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Whether you’re playing around with ideas for your first layout or a seasoned pro, there’s a real community spirit to modelling, and we’re celebrating that in the latest issue of Model Rail.

Encouraged by family and friends across the globe, we pay a trip to ‘Brimmingham’ – Matt Stringfellow’s inspiring layout, based somewhere in Glamorgan or Lincolnshire, or maybe both… While expert Peter Marriott shares how a chance sighting of a cement loading siding while on holiday in Switzerland inspired his creation of a mini modelling project.

There’s a ton of practical inspiration: Chris Nevard transforms a rake of timber-bodied Private Owner wagons, and Steve Nall plays around with a novel approach to weathering. We put a host of new models to the test too, including Dapol’s BR Class 56s, and Hornby’s LNER Class J52.

All this, plus the latest news, can be found in the August issue of Model Rail, on sale now!

CLICK HERE to see where you can buy this issue of Model Rail Magazine

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Workbench

Steve Nall experiments with a photo-realistic weathering technique, employing a novel approach to create DIY decals.

PHOTOGRAPHY: STEVE NALL

On one of my days volunteering at Didcot Railway Centre, I looked closely at an area at the back of the locomotive shed, which has a line of unrestored GWR wagons. Looking even closer, the textures of these wagons soon fascinated me; they looked so highly complex. If I built a similar collection of old GWR wagons in 4mm for my preservation layout (I already have a Bloater, a ‘Fruit D’ van and a ‘Mink G’ goods van built and primed, stuck in a siding waiting to be preserved), how could I replicate these patterns?

Normal weathering techniques wouldn’t do it. Maybe, I considered, I could make a photo of the side of the wagon and then ‘stick’ it on a model? My plan was to create and print my own decal ‘wrap’, akin to how many modern trains are now finished. This would portray the real wagon exactly how it appears in my photographs.

The ‘Tevan’ among other preserved GWR wagons at Didcot Railway Centre.

I roped my daughter Holly in to help with image manipulation, via the free smartphone app, Snapseed (see Step 6). I scaled it down by trial and error, rather than any complex mathematical equations. Once it fitted correctly and looked right, I was happy. The images were then printed onto an A4 sheet of Lazertran Inkjet waterslide decal paper.

Waterslide decal papers are available from art and craft stores, usually with a white background, which allows colours to be applied to their best effect, or with a clear backing film. I opted for the white-backed sheets, as printing onto clear film can be tricky, especially with most home inkjet printers. The printed sheet needs to be sealed before use with a water-resistant, clear varnish, because otherwise the inkjet printer’s ink will run when the decal is soaked in water. Full instructions are usually supplied with packs of waterslide decal paper, so do study and follow them.

This quick, one-off project to try a new technique has paved the way for future weathering jobs as the results are rather impressive.

One decal covered the whole side, slotting within the raised vertical corner beading, which provided a natural frame, along with the overhanging roof. Working with a large decal has challenges, namely ensuring it is cut precisely to size and correctly aligned. I took care to ensure no air bubbles were trapped below it, using soft brushes, cotton swabs and kitchen towels to soak up excess water.

Printing multiple decals is recommended in case something goes wrong on the first (or second!) attempt. I considered splitting the image up into four sections, relating to the left-hand side, two parts to the door, and the right-hand side, but decided it wasn’t worth it. If faced with more complex sides on other wagons, I’ll definitely have to do that.

Note the peeling paint, plus the timber stairs, as this wagon has been in use as a static store – something worth considering for the end of a siding, maybe.

To improve adhesion, I applied a coat of acrylic varnish to the rear of the decal while it was wet, as this helped it stick to the wagon’s side. An alternative would be to add some PVA glue to the water in which the decal is soaked. Once positioned and fully dry, applying a further coat of clear satin or matt varnish over the decal will add another layer of protection.

My model is designed to be seen from one side only, and from a distance. It will be static, so there was no need for the brass axle bearings or added weight, but I couldn’t resist adding the usual three-link couplings purely for visual purposes. After all, this mini project is only really about cosmetics and looking good from a certain perspective.

The texture of algae and moss is difficult to recreate with paints, so a photo decal may be the answer.

