Shades of Ballard…

Beaverbrook, my H0 scale shelf layout is born out of a heady mix of childhood memories with their emotional connection to loss combined with the energy of a shared hobby with good friends…

It builds upon the muscle memory of H0 scale modelling in my late teens and for me, it’s the art of modelling the rolling stock to a consistent artistic interpretation of reality, as I see it, the joy that comes from taking a model that everyone can own and lifting it to a higher state, perhaps even art, through those mindful activities of adding detail, painting and especially weathering.

A few months ago things got a little out of hand when the Ballard Terminal came into my world view though the power of YouTube! From there further research, Google Earth, friends and shared conversations led to parallels to our own Wantage Tramway and the genesis of the model SW1 decorated for the fictional Ballard and Wantage. One thing led to another…

On the real Beaverbrook the siding I’ve depicted at the front of the shelf swings over a whole block and serves Holcim cement. My intent was to be able to depict this being a warehouse spur using boxcars OR the cement depot by using covered hoppers. The PiCEMENT car completed was the first, and a chance eBay purchase of some American Limited cars decorated for sand service on the Winchester and Western allowed this to become a reality sooner than I had anticipated. 

The first step was to remove the markings. Two methods were used, both discussed and shared here previously. Removal with Microsol and abrasion. The two results produce different results which I used to create two distinctive cars. Once the lettering has been removed the real weathering can take place.

The slab grey sides were washed with white spirit and then a mucky dark grey (Humbrol 245) worked in around the top edge and brushed down with a wide flat brush. Once touch dry the same brush, moistened in IPA was used to modify and reduce the impact of the streaking, building a subtle streaking into the finish. The same colour, along with some Humbrol 72 was used around the hatches on the roof before the usual blend of 33 and 98 was used on the chassis and around the handrails and brake gear.

I decided to label these cars as HMLX, and 7 of the 8 numbers just needed the code changing from WW to HMLX, which I did on a custom decal with a white rectangle to look like the patch, with new stencilled black lettering. One of the side markings was damaged with the IPA, so this required a different patch, the variety adding, on some level, to the realism I hoped to have achieved.

You might also note that one of the cars also had 'On lease to Pi Cement' on the side, as a nod to the faux industry, and to tie the three cars together. These little two bay hoppers are lovely little models, and their short length certainly suits the layout. When I see them on the layout not only do I imagine standing in Moncton on Beaverbrook watching a GP38 shove them up the Holcim spur, I also am taken to Seattle and imagine a little red SW1 shutting cement cars along the street trackage of the Ballard Terminal. The fact that our layouts, creations of our own hand and of our own mind, can be blank canvas for where our imagination takes us is one of those wonderful little hidden gifts of the model railway. I suspect many of you find the same twists of fate and nostalgia turning up in your own creations. I'd love to hear about them, until next time though, more soon...

Any specific questions about method, please also leave a comment and I'll try and explain anything in more detail.