Kingsbridge - paint shop

[Noel]

1 hour ago, murphaph said:

Just by chance I discovered I have one of these lying around. I had a look at the inside and yeah it would be a nightmare to respray. The whole side panel of the coach is the glazing plastic just painted where the steel if the coach should be. I was hoping to use this as a practice coach but I won't bother. I have cheap Lima mk2s on the way for my first forays into respraying. 

I have a cunning plan. Not sure if it will work yet but will report back.  

[Noel]

One of these would look well with the IRM weed spray wagons. The latest Silverfox version which is now laser cut with flush glazing.

[Noel]

122 got some gentle weathering. The cab door handrails were tricky 

Just a hint of CIE grime before the IR season and tippex took over.

Just enough to look in service but not the scrap line. She's a beaut to shunt and haul. Had 14 coaches behind her today at one stage, and nearly 30 wagons on another train. Off course the real 122 would never be allowed do that, as the loco was under braked having only on brake cylinder per bogie side which limited the weight she was permitted to haul.

[Noel]

More modern era guff!  mk3 resprays in progress. These two are Lima donors formerly BR swallow livery. I didn't like the shade or Orange I originally sprayed on last week so mixed a fresh batch of Vallejro Yellow 71:002 and Red 71:102 ratio 35:1. I'm reasonably happy these are the CIE shade of orange I was looking for. The MM orange Mk2d are 120:1 ratio (ie more yellowie). Just the black left to do and transfers. The white stripes were already done but hidden under the masking tape.

No sooner than I finish this rake of mk3 resprays I wouldn't be surprised if IRM announced Irish mk3 coaches. The even bigger problem is these resprays are too modern to run on our layout, and certainly modern era stuff like that never ran through Gort. I'll end up rotting in the bogie of eternal stench for allowing such modernity infest our model rails. Its fun repainting them anyway. And when IRM do CIE mk3s I will not be able to resist buying a rake.

Paint mixing chart I use

Edited January 22, 2021 by Noel

[Noel]

One of the latest batch of my mk3 resprays before weathering. This time I tried Lima donors. Next up will be some Hornby shorties. Now to get back to cutting, filling, sanding and filing an EGV for them. I like the see through glass in the Limas compared to the dark Hornby windows, but the Hornby flush glazing is better. Swings and roundabouts.

Edited February 8, 2021 by Noel

[popeye]

Great job. Very professional. 

[Georgeconna]

Top Job, Are you doing the silver surround window frames? certainly would make them pop

 

[Rob]

Or maybe say it is one of the Mark 3A Cù na Mara set with the black windows

[Noel]

A model virus hits our layout. Modern era mk3 infestation as some recent resprays went for a test drive.  The black'n'tan CIE era stock may send me to the 'bogie of eternal stench' as punishment for allowing such modern era stock on our rails.  Donors were a mix of Hornby and Lima.

 

[DJ Dangerous]

How'd you get the white lines so neat on the "golden era" ones? Reverse masking?

[Noel]

30 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

How'd you get the white lines so neat on the "golden era" ones? Reverse masking?

Yes thanks. The super train livery is sort of growing on me and more accepting of 1970s and 1980s weathering. Tippex from a prototypical branding perspective is obviously brighter, smarter and more attractive visually. ST was rather dull on prototypes, but cleverly ST locos matched up ok with B&T coaching stock, due the golden brown bands at similar heights.

[DJ Dangerous]

They look awesome, really!

[Georgeconna]

You being quickly sucked into the 90's no Noel. I'm getting worried for you.

C,mere your not on Britmodeller per chance too?

[Noel]

35 minutes ago, Georgeconna said:

You being quickly sucked into the 90's no Noel. I'm getting worried for you.

C,mere your not on Britmodeller per chance too?

Fear not, No, No never, never, never!  Fear not the mk3s may well be auctioned off on eBay in the future. I even find mk2s a bit modern despite travelling on them quite a bit in the late 1970s.

I had not heard of Britmodeller. Just googled it.

[DJ Dangerous]

1 hour ago, Noel said:

Fear not, No, No never, never, never!  Fear not the mk3s may well be auctioned off on eBay in the future. I even find mk2s a bit modern despite travelling on them quite a bit in the late 1970s.

I had not heard of Britmodeller. Just googled it.

