JasonB

I didn`t get much done over christmas.I had planned to finish of the remainder of the cement wagons but it was getting a bit repetitive so i didn`t bother in the end.I`ve got stuck back into them the last couple of weeks so im just about done now,but here are some small bits that i`ve being doing in between.First up its a 00 kit that makes 2 portacabins.These can be used individually or stacked whichever suites.The other is some 1:76 scale transits from Oxford Diecast.I`ve kept 2 white and just added Eircom decals,the other 2 ive sprayed and added ESB decals,the ladders were made up from the spares box.I`ve a fair few containers now which ive been picking up here and there so ive weathered a 20ft as well just to see how it looked.

Like the cabin,nice detail on it.Looks great with the crossing nice job.

Great news on the 121's.Better get saving:)

Here are a few pics of how i used them,the first is the Kadee with the gear box and is mounted directly on to the chassis using the height gauge which you will definitely need to get them lined up correctly.The second on the MK2 is no.20 and is just inserted straight into the NEM pocket.I find both ways to work fine.It might help you with your problem.

I agree totally Noel they should just run when you put them on the track but you know yourself it never seems to work that way,but a a bit of nip and tucking here and there will usually solve the problem.

Well as I said the only one i found to be slightly lower was the 201 the rest of my 071s 141/181s are fine height wise.Regarding the coaches i found the kadee to solve the problem that i was having.

What loco do you seem to have the problem with,i found the 201 class to be slightly lower than the coach,i was also having problems with the coaches themselves uncoupling from each other and not necessarily from the loco.

As DiveController says the tension locks are hit and miss,I've had similar problems with cravens and mk2 coaches,some were uncoupling some were fine.I switched the lot to kadees and it seems to have worked,i haven't had any problems since.

God this is good,that second photo looking towards the bridge is stunning,I hadn't seen this thread before,I'm heading back to the start.

Cheers.

It's just a bog standard bag of ballast i picked up in marks Jb.I mixed up some pva and water and spread it with a syringe and then let it harden.The colour of the ballast wasn't great so i made up the grey with powders and brushed on,then sealed with matt varnish.

Cheers thanks,no its just a small shelf I keep in the shed for storing bits and pieces on while I'm working on them,it was just handier to take the photos on that while I was outside.

Thanks very much Richie,regarding the weathering i used most of what you mentioned.Enamel washes which were mixed to make certain colours and airbrushed on.The weathering powders i brushed on dry and also used wet in some areas which helps with the streaking.The rust effect was also made up from the powders,and i buy cotton buds in bulk quantities

Slowly but surely I'm starting to get very tempted by this wagon,note to self:I must be stronger

Cheers Des.

The casting has the rippled effect of the canvas JB,its just a matter of drawing it back out after spraying it,bit of work but its worth the effort i think.

Cheers lads thanks for the comments.

Ive hardly got near the workbench since the last post which was a few weeks back,Id been dipping in and out if i got a chance in the evenings after work but realised i was getting nowhere fast,so i decided to concentrate on getting 2 or 3 of the wagons done instead of trying to do them all together,just to get an idea of how they looked when finished.Ive a couple of weeks off over the christmas to look forward to so Ill have a bit more spare time to put into completing the remainder then,which will be 15 in total.Im also going to order some of the vertical door version from IFM in the new year to add a bit of variety to the rake.Here are some pics of the 4 that are done to date.Decals and lamps are from the ever reliable Des (SSM).

I think it would be a welcome feature to the wagon for anyone that wouldn't want to attempt to weather it themselves for fear of thinking they might ruin the model.I think its fair to say a few of us have been there.

Cheers,thanks for the comments.

Bit more progress with the curtain sides.Chassis`have had their couplers and buffers added and have all got a blast of paint.I have also attached a Kadee to the what will be the lead wagon.[ATTACH=CONFIG]20670[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]20671[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]20672[/ATTACH]Im going to get cracking on the bodies over the weekend if i get a chance but sure that never goes to plan:)Im hoping when finished to get them close to how they looked around the mid 90s.Their appearance from any videos i seen from that period had them looking heavily weathered and just tired looking in general with the main colour of blue barely showing thru.

Thanks,much appreciated.

Next up,I decided to put to good use some Dapol prestwin kits which i had picked up a while back,so i ordered myself some curtain-sided resin bodies from David at D&M models.I really like the look of this wagon and Im looking forward to getting stuck into them over the next few weeks.I made a start on a few of the chassis last week so im going to keep going on them before i do anything else.

Love that corrugated shed,this just gets better as it progresses.