Large Scale Central

Coaches for the Emily/Stirling Single

Modeling Rolling stock
#61

Ric Golding said:

Pete said - " I have 2 smaller coaches to finish, but the Single needs it’s Smallbrook Conversion kit fitted. Then we’ll have a good-looking train!"

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Quite unfamiliar with what this will look like. Do you have a prototype photo you are using as an example?

Rick, there’s a bunch of pictures in this thread, which is where I’ve been putting my photos.

https://www.gscalecentral.net/threads/anyone-else-used-thomas-bigscale-coaches.309584/page-2

There are photos in Jerry Barnes original thread on converting the Emily to a Single.

http://www.largescalecentral.com/forums/topic/22564/stirling-single-lined-with-wood-coaches

This pic is the overall effect I am after, on a smaller scale. 6-wheel and bogie coaches behind a Single.

I was curious myself, so I took the coach to my office where the Emily and 2 6-wheelers sit waiting for their turn.

#62

I’ve been working on gthe details, like the waistline stripe and the (brass) grab handles - actually they are ‘antique gold’ as I can’t find brass paint. Hardly any paint in Michaels; must be too many folk staying home with kids! I moved the coach onto a storage shelf and took this pic as the color looked great - from 9’ away. The trucks are too short and need to be nearer the ends, but they will have to do for now.

I went to Michaels to find some dark red paint as those ducketts needed something. The darkest was ‘french wine’ on the right below. The other is plain red. I painted the top of the ducketts - one with the paint out of the bottle and the other with it mixed with black. We’ll see what they look like in the morning.

#63

Pete Thornton said:

Almost done. I got my L&B decals out and found a GUARD and some numbers. I also found my gold extra-fine paint pen and gave it a pinstripe - probably need to do it again. The door handles and grabs need a touch of paint.

The paint is definitely a problem. One side is decent (above) but the other is strange. It isn’t as obvious from a distance, but this is certainly turning in to a 10’ model. And those ducketts didn’t come out very well, despite using the same paint. I am presuming that the white resin underneath with very thin paint is the reason for the mismatch.

Pete, I had a similar issue a couple years ago. I don’t know if this is what affected you, but I spray painted a model outdoors on a high humidity day, just a little coat of clear coat. The stuff hazed up though, and subsequent coats didn’t help. From conversation here, it seems that it was the humidity that did it.

So, question, did you paint the two sides on different days, or times of the same day when the humidity changed significantly? Probably not, but I had to ask.

#64

So, question, did you paint the two sides on different days, or times of the same day when the humidity changed significantly? Probably not, but I had to ask.

Cliff, they were both done the same day. It was probably too humid anyway - such is Maryland in the summer.

This morning the test was clearly too dark and purpley (must be the french wine.) The other color in my pic is ‘tuscan red’ (Aha PRR) so I added some black and mixed a little darker red. Seems to be a much better match. This pic is the same side as the one above with the point bottles. The camera makes it look a bit orange- it’s better in the flesh.

#65

I finished repainting the ducketts and took another pic, which persuaded me to move the trucks. This is a composite of both sides, and the coach is now done until I think of something else to add, like vents, or longer trucks! The bottom pic is after I moved the trucks outwards.

I’ve been looking at this drawing while working on the conversion, and I am fairly happy. I definitely need to paint those bright red buffer shanks.

#66

This one’s for Ric. I got the coaches down and put them in better light! The Annie and Clarabell orange coaches are mounted on the 3-axle Emily coach frames, which are much more prototypical. Just need to give them a new end of 10-thou styrene and a bit of paint.

m

#67

Having got the 2 brown coaches down, and not having shelf space for them and the new coach, I took the 2 6-wheel coachers into the shop. It didn’t take long to figure out that maybe I should just continue and convert them.

As bought, they have a big nose and funny windows in one end, plus a name on the side. I took the nose off with the belt sander. Looking in the materials pile, I found some 10 thou styrene that looked big enough for 2 ends, and plenty of 030 thou by 1/8th strip. A short while later the ends were done and glued to the coaches.

An application of contour putty filled the edges so this afternoon I got to sand them down. Then I started sanding off the name on the side, and remembered the Polyscale Lift-Off I used on the Emily windows. Easy so far - but there will still need to be some kind of paint added.

