Friday Update: Eighteen Two Twenty-two...

The week here in North Wales is somehow nearly over again, and with Dudley behind us and Eunice upon us, I’m sat with the hatches battened and a scuttle worth of reds sat waiting for the inevitable power cut later…

Monday was the PXAs packaged for return, no small task to get them well packed for protection - happily they arrived mid week safely “These arrived today and look superb. Thanks so much for the work on them. I enjoyed opening them all and putting them out on a couple of lengths of track!”. 

I’ll get a post written about them next week, it’s always nice to hear back from a happy customer, especially with larger commissions like this… the pair of Austerities headed home this week too as I finished the weathering off on Monday, and work has begun on a few more smaller OO pieces before half term including the renumbering, detailing and weathering of the Dapol class 29 pictured here.

Alongside some custom etch design work this week for a 16mm model commission I’ve drawn up windows and a gantry for my Beaverbrook H0 scale Co-op feed mill. I could have produced the windows in alternative ways but the gantry will be much stronger in metal, even more so when folded and soldered up from a single piece of brass. If you have some parts that would work best in etched metal I can produce a design prototype and sourcing service, alongside full commission modelling. I can even add 3D design so you make the best if available technology utilising 3D printing for parts that 2D etched parts fit right into them.

I also picked up a copy of this old, no longer produced magazine, one I had not heard of previously. A good read, despite its age and the quality if modelling higher than the current crop of new stand US model railroad magazines. Some of the work would stand today alongside the best ready to run offerings, and I think that shows just how well served the diesel outline North American model railroad market is in terms of detailing parts. Many of these have been around for decades, and still allow us to breathe life into basic Athearn blue box or old Bachmann models, injecting our personality into these amd creating something unique rather than run of the mill.

I’ve been meaning to rework this Atlas Master-line car for Beaverbrook for some time. In photos these seem to have faded but not in a way I could represent with a white or pale grey wash or overspray, or even with matting agent or dullcote. Instead I wondered about combining a pin line wash (panel line wash) with a mist of spray on the airbrush. I chose a faded military olive green, but before applying this I distressed the British Columbia Railway placque with fine grade sand paper. The result is pleasing and will prove a base for further weathering when I come to do the rest of the car.

I chose to add the later style markings to the second side of the car so popped off the BCR panel which was just glued in place. It left a lovely slightly faded rectangle in the green. I polished up the paint and added the decal, which was lovely and easy to get to settle around the cars vertical ribs. This side of the car may also get the same faded look, although it would be a shame to loose the rectangle of lighter paint this may need to be sacrificed in the end game.

This weekend I hope to work on Creech Barn and some of my H0 locomotives, and then with the kids off school it will be a slow work week, but I’ll endeavour to keep up the daily updates. Stay safe if you’re out and about in the weather today, and get in touch if I can help with your own modelling project. North American H0 scale modelling is my own creative outlet as my narrow gauge and British standard gauge modelling has become part of the business, but anything else, from anywhere in the world is welcome. I a, taking commissions for Q4 this year, get in touch for a personal proposal. In the meantime, more soon…

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