Friday 11 November 2011

Pretty pictures...

Was playing around with the camera recently and took these shots...
This shows my Classic brass 3324 drifting through the station after her recent 'tone up' to the weathering. Originally painted in the mid-1980s, the paint had become a little 'tired' and faded over the years (there is a 'before' picture in an earlier post) so I gave her a touch up. After a good wash (being very careful not to get the DCC chip and speaker in the tender wet!) I touched up the areas where the paint had worn off the brass with a spray of SEM self-etch black, let down with a little SEM grey. When that had dried  I reweathered the loco with Tamiya and Badger acrylics, diluted in Isocol alcohol.

Here is another shot of her, which also includes part of a recently 'backdated' On Track Models LLV. The backdating consisted of moving the outer lamp irons to the high position they occupied before the late 1970s, plus adding the end handrails removed when the lamp irons were lowered. Buffers and AR Kits 'Andrews' bogies have also been added.

Here is close up view of the LLV.
It was weathered by 'washing' a little dilute in Isocol alochol Tamiya XF-10 Flat Brown into the wheel discs, the bogie springs, the door hinges and the door catches. Then a light spray of very dilute in Isocol Tamiya XF-52 Flat Earth all over to give that typical 'dusty' look. 
 
I've also managed to finish off the 53 class, it has had the paint damage (mostly!) touched up, glass fitted to the headlight, a rolled up canvas weathershield added behind the cab and a new fireman recruited.


Well, I thought it was finished until I read Ray Pilgrim's recent post on the easy way to add a 'chuff' cam...

Last, but not least, a 'what used to be', or perhaps a 'what will be again', once I get a DCC chip fitted.
My dear old Trax brass 1248 standing at the station with a typical 1950s branchline passenger train, two 'dogboxes' and a van. This scene may soon be able to be recreated again, now that Ian Phemister has shown me the way to get a Tsunami into the 'small engines'... 

Wednesday 9 November 2011

Found on Youtube...

A link was posted in one of the Facebook groups to which I belong to this fantastic 'from the cab' video of a trip from Acacia Ridge to Taree in the NSW North Coast line.
There is quite a lot of stuff on Youtube that is entertaining, but this video is also very useful to anyone attempting to model the NSW North coast line, particularly in the modern era. Thanks to 'v6hilux' for putting it up.