Says the man with a grey 071 and a bright yellow weedspray train!

[Georgeconna]

2 hours ago, Noel said:

Fear not, No, No never, never, never!  Fear not the mk3s may well be auctioned off on eBay in the future. I even find mk2s a bit modern despite travelling on them quite a bit in the late 1970s.

I had not heard of Britmodeller. Just googled it.

Cool sure keeps the mind occupied anyhow!

Nah a Noel from Ireland popped on Britmodeller so just wondering if it was your good self"

 

[DJ Dangerous]

21 minutes ago, Georgeconna said:

Cool sure keeps the mind occupied anyhow!

Nah a Noel from Ireland popped on Britmodeller so just wondering if it was your good self"

 

If you need something to keep the mind occupied, George, I'll allow you fly down here for some vitamin D and a couple of hundred weathering projects.

I hear that you guys are lacking in vitamin D up there.

[Noel]

9 hours ago, DJ Dangerous said:

Says the man with a grey 071 and a bright yellow weedspray train!

Gulp,  but it’s stored hidden away in boxes out of sight, just collected and not run on the layout, like the boogie container stock collected but unseen and unused. I don’t run yellow belly stock on the layout, but may some day should sunglasses become available. Actually I was wondering about kitbashing up the old style laminate weed train using the modern one for donor parts as I have some really nice 20ft flat wagons. 
 

Yellow PW sh#&, down with that sort of thing, twill it make you go blind Fadder? What’s the official line of the church now? Should we all devote more time to aminates now?  It’s just with the farm and all I don’t have much time to devote to the toy trains. 

[DJ Dangerous]

LOL, you're already infected with it, and your collection of shame is growing!

If it's any consolation, in twenty years time, the 071's will be nothing but a memory, the last and longest serving diesels ever to have run on Irish railways, before being replaced by smaller electric top-and-tails locos for freight trains, meaning no runaround at all, ever again.

The 201's will be scrapped, first, with various bits being donated to keep the 071's going a bit longer.

Through a cruel twist of fate, the twin sets of electric locos will be built to replicate the 141 / 181 class, and painted in classic CIE green to reflect their reduced environmental impact.

[Noel]

1 hour ago, DJ Dangerous said:

LOL, you're already infected with it, and your collection of shame is growing!

If it's any consolation, in twenty years time, the 071's will be nothing but a memory, the last and longest serving diesels ever to have run on Irish railways, before being replaced by smaller electric top-and-tails locos for freight trains, meaning no runaround at all, ever again.

The 201's will be scrapped, first, with various bits being donated to keep the 071's going a bit longer.

Through a cruel twist of fate, the twin sets of electric locos will be built to replicate the 141 / 181 class, and painted in classic CIE green to reflect their reduced environmental impact.

And thank merciful hour the RPSI will never in decades to come feel the need to preserve a toy 22k yoyo heap, nor even a luas. Yes the future is electric, all electric and good for our planet. In decades to come we will revise how green we thought rail transport was when the belching emissions of 071s and 22ks are fully realised, and the deadly NoX that platform passengers have been unknowingly breathing in for decades. Having switch to driving electric some years ago, I was pleasantly surprised that they were not at all like egg box milk floats and are rather nippy indeed. The electrification or partial electrification of our small rail network seems inevitable, possibly with a mix of overhead gantry and battery for non-gantry sections, but it will be expensive, since the end of steam the trees and vegetation growing along the track side has got out of control and will need to be removed bare again like it was in steam days (due fire risks). Cork-Dublin seems the obvious candidate for first electrification. Freight transport has left rail and may never return unless there are financial savings or HGVs become too dirty for future road transport.

Edited February 13, 2021 by Noel
typo lexdysia

[DoctorPan]

Wouldn't say never about RPSI preserving an ICR. Kids today growing up with them will be just as likely to want to preserve one as the older generations wanted to preservate BGMs and steam...

