irishthump

Very simple techniques really.... The only paints I used for weathering are Humbrol Enamels. The various shades are all a mixture of just two colours, Matt Black 33 and Matt leather 62. First I airbrush a layer of 50:50 black and leather over the whole loco, I let this dry a little then take most of it off again with cotton buds soaked in thinners (I use white spirit) working in downward strokes to mimic streaking on the loco sides and making sure to leave paint in the recesses. The roof gets a coat of the same mix, as well as the bogies. Neat black is used for exhaust stains as well as around the fuel tank and wheel bearings. Light patches of neat matt leather are airbrushed onto parts of the bogies to mimic brake dust and I also dust a very light coat over the whole loco which helps tie all the colours together. I find very light application of paint at high pressure gives a lovely, dusty finish. The exhaust on 210 was done with Humbrol matt rust 113, silver 11 and matt black 33 and touched up with some rust coloured weathering powders. Lastly the buffers faces are touched with some Metalcote Gunmetal. I use a an old tin that has almost dried out, it gives a great representation of the thick grease used on the buffers!

No it's just a standard MK1, but I do have a MK1 brake converted to a steam genny van, I'll take a pic of it when I get the chance.

Thanks for all the comments, lads! 210 got some of the same treatment.....

Looking great Sean, nice neat job on the ballasting! You're really making some progress with your layout.

An Xmas present of some vouchers for Mark's Models resulted in me picking up 080 a couple of months ago and I finally got around to weathering her over the last few days. Have a look and see what you guys think....

Some good tips there David! In regards to the issue of pastels and weathering powders darkening when sealed; I had the same problem not matter how fine a spray of varnish was used. (I switched from aerosol to airbrush but to no avail!) I found a good technique was to give the model a coat of matt varnish BEFORE apply the powders. This gives a much betters key for the powders to adhere to. Sean, have a look at this thread: http://www.irishrailwaymodelling.net/showthread.php/1667-Weathering-Tips It's a link to a PDF on weathering. It's mainly for US freight stock but the techniques are still worth trying.

Hope this won't stop you posting on your workbench! I've always loved seeing your work.... Best of luck for the future, George.

As Warbonnet says spray the white first but after you've masked off the line spray ANOTHER layer of white over the masking. This will seal the edges and stop the paint from bleeding underneath the tape.

It looks like the couplers are fitted in NEM pockets so it's just a straight swap.

I suppose €4 is one thing but what are the later magazines going to be priced at?

I saw it in Eason's earlier in the week. No interest in steam so I didn't give it a second glance!

Not sure if this has been posted already.... http://stores.ebay.co.uk/roxley-2011/Railway-/_i.html?_fsub=8744030018&_sid=1074922478&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322 Some good deals on 201's, especially if you can avail of the free UK postage.

To be honest I've heard varying reports on the DCC Concepts decoders, but if it can make a Lima run smoothly without cutting out it's doing well! The TCS Keep Alive units seem the most effective, especially if you use insulfrog turnouts. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoqXxxAtmZA

What about a stay-alive capacitor?

That's a nice job!

Wow! That's an ambitious project, looking forward to see it develop. Keep us updated! When you say zones, are you talking about splitting the layout into power districts? That would be a good idea with a layout of this size. Also to be honest I wouldn't go with a star formation for the bus, it sounds like more hassle. I'd probably run a ring bus around the main loop.

The acetic acid in the PVA reacts with lead to cause the expansion. It happens when a large amount of weight and glue are added, so it's more common in larger scales. Using it in an enclosed space such as a loco boiler is also a factor, so using it on the underside of a wagon shouldn't be a problem. As far as I know the Deluxe Liquid Gravity is not pure lead so doesn't react the same way. Mind you they recommend using thin CA glue to fix it in place.

Looks the part! I'd be interested to know the make of the wagon myself.... and what paint did you use?

I use the blade splicers on my own layout and they work fine. I've heard that they are not recommended for a layout that gets moved constantly but that's not an issue for me. Just make sure you use the correct diameter wire to ensure a proper connection. If you decide to use them don't buy them from shops like Halfords or Maplins as they charge a fortune for them, I got them on eBay for around 10euro for 2 packs of 50 including postage.

Lovely work there, Eamonn. I see you're converting to using Kadees, have you tried using no. 5 couplers rather than the plug in type? They're lot cheaper.

10A?!!! You could light a house with that!

Kirley, It depends on a couple of things... 1) How many amps does the DC controller supply? 2) Are the lamps bulbs or leds? Typically, leds will draw around 20ma each depending on their brightness while bulbs will draw closer to 100ma each. If your DC supply is say 1amp (1000ma) then you can power up to 50 leds from a 1amp supply, but only 10 bulbs. Are you powering the lights from an old DC trainset controller?

Guys, here's a couple of questions for anyone who feels they can answer them! Is this system basically wireless DCC complete with CV's which are adjustable for motor control, lighting effects and/or sound? Or is it simply a wireless method of motor control?

That's very impressive! I just might try one in one of my 141's...

MSB's 141 chips are excellent (I already have 3 of them!) and the sounds are top quality, probably better recordings than the ESU. Remember, MSB's chips are recorded from an actual 141 (which sounds like a 645 engine rather than the 567) while the ESU's are taken from an American loco. I just fancied having a bit of variety on my layout and got this chip made up as an experiment. Olivia's Trains have an excellent reputation but to be honest I wasn't sure how the chip would turn out! One thing which the ESU chip does have over the MSB chip is the notch up/down feature. (Although I'm sure MSB could do this if it was requested.)