Atlantic's works: Portable layout update

[Atso]

Those look fantastic Graeme! I've noticed on 'the other forum' that the accuracy of models was being debated, I think that these capture the character of the GNR style coaches perfectly and will be perfectly at home alongside 'accurate' models.

That V2 conversion is something else, the more you post the more I feel that I really should do something about my Farish versions!

[jwealleans]

Another advantage of these conversions is that you can put realistic loads behind smaller locos, being plastic coaches. Graeme's C1 looked superb belting round Little Bytham with 11 or 12 on. Although I'm very pleased with mine, it would never move that many etched coaches.

Have you considered articulating?

[LNER4479]

Have you considered articulating?

Good idea JW - BFK twin would be good...

[Atlantic 3279]

It could be worth a go. a mate of mine has mentioned several times for instance that the old Hornby sleepers would make a twin sleeper first, but my suggestion that he demonstrate the point by making one up has fallen on resolutely deaf ears.

[jwealleans]

He's right. Did you see the one on the coach demonstration stand at Wakefield?

[manna]

G'Day Gents

Artic sleepers- were in the Railway Modeller many moons ago, did'nt look to bad either.

manna

[Atlantic 3279]

I've never seen such a model. I lead such a sheltered existence........

[Atlantic 3279]

Is anybody else on here using Imageshack as a hosting site at present and having trouble? Two days on from their "moving servers in a day" message I'm still finding tha all of my old links to the site lead to a message telling me that the site's security certificate is not valid and that I should not continue to the site. Trying fresh means of access to the site leads me to a new sign-in page that appears not to work!

Anyway, in the meantime here are some images provided by other means.

Those of us who went to the NEC may remember meeting up with Dave Somers and trying to press-gang him into putting some of his loco conversion work onto this forum. He doesn't appear to be taking the hint, but nearly a month ago he e-mailed some pictures to me. I've had no reply to my subsequent e-mail to him asking if I could post them on the forum, so I'm sticking my neck out here and assuming that he won't mind....

J72 to J65

[Blink Bonny]

Cor!

[Mercator II]

WOW

I want one please, I do hope that he makes them available for purchase

Thanks for the pics

oOo

Brian

[manna]

G'Day Gents

I have a J72 sitting out in the shed, the only thing that's putting me off is the Horrible split chassis.

manna

[Atlantic 3279]

So far I've only lined as much of the four GN coaches as you can see in these pictures, which means I have three times as much still to do, but here are some pictures. :

[Mercator II]

Coming along brilliantly Graeme

What techniques are you using for the teak effect & paint please? Also how are you lining it out, painting the beading or transfers?

Going to look great at Barrow Hill

oOo

Brian

[Atso]

Stunning Graeme! Second request on how you teak your coaches...

[Atlantic 3279]

My teak method this time around:

1. Start from the old style Hornby moulded "swirly biscuit colour". Altered/replaced areas of the coach can be given the same starting appearance by painting a streaky finish using Humbrol 29 & 119, both are earthy / woody colours. I tried a few pencil marks in one or two places to try to give the matching look too, but I'm not sure how much that hepled.

2. First "teaking" coat was a thorougly mixed combination of satin varnish, Humbrol 113 brown and Humbrol 69 yellow, producing a colour just a touch yellower than Railmatch 623 "coach teak" with (obviously) less opacity / covering power than pure paint. This was brushed on in the intended direction of the final graining of the coach so that uneven density of coverage was slightly evident but not harsh "false" graining. I used a normal soft paint brush, not a stiffer one. Some of the subtle graining and swirls were deliberateley made to lie slightly obliquely rather than dead-horizontal or dead vertical as wood grain isn't always geometrically perfect! I was lucky with the density of my varnish and paint mixture, as this caot alone provided almost a "new" varnished teak look with and orangey-yellow hint to the basic brown.

3 Top coat was another combination of satin varnish and paint, but the paint this time was Prescison P60 LNER coach teak, and the mixture a bit more transparent/translucent than the first coat. Again, "informal graining" was applied using a soft brush, not necessarily matching the previous hints of graining exactly. You'll notice in some of the photos that the two coats in combination are still translucent to a slight degree, allowing the stronger feataures of the original Hornby "graining" to show through faintly.

That's it! If you use this method, don't for goodness sake try to mix or judge shades or densities under artificial light or under poor daylight. The colour I've achieved looks anything from "new teak orangey" in bright sunshine down to fairly rich milk chocolate in dull conditions, and it is wholly impossible to tell if you are making the mixture too much of a reddish-brown under the light of standard light bulbs, as I've found to my cost on one or two occasions.

Lining is in a primrose yellow straight from a bow-pen, using a precariously balanced ruler as a guide.