[DJ Dangerous]

1 hour ago, Noel said:

And thank merciful hour the RPSI will never in decades to come feel the need to preserve a toy 22k yoyo heap, nor even a luas. Yes the future is electric, all electric and good for our planet. In decades to come we will revise how green we thought rail transport was when the belching emissions of 071s and 22ks are fully realised, and the deadly NoX that platform passengers have been unknowingly breathing in for decades. Having switch to driving electric some years ago, I was pleasantly surprised that they were not at all like egg box milk floats and are rather nippy indeed. The electrification or partial electrification of our small rail network seems inevitable, possibly with a mix of overhead gantry and battery for non-gantry sections, but it will be expensive, since the end of steam the trees and vegetation growing along the track side has got out of control and will need to be removed bare again like it was in steam days (due fire risks). Cork-Dublin seems the obvious candidate for first electrification. Freight transport has left rail and may never return unless there are financial savings or HGVs become too dirty for future road transport.

Another couple of years and the RPSI will have a few ICR's in their collection for sure!

[minister_for_hardship]

1 hour ago, Noel said:

Yes the future is electric, all electric and good for our planet. 

Depends where the electricity comes from. The windmills everyone wants but not near their house or spoiling their countryside.

[DJ Dangerous]

19 minutes ago, minister_for_hardship said:

Depends where the electricity comes from. The windmills everyone wants but not near their house or spoiling their countryside.

I reckon that off-shore wind farms and wave power will play a large part, with pumped storage facilities in any mountainous area to cope with peaks and troughs in demand.

But, yeah, if we continue burning coal, peat etc to generate the electricity, it's no cleaner, it just moves the pollution from one area to another.

Edited February 13, 2021 by DJ Dangerous

[Noel]

2 hours ago, minister_for_hardship said:

Depends where the electricity comes from. The windmills everyone wants but not near their house or spoiling their countryside.

The Irish Grid is ever improving. Target is 80% renewables by 2030? Ireland has the best wind map in Europe and combined with pumped storage and battery sinks the future looks bright. A bit different from the days when steam locos on shed were belching fumes from millions of tons of burnt coal. We are fortunate that we can risk going for more wind that other nations due to our small size and the celtic interconnector which will enable us to import French nuclear generated electricity on days the wind does not blow. We should have boundless energy in the future to power electric mainline trains.

3 hours ago, DoctorPan said:

Wouldn't say never about RPSI preserving an ICR. Kids today growing up with them will be just as likely to want to preserve one as the older generations wanted to preservate BGMs and steam...

True but having done a few rail tours, going on another diesel one in cravens doesn't really blow my skirt up. It's just not steam and coaches not old enough, Cravens were fairly modern coaches with cheap basic formica interiors compared to the laminates and breedin's of yesteryear.

[Noel]

Spot the differences - IFM Park Royal Coaches livery converted to CIE era rather than IR/IE Tippex modern era. Done by brush. Unfortunately the masking tape took the coach no transfers off with it so will have to replace those. I just cannot run modern era Tippex livery behind my beloved black'n'tan locos through stations with sidings full of two axle goods wagons. Its just not 1960s or even 1970s. Love these unique coaches. I have 3 RTR like this one to be converted back to CIE and two further kits which I'll paint myself so they will end up CIE era. That'll be enough park royals to form at least 3 rakes of CIE era coaches in formation with other assorted CIE era coaches such as early Cravens and Laminates (IFM+SF). When I was a youngster no passenger train was ever made up of the same coach type, not until the super train mk2d's came along in the mid 1970s hailing the transition to modern era trains with uniform rakes of both passenger coaches and fitted freight wagons. 

[Noel]

More on the way

[Noel]

Pleasantly surprised the Hornby Shortie donors (ie only 7 windows) were resprayable as the windows are a single stip of transparent plastic painted black leaving the windows clear (ie the windows are not separate pieces), so it almost unmask able practically, but the Hornby shorties donors I used were BR swallow livery which fortunately have a black band on the window strip, so easy, just pop the whole strip out, paint, and refit.

[Noel]

An opportunity to put pax (passengers) inside coaches while they are dismantled for respray. These are cheap packs of 100 people figures I bought off ebay a few years ago from China. Cost was about €3 inc postage. They are very poor compared to bachman figures buy inside a coach viewed through windows you won't be able to tell the difference from figures costing €1.5 each person. I snip the legs off from the waist and glue them to the seats as through glazing you'll never see their legs anyway. I like to put a few folks standing as if chatting to seated folk or walking down a coach looking for a seat. I repainted the seats while I was at it and the table tops as hate the bright plastic colours used in some models. Not bothered with lighting as these are mk3s which I don't really have much of an interest in.

