Another one for the stockbox

Samuel
Originally uploaded by Phil_Parker.

The Neilson mineral engine is finished. Possibly the longest gestation period for any model locomotive I have ever built is over.

With the chassis finished I reattached the body and started weathering. Since reading “The Art of Weathering” I have airbrushed a gentle weak mix of browns & greys over locos to take the edge off all the colours and provide the look of general grime that covers everything railway – at least in the bits I model anyway.

The trick from the book is to dirty the model and then clean it using a cotton bud dipped in turps. This simulates the efforts of the driver to keep his locomotive presentable. I had given quite a good coat so the cleaning really stood out. This was helped by painting the green bits in satin varnish so they stood out against the matt dirt.

Of course nothing stays clean forever and so another light coat of grime is applied. This means the “uncleaned” areas get even muckier and those that were wiped down don’t shine quite so much. Dirt clings in hard to reach crevasses exactly as it does on the real thing.

Whatever the science, the results look good, to me anyway. A little dry brushing on step edges and at the front where ash would be pulled out of the firebox finished the job.

All I had to do then was add coal in the bunkers, put the crew in place and clean the wheels.

Then I have another one for the stockbox.