#68

I don’t know about any more painting. I sprayed a little “warm caramel” on the ends and they don’t look at all bad. The putty doesn’t look great! I suspect rubbing them with some burnt umber to make it look more like teak might finish them off.

#69

Being a modeler I have never painted with Acrylics on my models, I just don’t get the finishes I want, enough said.

trainman

#70

I have tried Acrylics with success. One of my recent projects involved converting an Accucraft passenger car to an RPO. The original color of the car was D&RGW green (Accucraft). I had a heck of a time trying to match the color with most standard model paints. I finally gave up a took one of the car sides to a local paint store and had them match the color. They used an acrylic/latex paint. I discovered, like many modelers, that the paint was too thick to spray using an airbrush. Now many would attempt to use water to thin as I did. That didn’t work well. The paint tended to flow and leave high points lighter than the rest of the siding.

After much research, I came across an article where the modeler used, believe it or not, Windex to thin. It turns out that a ratio of 70% paint to 30% Windex worked beautifully. I guess the stuff that Windex contains acts like a wetting agent and causes the paint to flow evenly and dry a little slower creating a very nice covering.

Here’s a photo of the results:

(http://largescalecentral.com/FileSharing/user_2849/RPO/Exterior-1.jpg)

Doc

#71

I think this is the end. I painted the coaches with yellow ochre, and then mixed in a little spanish tile to tone down the new ends.

The deliberate brush strokes, designed to make it more like wood/teak, didn’t show too well, so I used a trick from a UK gent (Paulfwalker) on the GSC thread,
https://www.gscalecentral.net/threads/anyone-else-used-thomas-bigscale-coaches.309584/
to wash it with black to bring out the details. It worked!

Time to screw it all together and put it on the shelf.

#72

They’re just gorgeous, Pete.

How about a shot of them behind Emily?

#73

Cool looking models, Pete. I find it amazing how different the states are from the “continent”.

Turned out VERY nice.

#74

Pete,

What a cool transformation of a “toy” into a model!

Eric

#75

Cliff Jennings said:

They’re just gorgeous, Pete.

How about a shot of them behind Emily?

Got to add the parts to Emily first! Then a trip to the Spa Creek & McKendree for testing.

#76

Pete Thornton said:

Cliff Jennings said:

They’re just gorgeous, Pete.

How about a shot of them behind Emily?

Got to add the parts to Emily first! Then a trip to the Spa Creek & McKendree for testing.

Looking forward to seeing that!

#77

Cliff said - “How about a shot of them behind Emily?” Then - “Looking forward to seeing that!”

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Pressures on Pete. The day will come, when you have to declare this part of your railroad projects “complete”.

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Will there be photos at the Spa Creek & McKendree?

#78

Ric Golding said:

Cliff said - “How about a shot of them behind Emily?” Then - “Looking forward to seeing that!”.

Pressures on Pete. The day will come, when you have to declare this part of your railroad projects “complete”.

Will there be photos at the Spa Creek & McKendree?

There will be photos and probably video, as those 8’ driving wheels make their stately way around the layout.

However, don’t hold your breath. We head back to Florida in late October (7 weeks!) and I have a railtruck and a trolley to fix, plus a bunch of clay tippers to paint. Not to mention 3 Gilpin ore wagons [real ore this time] with no instructions and the trucks made from thousands of parts (well, it looks that way.) I suspect that Emily will wait until next summer.

#79

Pete Thornton said:

Ric Golding said:

Cliff said - “How about a shot of them behind Emily?” Then - “Looking forward to seeing that!”.

Pressures on Pete. The day will come, when you have to declare this part of your railroad projects “complete”.

Will there be photos at the Spa Creek & McKendree?

There will be photos and probably video, as those 8’ driving wheels make their stately way around the layout.

However, don’t hold your breath. We head back to Florida in late October (7 weeks!) and I have a railtruck and a trolley to fix, plus a bunch of clay tippers to paint. Not to mention 3 Gilpin ore wagons [real ore this time] with no instructions and the trucks made from thousands of parts (well, it looks that way.) I suspect that Emily will wait until next summer.

ARRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)