Weekend Update 8/31/14

[Dave V]

Some subtle weathering with washes, and D&RGW 3000-series boxcar #3527 is ready for service on the RGS...

[Catt]

Pic of my GE U-18B project.Starrting point was a Atheasrn blue box U-28B it is not a 100% correct model but that doesn't bother me because it is a 2014 rwbuild for my HO version of the Grande Valley Railway.

[nkalanaga]

Andrew:  Are you going to model the "running of the sheep" in Reedpoint?

Puddington:  PGE/BCOL/BCIT cars used to be quite common on the Milwaukee in the Northwest.  Oddly, they were rare on the BN.  Some kind of traffic-routing agreement?

[Jeff AKA St0rm]

With a busy golf season starting to slow down it is time to get back to the work bench and watch some college football.

First i worked on the Tropicana Distribution center for the club layout. Still needs some paint on the foundation and roof details. 





Then i worked on my kit bashed George Roberts Printing kits. It is 2 kits used to make this. I still don't know what i am going to use it for but i am sure i will find a use maybe as a brewery building.







And last tried to finish my NS SD40-2 that can be seen here http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3803950



I have tried 5 times to get the road number and NS to look right and it is not east to free hand small numbers like this. I have tried painting them on with a toothpick that didn't work at all. This is done with a white paint pen. I have not decided if i am going to redo it again or not. What do you guys think?

[up1950s]

It depends if that is what the proto looked like . If it is then you have no need to re-letter it . It would be helpful to have the proto shot to see . It would appear that the proto painter could not see or was an elephant with remarkable talent .

[C855B]

It depends if that is what the proto looked like . ...

It's pretty close, IIRC. The primary difference is the proto was "lettered" with a spray can, and that effect is hard to reproduce by hand.

[up1950s]

If you could get a image head on you could crop and re-size it , then print it on decal paper . The inkjet dots could not hurt . You could paint a piece of big a$$ paper that green and then spray your numbers on it , then photo , photoshop , etc as above .

[ednadolski]

And last tried to finish my NS SD40-2 that can be seen here http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3803950



I have tried 5 times to get the road number and NS to look right and it is not east to free hand small numbers like this. I have tried painting them on with a toothpick that didn't work at all. This is done with a white paint pen. I have not decided if i am going to redo it again or not. What do you guys think?

Paint pens are generally too coarse for N scale work.   I prefer a very fine paint brush (#30 from Micro Mark) and water-mix oil paint.  Thin a small amount of paint with water to an ink-like consistency (but not watery) and then draw on the line you want, using the very tip of the brush.  Sometimes it helps to draw the line as a series of small adjacent dots.  Clean the brush, leave it damp with water (not dripping), and use the tip to sharpen and refine the stroke by removing excess paint from either side.  (This can lengthen the stroke but you can remove the excess too.)  If a stroke goes amiss you can erase it and try again.  The oil paint also is nice because it gives you plenty of working time, unlike acrylics or model paints.  Give it a couple of days or longer to dry, then seal with a clear finish like Dullcote.

This definitely takes some practice, not to mention magnification, but remember in this case what you are doing really just breaks down to a relatively simple set of lines (so it is not like doing some immensely complex, multi-layer piece of graffiti).  You will also learn to vary the thickness of the lines, so that they will look like something that was actually painted from a 1:160 spray can.   BTW this approach also works for things like rust streaks and grime streaking.   Build them up in layers of appropriate color and be sure to keep them straight and vertical.

Then, when folks ask how you did your decals, you smile and say, "no decals, it's hand-painted".   

Ed

(Edit: This may sound like more work than decals, and it can be, if you are doing something elaborate.  But decals can be remarkably time consuming to make on your own, from generating the images, to sizing them and printing, sealing, and applying.  And then you still have issues like the granularity of the printing process, color corrections, and decal film edges.)

[Scottl]

Laying down the first layers of scenery on the east bank.

[LIRR]

That's a great job you did on the bridge....

[craigolio1]

I made some great progress today. A while back I painted two CPR SD40-2 for a fellow and took the opportunity to start my CPR units at the same time. 3 GP38AC, 3 GP9, and an Expo 86 SD40-2.  The last couple if units sat for a while because I got bored of them. Now with Inteountains anouncment of the Expo 86 unit I figured I better finish at least that unit.

I put decals on these units today.







Thanks for looking.

Craig

[Iain]

Ballasted my T Track module; pics once the glue dries.

[Jeff AKA St0rm]

Thanks UP and Ed for the ideas. Today i worked on my brigade scene. It is still a work in progress I need to grab some different types of trees from the shop on Tuesday when i am there. The Rocks are hand carved. Still waiting for the glue to dry.

[engineshop]

...
I have tried 5 times to get the road number and NS to look right and it is not east to free hand small numbers like this. I have tried painting them on with a toothpick that didn't work at all. This is done with a white paint pen. I have not decided if i am going to redo it again or not. What do you guys think?

I would use White Trimfilm from Microscale (#02-1). Draw the number and NS lettering and print them inverted in black/green onto the film. The green is so off that it doesn't matter if you can get the color right.

[skytop35]

Painted an old Rowa Coach. They are still nice models even by current standards.