Getting Dirty

With the body colour airbrushed I opted to brush paint the remaining colours, it really didn't seem worth the effort of masking up when the job is easy enough with a brush. Smoke-box, footplate, hand-rails, and chassis frames got a coat of matt black but with a little grey and brown added to soften it. I find the Humbrol black doesn't harden well either for some reason, so mixing it with other colours helps get a good finish. The red bufferbeams were painted white first, to give a good base for 2-3 coats of red (which typically gives poor opacity). The inside of the cab was painted a slightly dirtied off-white. Finally a little dry-brushing of gunmetal on the handrails and cab steps gives a little life. The colour still seems bright though.

The first step of weathering is a dirty wash mixed of black and brown to taste, and well thinned. This is liberally washed over the model, and within a minute or two lightly dabbed or wiped away with a piece of kitchen roll or cotton bud. This leaves oily shadows around details like the boiler bands, and can be used to create streaks and accumulated dirt, it also darkens the colour (depending how strong the mix and how many coats are used) and can tone down a shiny finish. A little dry brushing can emphasise some streaks.

Looking better already, but for more depth and texture I use weathering powders, stippled on and worked in, then brushed off, with a stiff (cheap) paintbrush. Sooty black is applied to the tops of the tanks, boiler, smokebox, and cab roof, while a grey/brown is applied to the lower edges of the body panels and worked up. The direction of brushing can cause streaks, while working powers into crevices can add effect - such as the coal dust around the bunker and the gap between bunker and tank. Applying the powders is easy and quick, they can be repeated or wiped off to get the effect you want. At this stage the appearance is very dusty, and slightly over-done.

The final step is the coat of Testors Dullcote varnish. I find the stuff excellent, and easy to get a good finish. As can be seen the weathering powders are toned down a little, but also sealed so they do not mark or come off with handling. The varnish gives an even, flat, almost but not quite matt finish that is most lifelike I think.

Finishing involved assembly of the frames and the cylinders to the chassis, then the chassis assembly to the body, which was surprisingly fiddly. I checked the piston rods moved freely and coated them with graphite, and ensured the chassis was running smoothly at each step - at one point the flywheel was rubbing on the cab front but I don't think the chassis was aligned properly, there's now a piece of card between motor and cab to ensure it doesn't happen again. The cab roof was fitted with a few spots of PVA glue on the tabs I'd soldered to it, though it doesn't seem to want to sit perfectly over the cab sides, the vacuum pipes (which I'd painted separately) were added with a spot of superglue. Finally the worksplates were stuck on (with PVA) and a crew added - Dapol figures that I'd painted at the same time, and treated with a dirty wash wiped off to give shadows to clothing.

It's surprising how much the paint has darkened and the loco has taken on life as it has been weathered and detailed. The end result looks at home on my layout, and the Minitrains chassis runs sweetly too, so I can see this being a popular choice with the loco crews (even if it isn't clean!).

As a close, while I was checking the layout and locos for the Pevensey show this weekend,  I couldn't resist a line-up of the locos used on the line. The Hudswell Clarke is centre front, with the other non-tramway locos, the centre and rear lines have the skirt-fitted locos. There are a mix of shades of green as well as other colours, and different levels of weathering, but somehow they all fit well together.

Airbrushing

The Hudswell Clarke has been awaiting a paint job for some time, it was last seen having coats of primer and gaps filled. So it seemed a good time to try out my airbrush. So the "spray booth" (cardboard box) was set up and the compressor connected up. Some green paint was diluted with thinners to a milky consistency, transferred to the airbrush cup with a pipette, and off I went.

I have to confess it isn't as easy as it sounds in George Dent's book (though that has been very useful). I had a few problems with the airbrush clogging up, perhaps I need a strainer as George suggests though I was careful mixing. It took a while to get used to the action of the trigger, and to get paint flowing without getting too much. I also struggled with corners finding paint built up on the edge of the side that was at 90 degrees to the side I was spraying. However, after rubbing down with fine wet-and-dry paper, and four attempts at spraying, I was happy enough with the result - though I'm not sure I couldn't have got as good a finish using a brush with less hassle!

You might notice here the "handle" consisting of a coffee stirrer passed through the coupling pockets and held with the coupling retaining screws. It makes it easy to spray and detail paint the loco without touching it.

At this point I got a bit doubtful of the colour I'd picked. I don't have many greens in my collection so I think this is the same as I've used for coaches in the past, but it seemed to look rather pale and bright (though appears darker in this photo). However I've pressed on, hoping the black parts and the weathering will tone it down...

Preparation, Preparation, Preparation

Much of the work involved in making a model is preparation rather than construction. For example, I've made a start on an O14 Hudson Hunslet kit by Nonneminstre Models - which involves preparing the white-metal castings for the chassis to ensure a good fit before assembling them, and filling any gaps. As the prototype chassis is a single, massive casting rather than the five pieces of the model, I've taken the unusual step of giving it a coat of primer before proceeding further with the build so that I can see any remaining gaps and imperfections, and treat with filler and emery paper.

