Liver & Fry's workbench
- Thread starter Liver & Fry
- Start date
Overseer
Western Thunderer
I have to agree with Adam. The GN is just not right and detracts from the appearance of the wagon. I have realised there may be a solution. I printed some Gauge 3 GN wagon lettering for @Mike W in 2017 using a cad file he provided. If Mike agrees to the use of the cad file I can rescale it and change the numbers etc to suit what you need and print them as white waterslide transfers in 4mm scale. The letters and numbers are all drawn so I can also adjust the shape of the lettering to suit specifications prototypes if needed.
Your prototype photo is interesting as the GN look like cut out paper letters pasted onto a wagon. Was it a livery trial? If so it may not be the most reliable source.
Not sure if you have seen this photo in the George Washington Wilson Collection at Aberdeen University Library? This is two extracts from the same photo of Boston Docks which looks like it was taken in the first decade of the 20th Century. There are a few others in the collection with GN wagons visible.
Liver & Fry
Western Thunderer
If that is in any way possible then I would wholly appreciate it! As I say, the only reason I've gone with what I have is for a lack of an accurate alternative. I can't comment if the lettering used on No.2452 is a one off (Tatlow doesnt caption the photo as such), but they are definitely larger (overall proportions, not weight) than the standard letters used on the Dia.1 wagons. I've not seen any other photo of such a wagon (certainly not in GN livery) to be able to refer to, hence why No.2452 became the prototype basis for my Dia.24.
Thank you!
- James
Overseer
Western Thunderer
Mike has given permission to use the cad file. Just let me know the heights of the lettering you need, maybe the standard size and for 2452, and the numbers and I will sort some transfers out.
Liver & Fry
Western Thunderer
Liver & Fry
Western Thunderer
Great Central D.8 wagon
Liver & Fry
Western Thunderer
With the GN wagons temporarily on hold and me finding myself with a little bit of free time in the coming week or so, I've started another wagon build. This time its a GCR D.8 5 plank open wagon, again by Mousa Models (I'm nearly at the end of my Mousa kit pile...)
This should be a quick and easy build so watch this space in the coming days!
- James
This should be a quick and easy build so watch this space in the coming days!
- James
Great Central D.8 wagon
Liver & Fry
Western Thunderer
50 (-48) Shades of Grey!
Figured I'd do a base coat of grey on my GCR D.8 wagon this afternoon. Now, I'll confess, I am not a GCR man; this wagon was an accidental freebie, like the GNR D.24. My reference points are Tatlow's work on LNER wagons and Nigel Digby's pre-grouping livery books. GCR Grey is described as a mid grey and I've read one online reference comparing it to later LMS grey. That said, as a non-GCR man I did the cliché thing and purchased a tin from Phoenix (P606 "G.C.R Wagon Grey"). This is what I got:
Now bear in mind this is a first coat and it is still drying, but to me, that shade is more akin to a product of Stratford Works... I don't know the intricacies of the GCR but that doesn't look right to me?
So, I'm appealing to those who may have better knowledge, to support the literature I already have available; would LMS grey (I already have a tin...) be more appropriate for the mid-grey shade used by the GCR than this?
- James
Figured I'd do a base coat of grey on my GCR D.8 wagon this afternoon. Now, I'll confess, I am not a GCR man; this wagon was an accidental freebie, like the GNR D.24. My reference points are Tatlow's work on LNER wagons and Nigel Digby's pre-grouping livery books. GCR Grey is described as a mid grey and I've read one online reference comparing it to later LMS grey. That said, as a non-GCR man I did the cliché thing and purchased a tin from Phoenix (P606 "G.C.R Wagon Grey"). This is what I got:
Now bear in mind this is a first coat and it is still drying, but to me, that shade is more akin to a product of Stratford Works... I don't know the intricacies of the GCR but that doesn't look right to me?
So, I'm appealing to those who may have better knowledge, to support the literature I already have available; would LMS grey (I already have a tin...) be more appropriate for the mid-grey shade used by the GCR than this?
- James
Great Central D.8 wagon
Liver & Fry
Western Thunderer
After a few trials and tribulations, I think I've cracked it.
Initial searches gave me two options:
"Something akin to LMS grey" or a few cases stating Humbrol 27 as a starting point (given a white wash after to lighten the colour).
If I were to go strictly by Nigel Digby's depiction, GCR grey is slightly darker than Midland grey, and I wanted to keep to this as I want variation within the wagon fleet (rather than painting everything LMS grey, as my English Oilfields wagon was also painted in this colour!).
With that in mind I purchased a tin of Humbrol 27 and got this result:
Better, but still a touch too dark, almost reminding me of an LNWR grey (which proves why this is used as a starting point and lightened thereafter).
I then experimented mixing in a lighter grey, eventually settling on a half-and-half mix. This is what I've ended up with:
Much better! And yet, still meeting the criteria of being slightly darker than Midland/LMS grey (I used the EOL wagon to verify that!).
Happy with my achievements, I've painted the underframe black and will continue building the wagon tomorrow by fitting the floor and building up the wood colour inside.
