Canadian GE70t: start of weathering...

I’m excited, the GE70t has been sealed with dull cote and I’ve added the start of the fine details and begun weathering...

I’ve used some A-line chain (tiny 40 link per inch) on the end handrails, I’ve used Cal-scale windscreen wipers and Miniatures by Eric marker lamps. The headlights have been painted silver, and I’ve drilled to refit the original Bachmann lens in the centre, the low hood one works well, the cab LED is a touch too high to light up the lens. 

Along the hood I’ve added door handles from 0.35mm brass rod bent up and cut to size, touched in with black paint. On the buffer beams I’ve refitted the EZmates but these don’t swing anymore, but seem to work ok for manual uncoupling on the layout. The air hoses are by Kadee, strictly speaking for freight stock but they look the part. 

In the cab a Modelu driver reclines reading a book, I’m also lacking a second pair of marker lights (TMR only had one set in stock) and I’d like some of those AAR tag things for the panel on the cab and sole beam. I’ve started weathering, a dark wash to the cream grilles and a grey panel line wash elsewhere. I need to hand paint the streaking along the sills, dry brush some gun metal on step edges and handrails to represent worn and flaking paint, then some road dirt with the airbrush will tie it all together.

It’s been a fun little project amd goes to show there is life in these aging Bachmann mouldings yet, I’ve had a lot of fun working on this, probably as much as building the Kaslo S13 kit, definitely more than opening the Rapido box and just weathering the SW1200RS... I think the process of creating your own model should never be under estimated, as part of a creative process, for me, it cannot be bettered. Until the weathering is complete, more soon...