I had another fun day at Bressingham last Sunday. It was fairly quiet all day but I was able to play trains for quite a while as you can see…
Stay safe!
Shaun
Month: September 2020
WHY ME!
Why do I have to do this next stage? That was the question going through my head as I searched for some thin masking tape. I guess the real reason I have to do this next stage is because if I don’t do it, then it won’t all be my own work and i won’t learn the lessons of this dark art.
Well I made a trip to my local model shop Great Easter Models, and their fine display of Failmatch paints. I bought 2 pots of Rail Blue, 2 pots of yellow and 2 pots of a dark grey for the roof.
So I began with the yellow ends. That couldn’t be too hard could it? Well strangely enough it was harder than the blue body sides and I’m not really too happy with them. I’m hoping some smart weathering will resolve any grief caused by yellow fever.
So onto the blue. I was quite anxious about this. But I needn’t have been as it all went quite well other than my concerns about covering up the yellow over spray from the ends. I have now completed one body and to be honest, it’s not too bad. It’s not perfect and I know what I could do again but that’s what learning is about.
This is what it looks like!
Don’t look too closely please!
PRIME(R) SUSPECT!
Having read all the instructions really carefully, I’ve come to the conclusion that the main part of the body construction is now complete and it’s time for some primer.
I always tend to go for some acrylic primer in a can which can be purchased from a car parts shop with ease. They also sell the wet and dry paper which is really useful too.
So armed with my cans of grey and satin black. I headed home to face the job before me. I started by giving the whole 2 body shells a light rub down to remove and blemishes and to give the paint a key. It was a warm afternoon so I headed outside to give it a go!
I started off with the chassis and bogies after wrapping making tape around the wheel treads.
I made rapid progress due to the warm weather and was really quite pleased with the results given I don’t have much experience with this kind of thing!
So now both bodies have been painted and the chassis’ and bogies are in black. Some of them will need another little dusting of black, especially the dynamo area!
The bodies are now going through a process of checking for blemishes and filling and sanding where needed. Given the cost of the kit, I guess it makes sense to do things right. I really want the final coat of paint to look good.
Fortunately, I was out working so it wasn’t out of my way to get some filler from Great Eastern Models. I also purchased some Railmatch paints while I was there…Well it would have been foolish not to eh!
Keep safe
Shaun
Running Bressingham 70’s Style!
Our group’s list of exhibitions was totally decimated by the pandemic and without that opportunity to attend these functions, much of our stock has been left in the sidings waiting for its next outing. This list included the Model Railway Day held at Bressingham Steam Museum.
So, a few weeks ago my family attended Bressingham Steam Museum complete with masks, wipes and a lovely picnic!
I bumped into Phillip, the guy responsible for organising their shows and said hello etc. I then said ‘Does anyone ever operate your OO layout in the main hall’. He then went on to explain that it was generally left in the push button mode and one of the Thetford Model Railway Club periodically came over to maintain it.
The layout is quite a large layout with some lovely gentle curves. One thing that could be improved on is its fiddle yard which only has two loops in each directions. This is probably more than enough for a push button layout but for a manual exhibition layout, more loops really help to keep the stock looking different.
While speaking to Phillip, my mind had a little thought and I asked if I could operate the layout sometimes. ‘Sure…When ever you like’, replied Phillip. So a few emails later and there I was with a big box of my stock from Winkle’s Yard and a day of operating this layout to myself. I had great fun and took a few pictures shown below. I’m going back on a Sunday in a few weeks time so I might take some more pics then.
Enjoy the gallery.
DMU building almost done!
The main parts of building the DMU are now complete. I do need to go over parts of the model and make sure its all stuck firmly and won’t fall apart every time I pick it up. The next stage is FINISHING and this includes painting. I think I will start by priming the chassis and painting that. There’s a lot to do even with that such as masking all the wheel treads and painting the engine parts. I think that will really bring it alive. I will then prime the body and this will give me a chance to see if it needs any attention, such as ‘The Superglue Incident’ and other little blemishes. I will also need to think about painting the inside of the body to represent the colour inside. To be honest, I might just do it grey or white.
I’m not looking forward to having to paint the body shells but I guess I need to take on the challenge rather than giving it to Kelvin to finish.
So next time I make an entry into my blog, I may have some progress on the finishing/painting front to show you although this depends on the weather being dry and not damp.
Oh and in other news….
Winkle’s Yard will soon be in an issue of Model Rail with some beautiful pictures (not these ones) taken by Chris Nevard. I’m not sure what issue it will be but certainly soon and before the end of the year. It’s been a long time coming but I think the pictures will blow people away!
Take care and keep safe
Shaun
Princes Street Station 