- James
Initial searches gave me two options:
"Something akin to LMS grey" or a few cases stating Humbrol 27 as a starting point (given a white wash after to lighten the colour).
If I were to go strictly by Nigel Digby's depiction, GCR grey is slightly darker than Midland grey, and I wanted to keep to this as I want variation within the wagon fleet (rather than painting everything LMS grey, as my English Oilfields wagon was also painted in this colour!).
With that in mind I purchased a tin of Humbrol 27 and got this result:
Better, but still a touch too dark, almost reminding me of an LNWR grey (which proves why this is used as a starting point and lightened thereafter).
I then experimented mixing in a lighter grey, eventually settling on a half-and-half mix. This is what I've ended up with:
Much better! And yet, still meeting the criteria of being slightly darker than Midland/LMS grey (I used the EOL wagon to verify that!).
Happy with my achievements, I've painted the underframe black and will continue building the wagon tomorrow by fitting the floor and building up the wood colour inside.
- James
Great Central D.8 wagon
Liver & Fry
Western Thunderer
Next steps complete! The floor was fitted after taking a few mil off down one side with the dremel and I've spent my post-night shift downtime today painting the wood interior. Below are a natural light "in progress" photo and a finished photo under flash (because the room lighting just doesn't show it in the same, er, light...)
Later on I'll flip the wagon over and add weight to the underside, before leaving it overnight so that the glue can set.
- James
Later on I'll flip the wagon over and add weight to the underside, before leaving it overnight so that the glue can set.
- James
Great Central D.8 wagon
Liver & Fry
Western Thunderer
A (very) quick update!
Buffers have been fitted and painted, along with the draw hooks:
Tomorrow I shall fit the wheels...
- James
Buffers have been fitted and painted, along with the draw hooks:
Tomorrow I shall fit the wheels...
- James
Liver & Fry
Western Thunderer
As one door closes...
The GCR D.8 is finished! Well, as far as I can for now anyway. I'm just waiting on delivery of some GC letters from Powsides and then it'll be job done!
So, in the meantime, I figured I'd continue the momentum and start on the last of my stack of Mousa Models kits (I'm now realising I've built 13 of these so far...) by building that one wagon that should be in every goods yard - The Midland Dia.299!
I've actually built a D.299 before, albeit from a Slaters kit. It'll be nice to compare the two and see if there are any differences in the respective kits.
- James
The GCR D.8 is finished! Well, as far as I can for now anyway. I'm just waiting on delivery of some GC letters from Powsides and then it'll be job done!
So, in the meantime, I figured I'd continue the momentum and start on the last of my stack of Mousa Models kits (I'm now realising I've built 13 of these so far...) by building that one wagon that should be in every goods yard - The Midland Dia.299!
I've actually built a D.299 before, albeit from a Slaters kit. It'll be nice to compare the two and see if there are any differences in the respective kits.
- James
Herb Garden
Western Thunderer
Side, bottom or end door?
Midland D.299
Liver & Fry
Western Thunderer
OK, I have to admit that despite how many of these kits I've built by now, even I'm surprised by how quickly this one has come along!
Weight, wheels, buffers and lettering to go...
- James
Weight, wheels, buffers and lettering to go...
- James
76043
Western Thunderer
Looking at the underside of the Mousa models kits I am starting to wonder why there's not two options. One that has all the details and one that allows you to put some weight in it. It's 3d printed after all so easy to offer and unless you have a pile up at a show nobody's going to see the underside.
Tony
Tony
Midland D.299
Liver & Fry
Western Thunderer
Make that just the lettering to go...
And as a little something extra, here's a comparison of greys with the GCR D.8:
- James
And as a little something extra, here's a comparison of greys with the GCR D.8:
- James
Lyndhurstman
Western Thunderer
76043
Western Thunderer
Some of us like to know it’s there
Cheers
Jan
Exactly, which was my point, two versions, one for those that like the detail and then filling it with tiny cannonballs and one for those that don't care and want an easy life. (Me!)
Tony
Midland D.299
Liver & Fry
Western Thunderer
And now we have letters...
Somewhere (but where is anyone's guess) I'm pretty certain I have some spare works plate transfers from the Slaters kit I built previously (indeed, trying to locate said wagon is proving difficult enough!).
Until then, aside from a coat of varnish, this one is considered done by all accounts.
And so, aside from finishing off the GN and GC wagons, my pile of Mousa kits is complete and I no longer have an excuse not to start working with metal (@Herb Garden has been pestering me about this for some time now!). I have a few more 3D print and resin bodied kits from other sources, but they will require brass W Irons. Small steps eh?
- James
Somewhere (but where is anyone's guess) I'm pretty certain I have some spare works plate transfers from the Slaters kit I built previously (indeed, trying to locate said wagon is proving difficult enough!).
Until then, aside from a coat of varnish, this one is considered done by all accounts.
And so, aside from finishing off the GN and GC wagons, my pile of Mousa kits is complete and I no longer have an excuse not to start working with metal (@Herb Garden has been pestering me about this for some time now!). I have a few more 3D print and resin bodied kits from other sources, but they will require brass W Irons. Small steps eh?
- James