Last year I fitted some bachmann figures in Hornby 8 window mk3s and because the windows are so heavily tinted you cannot see the passengers anyway. A waste of time. Some day, I'll remove them and recycle into cravens. I didn't make that mistake with these donors as they have clear glazing.

These 100 figures from ebay cost €3 inc postage, the figures in the photo above could have cost between €30-€40 had I used bachmann figures. What price to fit pax in a rake of coaches?

Hornby shorties in conversion process. Just varnish over the decals now and refit the window glazing strips. Then weather once reattached to chassis and bogies. Couplings already changed to kadee and buffers added as shorties were part of HST sets that had no buffers, but the holes are there for them.

Edited March 21, 2021 by Noel

[David Holman]

Works a treat! No point in wasting time and money on figures when all that is needed is an overall impression. Same applies in 7mm where you can easily spend a fiver on a single, unpainted, figure. Thankfully, Slater's do cheap and cheerful people who likewise don't mind their limbs trimmed to fit.

 And whisper it quietly, master coach builder David Jenkinson often never bothered with interior detail at all.

[Noel]

Two more coming off the respray bench. Two Hornby shortie donors. One was BR Blue'n'cream with blasted cream window panel surround, the other was BR Swallow livery with Black window panel surround which halves the work load of respraying one of these.

I hate masking windows more than peeling onions. Maskol seems utterly useless for this kind of thing due to its viscosity preventing precision application, so back to masking tape with the aid of a Sharons scalpel.

Cut tape around the frame edges with scalpel.

Hycote plastic grey primer (same stuff as Halfords)

Hey Presto - Black window panels, as black as priests socks but not very very very dark Blue Ted!

PS: Got a pack of 100 LLPs on ebay last year a bag costing €3 which saved me about €75 had I used higher quality bachmann figures. Looking from outside the coach through the windows you cannot really tell any difference. These two coach loads of pax cost about 75c rather than €1.50 per figure had It used more expensive Bachmann or Pross figures. Cut the legs off most of them so I could seat them. Had a few folks walking down the isle or standing on the isle chatting to seated passengers. Not a habit in sight so these won't be used on Knock special.

[Noel]

Got two more Hornby 'shorties'  finished yesterday. Curiously the BR Blue donor coach had 7 windows whereas the BR Swallow livery donor had 8 windows.

The Swallow livery below makes a much better donor is using Hornby 'shorties' because the removable window strip is already black (actually very very dark blue, but close enough to priests socks black). So these removable window strips can be unclipped and do not need to be masked. Just plug back in later when the coach body has been sprayed orange with the two white stripes. above and below the window opening

7142 awaiting oval buffers from PetersSpares

7105 with buffers added to what had been a BR HST 125 coach which has no buffers.

I'm please the way the inexpensive passengers turned out inside the coaches

Edited March 24, 2021 by Noel

[Noel]

One final Hornby 'shortie' respray

Resprayed the black chassis black on top of grey primer coat because the pristine shiny black plastic looks toy like and weathering paint won't take to that plastic.

This will bring the rake of mk3s up to 9 coaches inc EGV (when I've finished the EGV).

[Robert Shrives]

The Hornby shorty got 7 window s first production as somewhere along the line going short was deemed necessary for "train set" layouts but the compromise saw scale length windows still produced.

After a spot of froth the later runs the print screen for the windows was adjusted to shrink windows to make for 8 - making the subterfuge less obvious.  On Ebay from time to time you can see sellers not stating that it is a shorty and with luck bargains can be got.    

In N gauge Garham Farish MK1s had inserts that were moulded clear plastic with frames and have only just been bettered by newest China productions. Later batches had clear printed strip before a fully formed smooth shell - had bumps for door hinges was moulded in clear plastic.  Cheaper no doubt but the bland side was a let down.  So like the Hornby shortie the consumers comments saw improvements to scale lengths and more detailed sides, higher price, but does allow us merry convertors lots of fun!  

I like the work you have done and it shows how the subterfuge can be improved and used to make trains look longer as the eye can imagineer the lengths .  We make short freights on models and happily imagine a few more between loco and van.             

[DJ Dangerous]

The Hornby shorties are awesome as they run around R1 curves, as do 141's and 071's!