I did notice at an early stage that there was a wooden set of steps and a handrail right in front of the wagon – a legacy of it being employed as a static store – and part of the handrail would show on the final image. I didn’t panic or get annoyed, but instead dabbled with a drop of paint, chalk and a pencil, before a final waft of matt varnish sealed everything in. The only omission I made was the wagon’s number and a couple of small white tare weight markings on the solebar.

A LEARNING CURVE

This was a quick, one-off project to try out a new approach; I plan to use other materials to recreate this severely aged effect in future. However, I’d use this technique again as I like the overall look. With the larger GWR wagons, I will probably have to separate the decal image and fit the sections between the side ribs. Also, I’d probably do two things differently next time: take the photos further away to avoid distortion, with a tripod and a shutter release, and higher up if possible; and print the image at the highest quality available on the printer.

● Steve thanks Roger Orchard, Operations Manager at GWS Didcot, for his assistance.

What you will need

SHOPPING LIST

◆ Lazertran A4 Inkjet waterslide decal paper
◆ Winsor & Newton Galeria Gloss Varnish, 250ml (water-based)
Availability: Art and craft stores, or London Graphic Centre
Web: www.londongraphics.co.uk

TOOLS

◆ Knife and spare blades
◆ Steel rule
◆ Cutting mat
◆ Tweezers
◆ Files and abrasives
◆ Paintbrushes

STEP BY STEP

1 I won’t repeat the kit’s instructions here, but before assembling the body, carefully flatten the moulded handle and hinge detail from the side(s). I assembled the sides and ends and tacked the roof in place, using liquid poly cement throughout. I prefer to squeeze the floor into place from below, as it makes the most of the precise fit around the body corners. This way, the floor can be gently fettled into place until it fits snugly.

2 Leave aside to cure overnight before assembling the chassis. As this model will be static, I saved the brass bearings for another project and modelled the Dean Churchward brake handles in the lower position (this wagon is going nowhere!). As well as creating the wire handrails using the brass wire supplied, I also added vacuum brake hoses and scale three-link couplings.

3 Next, I taped over the wagon side, within the raised external corner beading. This is the area where the printed decal will sit. The rest of the wagon was then sprayed with grey primer using an aerosol.

4 The corner beading, ends and roof were painted a light grey shade by hand. There is a light blue hue to the real van and, overall, it’s lighter than you may think such a decaying vehicle should be. I mixed up a colour that matched the shade visible here as close as possible.

5 When the grey paint was dry, I gently peeled off the masking tape and tidied up any areas where the primer had seeped through. This unpainted area was then coated with white paint and left to dry thoroughly.

6 Having photographed the real wagon from ground level and in close quarters, there were naturally some issues around perspective. Our daughter Holly came to the rescue: “I imported the image into the phone app Snapseed, then used the ‘perspective’ tool to alter the horizon angle and square up each corner of the image, using tilt, rotate and scale commands,” she told me. Thank goodness for 21st Century daughters!

7 Once corrected, the image was eventually – after trial and error – cropped and scaled down to 61.5mm by 27mm, manipulating it as part of a Microsoft PowerPoint slide (I am no good at all with numbers, just what looks right). A few test prints on regular paper followed, which were cut out and fixed to the wagon with Blu-Tac to gauge how it would look.

8 I printed the images out on a sheet of A4 Lazertran Inkjet waterslide decal paper and allowed the sheet to dry for about an hour, as per the instructions. Images printed on this kind of paper will need a white background because, once a final layer of varnish is applied, they turn transparent.

9 Using Winsor & Newton Galeria Gloss Varnish, I brushed on a thin layer on the white side and immediately put the transfer into a small bowl of lukewarm water, left it for about 30 seconds to uncurl, and slid it on. I avoided sliding it around too much, but once I was happy with the position (and had checked for air bubbles) I carefully dabbed it with tissue to ensure a snug fit before leaving it overnight to dry.

10 Seal with more varnish if necessary. The underframe was painted in order to give a weathered finish, then, following a wash of dark brown for anything below the body, I dusted the whole section with AK Interactive Pigments (weathering powders) – a mix of No. 44 and black. Green was dry-brushed onto the buffers to represent organic growth – this was a mix of Revell green SM 364, Humbrol yellow 154 and white.

