Weathered covered and dirty...

Not the most exciting, nor even the most detailed, this pair of hoppers will form the back bone of my fleet on the larger Canadian layout based on Beaverbrook at the end of the old Franklin spur in Moncton...

They were started last year, being two of the better wagons left from my 1990s collection. This PS2 is from a Lifelike Proto 2000 kit, I painted it in a dirty red brown and lettered it with transfers for Saskatchewan potash, a set of Microscale transfers I had kept unused for 20 odd years, one day I said, and one day came...

The wagon has now been weathered, along with its partner, an Atlas cylindrical hopper, also lettered with decals from the same set.

This is the Atlas cylindrical hopper on Harris, our H0 layout that was never finished in the 1990s.

These pair are a nice connection, another thread through my hobby, not only childhood models re-engineered for my layout today, but labelled with Saskatchewan markings, a province I first visited as a nine year old many years ago, vividly remembering drinking an ice cold Pepsi in Harris, bought from an old fashioned roadside store, sat in the shade watching a train rattle through town with an endless parade of cylindrical grain cars proudly emblazoned with Canada, Alberta and Saskatchewan markings... mobile bill boards for their provincial government investments. Anyhow, I digress...

Weathering on both cars followed the same basic approach. A mix of Humbrol 33 and 98 were mixed and used as a wash on the chassis and bodywork, wiped off vertically. Once dry I have added micro painted streaks and rust patches, stippled on some rust on the roof with a sponge, and dry brushed gun metal on handles and worn edges. Next will be a very light dusting along the underside of my usual blend of road dirt, to tie them into the same palette of colour as their motive power and eventually the layout.

I hope the appearance is pleasing, yet subtle, feeling like working cars, disguising the shortcomings of their pre etched roof walks and making use of otherwise perfectly good models. I’ve got plans for another locomotive next, having cancelled a few of the 1990s era pre-orders I had from Rapido, choosing instead to rework older models in my own hand. I find that a more satisfying route in my modelling. 

If you have some items of rolling stock you’d like me to breathe life into then get in touch for a personal proposal, weathering is one of my favourite aspects of

model making as it can transform models entirely from simple toys to miniature works of art, well at least that’s the aim, unique and well observed weathering certainly adds realism. Until next time, more soon...