I'm planning to adapt the kit as per the Thakeham locos, but while I have plenty of photos I don't have dimensions yet, so this may sit on the back burner for now.

At the same time the Hudswell Clarke 009 loco has been primed. First I blackened the nickel-silver which both helps paint adhere, and disguises any wear or nicks in the paint along the edges. Then any gaps are filled - I find Squadron Green Putty ideal - before the model is cleaned. A couple of coats of Halfords etch primer are then applied, and once hardened the model is examined and any visible gaps or imperfections seen to with more filler and emery paper - before another coat of primer.

Meanwhile I've started yet another loco kit - of which more another time. However the build starts with preparing the N-gauge loco chassis - which means dismantling it completely, and chopping it up. As you can see that means a fine mess, I hope I can get it back together again - and working!

Plastic and Nickel Silver

Once I'd done the prep like modifying the coupling pockets the rest of the Hudswell Clarke kit came together quickly. Assembling the cab is a little fiddly, but otherwise it is straightforward. However I did struggle with the roof; the kit has tabs on the top of the cab front and rear that fit half-etched slots under the roof, but I found the slots further apart than the cab was long and the slots too shallow for the tabs. In the end I filed the tabs off altogether, and resorted to another method of aligning the roof - soldering small tabs of phosphor-bronze (it was the thinnest metal I had) to sit inside each edge. For now the roof is loose for painting but they should help to glue it in place when the time comes.

The kit is well detailed as supplied so there's not much to add (I've left brake pipes off for painting, and mine is vacuum braked so I've not fitted the air brake pump). I did notice it was missing handrails so fitted some to the cab, through drilled holes in the floor (would have been much easier if I did that before fitting the cab!) and glued the tops to the inside of the cab sides. I guess I could fit a smoke-box hand-rail too?

I was left with a few small gaps - at the cab edges, the holes for the fuel rails (I didn't use) on the tank top, and the etched grooves under the cab roof. Nothing a spot of filler couldn't resolve. The final task was to do something with the American style cylinders of the Minitrains chassis - photos of Hudswell Clarke locos had European style smooth (lagged) cylinders. In the end I cut a strip of 10-thou plastic to fit between the flanges and secured it to the valve chest side and around the cylinder. I'll see how this looks with a spot of primer on, it may need a little filler too.

Other than cleaning up, and perhaps metal blackening, it is ready for primer. That will wait for warmer weather though. However I do like the look of the loco, chunky and elegant. One thing needs looking at though - it runs with a whine, I think the flywheel is rubbing on the cab front...

A Narrow Hudswell Clarke

Back at EXPO-NG I picked up the new Narrow Planet Hudswell Clarke kit, and thinking it would be a quick and easy build, I made a start. It's in their usual style of a 3D printed core with etched nickel-silver overlays to get a good quality surface. However Christmas preparations and family distractions soon got in the way and it was only a week or so back that I actually made any progress.

The first step is to cut down the chassis and replace the outside frames with those in the kit. At first this appeared to introduce a bind to the running, though I could not see a reason. A bit of re-fitting and it has gone, I think drooping pistons were to blame and the con-rods catching the fly-cranks, I've fitted a piece of plasticard over the cylinders allowing the plastic screw to hold them level better.

Next the boiler and side tanks were stuffed with lead - I use sheet roofing lead offcuts which meant cutting into little strips and feeding in from the cab end with tweezers. The "liquid" (balls) variety might have been easier to pack in but isn't as dense as real lead, so overall I've probably achieved the same weight - it's adequately balanced the motor at least. I even cut a piece to fill that void under the front footplate.

I had to open out the coupling pockets to fit Microtrains couplings, requiring an evening with small files and an abrasive bit in the mini-drill, going carefully to avoid damage to the print - especially where the rear pocket is used to locate the body to the chassis. So after several evenings work with little visible progress it was good to be able to start sticking body panels on! At this point I had to make decisions - the kit is rather like a "Vari-kit" with two styles of cab, and two shapes of side-tank, as well as other details. I chose the enclosed cab (more suited to the UK) with straight tanks and without tank-top fuel rails (for wood or cane).

The Nickel-Silver cab etches can be glued but are recommended to be soldered for strength, yet that frightens me as there is a risk of melting the printed core. I soldered the right-side to the front off the model, holding the parts together with magnets, then fitting them before soldering the left-side on. The cab rear and buffer-beam have been soldered together, after the photo was taken they were superglued to the buffer-beam and when that is solid I'll solder the top corners together. A line of flux along the join with some tiny pieces of solder on it, dabbed with a quick touch of the iron, seems to be the safest way to go.