PROTOTYPE FACTFILE

Converted from a GWR ‘Mica B’ refrigerated meat van in 1938, ‘Tevan’ No. 79933 was originally built at Swindon in 1922. The interior was lined with zinc sheeting and carried cocoa from the J.S. Fry works at Keynsham, often on overnight express goods trains to London. It would also carry tea from the J. Lyons depot at Greenford, running back towards Bristol.

The ‘Tevan’ is now in the care of the Great Western Society at Didcot Railway Centre, which has its website at www.didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk

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Workbench

Chris Nevard transforms a rake of pristine timber-bodied coal wagons, with an eye on creating a more distressed appearance.

'It’s all the detail’… that’s a common refrain in the model railway industry, and it’s certainly true, as it is often the smaller things that help to create a sense of realism and place to a miniature scene. That might be a particular style of vernacular architecture, or specific types and colours of scenic features, or it may refer to aspects of the actual trains.

In the pre-diesel age, timber-bodied open wagons ruled the roost, providing a simple and effective transport solution to all manner of commodities, particularly minerals. With so many independent industries served by the railways it was inevitable that privately owned wagons came to be seen in vast numbers.

In the interests of standardisation across the myriad railway operating companies of the pre-Grouping era, Private Owner open wagons were built to specifications laid out by the Railway Clearing House (RCH). The most common vehicles came in five- or seven-plank format, and were used to carry a range of minerals, especially coal, as well as more generic loose or crated cargoes.

You can be creative with regard to what your wagons are carrying. Here, I’ve fashioned some timber pit props from a wooden skewer, but finely crushed real coal or barbecue charcoal are other options.

Accordingly, the Private Owner (PO) wagons would be emblazoned with the name of the company, sometimes with an accompanying logo too, plus details of the location and operating instructions. While wagons would potentially travel far and wide, for those of us with layouts set in particular locations or featuring specific industries, it really helps to operate an appropriately branded rake of wagons, as this serves as yet another small detail to help cement a model scene in the desired place and time.

Thankfully, the more common types of PO wagon have been produced by most of the leading model manufacturers, in most scales, with ‘OO’ being served by Bachmann, Dapol, Hornby, Oxford Rail, and Rapido Trains UK. The branding of countless industries has appeared over the years, with a decent geographical spread in terms of the UK. And now there’s a chance to create bespoke liveries, capturing real or fictional operators and locations – see panel below.

Chris has also been busy with some steel-bodied mineral wagons, especially older models that are available at ‘pocket money’ prices – see how he got on in next month’s issue, on sale August 27.

Hundreds of thousands of Private Owner RCH wagons were in use on Britain’s railways from the late 1800s to the 1950s, with many continuing in industrial use for a further decade or two. I recommend looking at old photographs of timber-bodied RCH wagons, especially during and after the Second World War, when many became common-user wagons. Later, in British Railways ownership, several gained BR numbers (with a P prefix), often crudely painted over the traces of whatever previous liveries survived.

Study of prototypes reveals that individual planks were often replaced during repairs, but wagons were not fully repainted. One explanation for this, is that the wagons would have been close to the end of their lives, as steel-bodied wagons gradually took over. Unsurprisingly, repair expenditure would have been kept to a minimum. Another fun aspect is noticing that no two wagons look the same, as each weathers in its own way. This gives freedom to experiment with colour, weathering intensity and techniques.

What you will need

SHOPPING LIST

◆ Smiths 3-link couplings
Availability: Peter’s Spares
Web: www.peterspares.com

◆ Humbrol • 27004 Metal Cote gunmetal enamel • Humbrol 49 acrylic matt varnish (aerosol) • PVA woodworking glue • weathering powders
Availability: Model shops

TOOLS

◆ Knife and spare blades
◆ Cutting mat
◆ Paint brushes
◆ Cotton buds
◆ Needle files
◆ Nail files
◆ Fibreglass pen

STEP BY STEP

1 I have started with a personalised Rapido model, via a service that allows modellers to create bespoke graphics (see panel overleaf). Some might shudder at ‘messing up’ a bespoke wagon, but collectors’ pieces are not really my thing.

