Beet wagons, what colour were they?

[Robert Davies]

I've got a a couple of the Bulleid 'double stacked' beet wagon bodies from Shapeways as a 'try out'....

 

I've got them all primed...

 

But then...

 

An obvious question stuck me.

 

What colour were they? Where they left in the natural grey galvanised finish? Where they painted red oxide, or was it just rust? The pics I have here don't really make it clear.

 

Can you assist me please?

 

<- another of my winning smiles!

 

-Rob

 

ps ...and YES I will add them to my workbench thread with pics and everything! - I'm looking at you at Anto!

[BosKonay]

From my understanding a greyish rusty shade of rust oxide

[RedRich]

Rob I hope these will be of some use. Earthy colors dry brushed on give a very nice representation of a well worked Beet wagon. Think of the effects of the sun and the loading of the Beet and it should give you a more work a day look.

 

Rich,

[Robert Davies]

Freakin' awesome pics Rich!

 

Thanks ever so much!

 

[Flying Scotsman 4472]

I've got a a couple of the Bulleid 'double stacked' beet wagon bodies from Shapeways as a 'try out'....

 

I've got them all primed...

 

But then...

 

An obvious question stuck me.

 

What colour were they? Where they left in the natural grey galvanised finish? Where they painted red oxide, or was it just rust? The pics I have here don't really make it clear.

 

Can you assist me please?

 

<- another of my winning smiles!

 

-Rob

 

ps ...and YES I will add them to my workbench thread with pics and everything! - I'm looking at you at Anto!

 

 

All the colours you said above mate and loads and loads of dirt

[RedRich]

Freakin' awesome pics Rich!

 

Thanks ever so much!

 

 

You're welcome Rob. Any advice you get and you will get plenty here put it to use and you will find something that works best for yourself. Please post some pics of your wagons when they are finished, I bet they'll look great.

 

Rich,

[jhb171achill]

Robert - if you mean those corrugated-sided ones, when single-storey (as it were!) they were as seen above - an aluminiumy colour - probably originally unpainted? Latterly, when double stacked, I think I saw some in the standard all over brown, but I could not be sure. The all-over nondescript grey/dirt is the best option. Sometimes they had a smear of brown paint under the number on the chassis. However, if you mean beet wagons in general, until the mid 70s standard wooden-planked open wagons were also to be seen. The further back you go, the more of those would be needed. The wooden bodied wagons used on such traffic would also have faded flying snails well into the '70s, and were all standard CIE wagon grey, all over - no black ironwork, chassis or wheels! In the last few years of beet, when containerisation was experimented with, the containers were in standard bogie flats - all brown, of course.

[Robert Davies]

Thanks again everyone for the assistance and notes - I've been experimenting with a few ideas regarding base coat, and then drybrushing - I should have a pic of some description up sometime over the weekend to show where I've got up to.

 

-Rob

[RedRich]

Thanks again everyone for the assistance and notes - I've been experimenting with a few ideas regarding base coat, and then drybrushing - I should have a pic of some description up sometime over the weekend to show where I've got up to.

 

-Rob

 

Sounds good Rob, look forward to seeing them.

 

Rich,

[Robert Davies]

 

A representation... On a shortened Dapol 12ft chassis.

 

Base Colour for the chassis, bauxite.

 

After scrubbing and cleaning up the Shapeways body, I coated it with 'Mr Surfacer 1200' http://www.spruemart.co.uk/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage-vmbright.tpl&category_id=8&product_id=44&Itemid=1 then gave a thin, almost a wash coat of Revell enamel No.87, and drybrushed the top half with Precision Paints 'sleeper grime'. Just before it was all dry I treated the upper half again with Tamiya weathering powders 'rust', and the lower half with Tamiya powders 'sand'.

 

I'll probably put some of Weshty's number and maintenance patches on it when it's cured out properly.

 

-Rob

[jhb171achill]

WOW!! That looks amazing! Superb

[Robert Davies]

WOW!! That looks amazing! Superb

 

Thanks!, but I don't know about that! I had a copy of Rich's pic in front of me whilst I was working, and tried to match the colours and textures as best I could - I'm certainly very pleased that you like the result, because it took a lot of looking at that pic of the prototype to see what's really there, not what I think should be there. When It comes down to it, do I like the result that I've achieved? Yup! So in the end that's all that really matters

 

-Rob

[scahalane]

excellent paint job, well done.

[Sulzer201]

Rob well done there your beet wagon looks superb. I wish I could do that kind of work. Well done and excellent way of making a rake of beet wagons - lets hope that flow may come back in the future in some shape or form. Tommy

[Guest hidden-agenda]

Lovely work Robert you certainly caught the weathered look.

[RedRich]

Fantastic work Rob. Being honest on a day when the weather was more inclement and skies were overcast they took on a different appearance. I think that anyone modelling beet trains should base their layout in the winter season as per the prototype. To my eye and having seen hundreds of beet trains you have captured the look very well.

 

Rich,

[Flying Scotsman 4472]

Looking great as always Rob

[skinner75]

Lovely work there Robert - you really captured the look of a used beet wagon!

[Guest hidden-agenda]

I see the beet wagon body is no longer available from shapeways in oo scale you must have got them a good while back Robert , a model of a GSR cattle wagon shown as not for sale so some one must be planning to do them at some stage in the future.

[Robert Davies]

I see the beet wagon body is no longer available from shapeways in oo scale you must have got them a good while back Robert , a model of a GSR cattle wagon shown as not for sale so some one must be planning to do them at some stage in the future.

 

That's odd! I just searched now, and this came up fine:

 

http://www.shapeways.com/model/65559/oo-scale-beet-box.html

 

About the cattle wagon, it may well be worth dropping the designer a pm via shapeways to check out their intentions.

