Patched peeling and about to be condemned...

A few weeks ago I was kindly gifted a couple of Chivers N gauge wagon kits by a good friend who thought they might help me get through the rest of the winter...

This act of kindness was greatly appreciated. Kit assembly was straight forward - the resulting model full of character - but I wasn't sure how much use it would find on my layouts as it fell between the cracks of Lochdubh and Paxton Road. It sat at the back of the bench, a pleasant reminder of friendship, but a challenge on how to finish...

Over the following days I spent a few hours digging about for prototype photos. Initial thoughts were to model the van in 'departmental' service but using Paul Bartlett's excellent website as a guide I decided my best bet was actually an RBV - or barrier wagon.

 

The prototype BR Dia 800 Blue Spot Fish Vans were fitted with roller bearings in 1957, the Chivers kit represents the model in this period, numbered E87000- E87499, but only 275 were fitted with roller bearings for the dedicated blue spot 'fish' trains. With the loss of the fish traffic in 1968 some were reclassified as SPV or NRV for further use in parcels service, likely until the end of the 70s - some later repurposed for other uses including barrier wagons on vacuum braked chemical tank trains - I believe from reading around that all were out of use by 1982.

A poster showing the results with a note on paint numbers and parts. Click to download full-size.

The finish was achieved in a number of simple steps that together become very effective. Initially primed in grey the first stage was to paint the wagon in a wood effect. I used Humbrol 72 (sadly no longer in the range but I've a few tins left in stock) and brushed 28 in vertical patterns. Once dry the peeling rail blue paint was applied using Precision P132W and a fine brush, copying the patterns of peeling paint found on the photos on Paul's site. Allowing this to dry the third step was to mask off small sections that I thought might have been repainted and used P132 applied by airbrush. I let this dry thoroughly before applying a gloss lacquer. Rail-tec decals were applied and then sealed with a satin lacquer. The chassis was painted with a mix of Humbrol 98 and 33 and then the model was weathered using these same shades. Rather than a wash, I applied neat white spirit to the sides in turn, then painted on the weathering shades along the panel lines. A wide flat brush removed this in vertical streaks. The same approach was used on the roof too, but less was removed to make this a little darker.

Once dry I fitted the DG couplings and painted the wheel faces, rear and axles to remove any bright surfaces that could distract the eye. Posed here on Lochdubh she is 'just right' and as you can see from the header image, this model is tiny. The peeling paint recreated in this simple way worked really well in N and I'm happy with the results - more actually, I'm really proud of her - the story behind the model and now it's finish will ensure this one remains here in the collection... she may appear from time to time in a vacuum braked engineers train on Paxton Road - and she will be enjoyed for many years to come. I hope this brief overview has given you an insight into the processes and steps involved if you were to try the same yourself. Remember, don't rush through things to get the end result, the journey is as enjoyable as the destination. Remember too, that every piece is a practice. Not just in craft, but in your headspace too... enjoy this wonderful hobby and find some peace. Until next time, more soon...

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