2 Looking at photographs and spotting wagons while out and about, I have noticed that planks are often replaced, but the wagon not fully repainted. To recreate this, a few planks have been painted to represent bare wood.

3 A word to the wise: provided you’re not too ‘neat’ in your approach, a good dose of weathering over the top works wonders. Next follows a good slop of matt black interior emulsion, which you can then work until it’s almost dry.

4 This may sound obvious, but don’t forget the inside of the wagon too, as this will be seen from certain angles and adds to the wagon’s authentic look. Take your time and again do your research, looking at old photos to inspire you.

5 Next, ‘stipple’ the paint (effectively creating lots of small blobs) using a clean, soft-bristled brush, and keep at it until the paint is dry. This helps to give an authentic-looking finish and will help to get rid of any brush marks, too.

6 Now to tackle the rusty bits. Being a ‘bodger’, I use whatever I have lying about – raw sienna artist’s acrylic and rusty interior emulsion. ‘Proper’ modellers might prefer matt enamel, as it can be worked for a while before it sets.

7 If you can, try to choose more muted rusty colours. These are best added by dry-brushing, a technique where you load a brush with paint and then wipe almost all of it off using kitchen roll so just the pigment is left.

8 Next, with your ‘dry brush’, work the pigment around areas that are likely to be rusty – allowing the paint to catch on the raised detail. You might want to use a few different ‘rust’ colours, but avoid anything too red.

9 Don’t forget the wheels. It makes life easier to remove them from the chassis to reach the spokes. Clean the wheel treads and flanges at the end of the project to keep rails clean. It’s a good idea to clean pinpoint ends too.

10 A nice touch is to add a little trace of what the wagon might have been carrying before it was emptied, having done its job. For this, I always think there’s nothing better than to use finely crushed real coal.

11 Good quality barbecue charcoal is another option, with traditional coal increasingly difficult to source. As an aside, my lump of coal came from a long-closed colliery spoil heap near Radstock in Somerset.

12 Next, paint on a little diluted PVA woodworking glue onto the flat bed of the open wagon…

13 …Before sprinkling on some finely ground coal. The PVA glue will dry to give a matt finish, again creating an authentic appearance.

14 Here we can see the finished wagon and, while it’s complete, I might well do a little more weathering work on it in due course. Sometimes, standing back and reappraising things with fresh eyes can be a good thing.

HOW TO MAKE REMOVABLE COAL LOADS

15 I can’t take credit for this neat idea, but if you want to be able to have a removable coal or other mineral load, this works well.

16 Stack up offcuts of foamboard or wood to a height just below the rim of the wagon. Ensure bottom layers are narrow to allow the load to tilt. Size-wise, measure 2-3mm less than the inside of the wagon, as this will make extraction easier. Add glue and sprinkle it on your coal load.

17 Here we are with the coal loaded. However, pressing down on either end allows the coal to tilt, thus making extraction a doddle. Another option is to embed something that will attract a magnet, like a steel nut or similar. You can then use a magnet to lift the load out.

Make your mark

Anyone familiar with my previous layouts may notice the names emblazoned on the side of my wagons, and you too can create personalised rolling stock…

In collaboration with The Wagon Yard, Rapido Trains UK offers a custom wagon printing service that allows you to choose your own branding for five- or seven-plank open wagons.

Using Rapido’s ‘OO’ gauge RCH Private Owner wagons as a basis, modellers can choose a livery colour (red, yellow, blue, green or black), main and secondary branding in three different text layouts, and lettering styles. It’s also possible to specify a ‘Return to’ destination and wagon number, with multiple wagons of the same design being produced with individual numbers if desired.

At £50 each, they’re great value (given that Rapido’s regular wagons are around £32 each) and the results are highly professional, akin to a factory finish. It’s a great way to replicate specific brands and industries to suit your layout, create fictional concerns or personalised gifts for friends. Find out more at www.customwagons.co.uk

RESEARCH ESSENTIALS

Paul Bartlett’s website is a fabulous online resource if you’re looking for photographs of rusty old wagons to help inspire you. Free to browse, downloads can be ordered if you require them. Take a look at paulbartlett.zenfolio.com

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