 

-Rob

[Robert Davies]

Pardon me, I am remiss once more in thanking you all for the encouraging words regarding my efforts. My decision to model the Irish scene has been repaid many times over by the freely given help, advice and upbuilding comments.

 

Regards all,

 

-Rob

[Guest hidden-agenda]

Oops Robert my apologies i must have missed it as i searched. Some nice bits in the making there all right but i think he is still developing them so its probably still a work in progress.

Regards Gareth.

[Robert Davies]

Yes Gareth, there does seem to be another iteration (of the cattle wagon) on the site since I last checked. The renderings of his/their 2mm stuff do look rather nice, so hopefully it will come to fruition in time.

 

-Rob

[Weshty]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]4372[/ATTACH]

 

A representation... On a shortened Dapol 12ft chassis.

 

Base Colour for the chassis, bauxite.

 

After scrubbing and cleaning up the Shapeways body, I coated it with 'Mr Surfacer 1200' http://www.spruemart.co.uk/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage-vmbright.tpl&category_id=8&product_id=44&Itemid=1 then gave a thin, almost a wash coat of Revell enamel No.87, and drybrushed the top half with Precision Paints 'sleeper grime'. Just before it was all dry I treated the upper half again with Tamiya weathering powders 'rust', and the lower half with Tamiya powders 'sand'.

 

I'll probably put some of Weshty's number and maintenance patches on it when it's cured out properly.

 

-Rob

 

Rob, a sweet job. The weathered colour on the beets is really hard to define (grey/rust/light brown??) but you've pretty much hit the nail on the head there. Class.

[Sentinel281]

Hi folks,

 

a few days ago I browsed through flickr, now I saw this thread here and thought it could be useful to add some links:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jncarter1962/8233749738/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/5768602830/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/5768059265/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/finnyus/8191962288/

 

Hope it helps a little bit.

 

Gerhard.

[Weshty]

Hi folks,http://www.flickr.com/photos/jncarter1962/8233749738/

 

.

 

I'm lovin' that one....

[scahalane]

Nice Photos

[Robert Davies]

Hi folks,

 

a few days ago I browsed through flickr, now I saw this thread here and thought it could be useful to add some links:

 

Hope it helps a little bit.

 

Gerhard.

 

 

Thanks for digging those up for me Gerhard

 

An oddity strikes me - well many do really, but one relevant to these pictures - within each of the pictures, all the beet wagons are very similarly coloured, but between the photos there subtle but significant variations in the colourations. I suspect it is to do with how wet the wagon is, how damp the atmosphere is, and how recently it rained. What am I taking from all of this? Make all the beet wagons in your train similarly coloured.

 

-Rob

[RedRich]

Hi folks,

 

a few days ago I browsed through flickr, now I saw this thread here and thought it could be useful to add some links:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jncarter1962/8233749738/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/5768602830/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/5768059265/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/finnyus/8191962288/

 

Hope it helps a little bit.

 

Gerhard.

 

Cool Gerhard, thanks for that.

 

Rich,

[Guest hidden-agenda]

Thanks for digging those up for me Gerhard

 

An oddity strikes me - well many do really, but one relevant to these pictures - within each of the pictures, all the beet wagons are very similarly coloured, but between the photos there subtle but significant variations in the colourations. I suspect it is to do with how wet the wagon is, how damp the atmosphere is, and how recently it rained. What am I taking from all of this? Make all the beet wagons in your train similarly coloured.

 

-Rob

Nice pics and them were the days we thought would never end.

As the wagons were off loaded by high pressure hose its safe to assume the paint was washed off and mother nature washed on.

[jhb171achill]

Correct on all counts! And add to that the mud off the beet itself. Wagons were really a nondescipt dirt shade. Talk about fifty shades of grey!

[RedRich]

Thanks for digging those up for me Gerhard

 

An oddity strikes me - well many do really, but one relevant to these pictures - within each of the pictures, all the beet wagons are very similarly coloured, but between the photos there subtle but significant variations in the colourations. I suspect it is to do with how wet the wagon is, how damp the atmosphere is, and how recently it rained. What am I taking from all of this? Make all the beet wagons in your train similarly coloured.

 

-Rob

 

Rob if you get a chance to see any footage of the wagons being loaded in Wellington Bridge it will explain a lot. I remember seeing rakes parked in Waterford East awaiting signals and being covered in dust from nearby building work many many years ago. They used to get covered in dust and debri from the work at Mount Misery and the new road while all the work was going on. Each one has a weathered look all of it's own. I think the best thing to do is keep the color uniform within the rake. They were parked out in the elements when The beet season was finished so they would have seen all sorts of weather. I remember having a close look at a rake in Waterford West and they were parked next to the cement loading facility. Some checking revealed light cement dust on the wagons.

 

Rich,

[ei6jf]

Bit off a tardy response given the thread was opened 3 years ago but below is a photo of the prototype (i.e. the first) double-height beet wagon taken in Thurles exchange sidings on 5/3/85. As you can see, red oxide was the order of the day.

 

Mark

[ATTACH=CONFIG]19166[/ATTACH]

Edited June 2, 2015 by ei6jf

[Broithe]

Bit off a tardy response given the thread was opened 3 years ago but below is a photo of the prototype (i.e. the first) double-height beet wagon taken in Thurles exchange sidings on 5/3/85. As you can see, red oxide was the order of the day.

 

Mark

[ATTACH=CONFIG]19166[/ATTACH]

 

Picture doesn't work for me..

[DiveController]

Picture doesn't work for me..

Problem with attachment I think. Would like to see it if possible please

[ei6jf]

Second attempt: