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Weathering a Bachmann WD 2-8-0


mick
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Cor, that looks great!!

I am 65 and remember the days of steam very well, and that is EXACTLY how they looked when the mainenance teams, the shed crews and the loco crews themselves realised there was no point spending time cleaning them up as they were going to the cutting torches within a few weeks anyway :cry:

Top job, Mick.

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Mick, just to clarify my remark re cab side windows. It was not a single reference to your WD but to any loco so fitted ie, Black 5/8F etc. Such luxury's were often omitted on the WD's as they were built of course for cheapness. The one pictured above ( by Rossi ) has a single sliding window against a solid front plate so my 'tip' here is not applicable. That picture of 90233 certainly shows the state they were in at the time....... I would love to hear a 'sound' version of one of these as I think all the 'clanking, knocking & banging' could annoy the neighbors!!

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sykarost said:

Mick, just to clarify my remark re cab side windows. It was not a single reference to your WD but to any loco so fitted ie, Black 5/8F etc...

Understood Brian.

Yes, the photo by Rossi really makes my WD look very clean indeed. I was wondering whether I needed some oily stains on mine - sometimes it looks a bit too 'dry'.

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Your WD 90630 Mick looks like a western example. I only say that because of the top feed cover and the fire iron tunnel on the running plate. On one of the Telerail Videos there is a clean ex works example of a WD and the boys on the adjacent station platform don't even give it a second look.

I love the ash under the smokebox and the rust well done!.

Roy.

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cleanerg6e said:

Your WD 90630 Mick looks like a western example. I only say that because of the top feed cover and the fire iron tunnel on the running plate...

Yes that just goes to show my complete lack of any prior research whatsoever Roy. In my defence this was always intended to be a lesson in weathering and an attempt at adding some additional detailing in order to produce something that's pleasing to my eyes. I've also just been having a look at several photographs and I've not come across any with such a prominent amount of ash/debris beneath the smokebox and yet to me that looks exactly right. I guess once in motion it would probably disperse anyway but as mine is glued on then it's here to stay. I've added things that I like the look of rather than things that should or perhaps should not have been there.

I've learned a bit more about weathering and how I can create some pleasing effects. I'm still unsure about whether I'd want to get into researching a particular loco before trying to recreate a true representation of it at any one point in time because ultimately I just enjoy sitting back and watching trains - to me it doesn't really matter what number they carry on their cab sides. If I were to go down the completely prototypical route then I'd probably have to dispose of three-quarters of my collection of locos and rolling stock. It's a point that's been raised a couple of times over recent days - a garden railway isn't usually your typical model railway layout in that, on the whole, we tend to simply enjoy running trains with less emphasis on true authenticity. I've done exactly the same with my train of mineral wagons in that I've not gone to the lengths of changing any of the wagon numbers even though I did go out and purchase some. Unless I photograph each individual wagon in detail then it's something that's simply not apparent at all. To me it's not individual images but the whole picture and I'm sure the WD and mineral wagons will be satisfying once they have their first run out.

This takes nothing away from the superb efforts of the two Ia(i)n's at least who I know do try to adhere to prototype and with excellent visual results.

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I have to agree with you Mick as far as creating the picture goes. On a garden railway, with more than a couple of train lengths between stations, and observing from a more realistic distance, the picture is more important than the fine detail. Very fine detail is fine in a showcase model, but at 12" to the foot scale, individual numbers are barely recognisable from any distance. I have run up against the rivet counters in model boating too. Those who complain that the camouflage pattern on a warship predates the fitting of a certain piece of armament etc. I hope that those people enjoy their version of the hobby. For the most part though, I think most of us are happy with creating the picture.

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roddy said:

I have to agree with you Mick as far as creating the picture goes. On a garden railway, with more than a couple of train lengths between stations, and observing from a more realistic distance, the picture is more important than the fine detail...

And here, more or less, is the final picture Roddy. Just a couple of little details still to add and then I'll be out with the video camera to capture the first run over the viaduct on film.

169869879ca897dc0f3f7a63272f8825.jpg

b9d614c98da08dd3814cfa7ea3a1ce37.jpg

a4b8376f07c9e818440356387f0f771d.jpg

There's a total of 23 mineral wagons and a brakevan in tow and by my calculations that's about the total length I can comfortably manage within the shed without having to split the train unless I add some additional storage roads when I could possibly add another 10 wagons. I would have liked to have run a similar length train to what I could manage on my old layout but with a station and platforms in the shed it restricts the space available for long storage roads.

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roddy said:

What a picture it is too. A battered loco disappearing into the distance, yet the old wagons are still passing. What more can be wanted?

Yes I like the train disappearing into the distance feel too and the sense that after the roar of the loco has passed all you can hear are the wagon wheels clanking over rail joins. The scene is enhanced by the natural ambience outdoors and the natural light. It's just something you could never really recreate indoors. After the long wet summer and the freezing cold winter it's nice to be able to brave it, even if only for a few minutes and create an experience like that. I'm hoping that with some sound and (if the smoke gen still works) a wisp of smoke, the picture will be even better on a short video.

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I was just sorting through some of the photos I've been taking of the loco at various stages of being weathered and I don't think I've added this one and so I've cropped it to the area of interest:

d267df670fb00067e8703ca9583cad05.jpg

Even I've never seen it up this close before now (I certainly can't see it like this with my normal eyesight even when wearing glasses) and I'm amzed at just how realistic those areas of rust have turned out. That whole effect has been created using nothing other than thinned Railmatch enamel paint on top of a plastic body as I've mentioned in my posts. I wonder if the white spirits has anything to do with it?

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Excellent work there Mick, the WD with the its train on the viaduct looks spot on. Trains like this passed our village day and night when I was a kid and we never gave them a second look.

Regarding the 'muck' under the smokebox door... I don't think it was regular ash as such but a grey/black sort of ash/clinker. Or at least that's how it looks on the videos of men cleaning out the smokebox.

Once again, well done, you can be proud of that train! :)

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...Regarding the 'muck' under the smokebox door... I don't think it was regular ash as such but a grey/black sort of ash/clinker. Or at least that's how it looks on the videos of men cleaning out the smokebox...

I reckon you're right Ian, I might tone mine down just a little bit. I'm sure I can find some darker ash in the fire!

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george356 said:

I like the look of the paint scale half way between the chimney and the handrail...

It's exactly the effect I was looking for on the smokebox and boiler George but I had no idea it would come out like that. A stroke of luck - I wonder if I'll be able to replicate it next time?

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mick said:

Yes that just goes to show my complete lack of any prior research whatsoever Roy. In my defence this was always intended to be a lesson in weathering and an attempt at adding some additional detailing in order to produce something that's pleasing to my eyes. I've also just been having a look at several photographs and I've not come across any with such a prominent amount of ash/debris beneath the smokebox and yet to me that looks exactly right. I guess once in motion it would probably disperse anyway but as mine is glued on then it's here to stay. I've added things that I like the look of rather than things that should or perhaps should not have been there.

I've learned a bit more about weathering and how I can create some pleasing effects. I'm still unsure about whether I'd want to get into researching a particular loco before trying to recreate a true representation of it at any one point in time because ultimately I just enjoy sitting back and watching trains - to me it doesn't really matter what number they carry on their cab sides. If I were to go down the completely prototypical route then I'd probably have to dispose of three-quarters of my collection of locos and rolling stock. It's a point that's been raised a couple of times over recent days - a garden railway isn't usually your typical model railway layout in that' date=' on the whole, we tend to simply enjoy running trains with less emphasis on true authenticity. I've done exactly the same with my train of mineral wagons in that I've not gone to the lengths of changing any of the wagon numbers even though I did go out and purchase some. Unless I photograph each individual wagon in detail then it's something that's simply not apparent at all. To me it's not individual images but the whole picture and I'm sure the WD and mineral wagons will be satisfying once they have their first run out.

This takes nothing away from the superb efforts of the two Ia(i)n's at least who I know do try to adhere to prototype and with excellent visual results.


Yes Mick, the viewing distance on a garden railway is usually around 12 to 15 feet. Often impossible inside. My rake of 16 ton mineral wagons all have the same number and there's 60 of them!. In the videos I've seen the wagons come in all shades from clean to mild dirt to rust so on a model anything goes. A lot of the WD's had white water staining and I have a video which shows one WD loco that looks like it's had a flock of incontinent birds perched on top of the boiler. I'd upload it but it's Telerail footage so I can't.

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  • 7 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Thanks for the comments Jon. I really should make a point in learning to use my airbrush too. Can never usually find the time or there's usually something else to do. On the other hand, we've had a very bad year this year - hopefully next year will bring better fortune for us all.

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