

These pair are from my childhood layout, the 1 plank Lowfit is actually a Mainline model, the Conflat a later Bachmann re-issue. Both have had buffers sanded down to thin them, mould lines carved off and Kadee No.5s fitted. The Lowfit was completely repainted, but both have had a weathered wooden deck carefully applied - quite tricky not to overdo this in 4mm scale after working in 7/8ths for so long this summer!

The second pair are a recent Bachmann open wagon, this has simply been weathered and NEM Kadees fitted, alongside a Parkside Vanwide - with a little extra under frame detail and Accurascale buffers, again weathered. Mollington Road will be progressed next, over the winter, into a little shunting plank to play with some of these and the 03 and 07 diesels.

Moving on to the Ruabon Brook layout, this will probably use some form of automatic coupling on ends of rakes, but between items I will use 3 links - so all this stock is fitted with those of one description or another for now. The first item is the Hornby AA15 ex GWR brake van. This is reworked from my first attempt which I felt had gotten too dirty in the weathering process. I prised off the handrails, and removed most of it with a fibreglass brush before repainting the black patches and replacing the custom transfers (these were designed by me from photos of the real van). I've also replaced the Hornby spoked wheels with Alan Gibson discs, as the prototype photos I have in the 1950s show disc wheels on this particular van.

This plywood BR standard van is from a Parkside kit, and is a lovely model to assemble - such clean crisp mouldings. This has been lightly weathered and fitted with Accurascale sprung buffers and suitable vacuum hoses. It makes a nice contrast to the usual planked vans.

Finally, for now, another re-worked model - I think this is the third pass! I've re-worked the weathering starting by distressing the GWR letters to make them appear more faded, perhaps more typical of a mid 1950s machine before repaint, but fitted with a smokebox door plate. I also used the brush to rub off and polish the side of the tanks, the cab and the dome, as well as the smokebox door. This looked good, but left some harsh edges so carefully feathered these a little more with the brush before applying another waft of dirt with the airbrush - a mix of the usual 27004 and 62.

It's a lovely model the Bachmann Pannier, and reminds me of my childhood layout again in two ways, first of all I had a Hornby GWR 8750 like this, obviously a poor runner, as my first steam engine as a child - secondly, I had a Pannier in my teens and was the first model I super detailed all those years ago... anyhow, I've another four wagons to build that arrived this week along with the old Geoff Kent book on opens and minerals, which will hopefully allow me to add some extra detail to the next batch - ahead of the layout project for next year. More soon...