peterbunce
1880's Colorado Narrow gauge on 45mm track
Hi,
I have just finished a couple of Denver & South Park RR flatcars; the shorter one needed some transfers which have now been delivered.
Having applied them to the narrow depth of the solebars I decided to add some heavy weathering to the vehicle, which dates from 1879; to provide some contrast a couple a new planks that have been fitted into the (older) flatcar deck.
Most of the weathering is washes of (very thin) acrylic paint; but I have also used some of the very fine pigments (or powders) that are available from the Military Modeller?s equipment. These are MIG pigments, and are the ?European dust? and ?Light rust? colours.
They look very light in colour, but when mixed with an applying varnish darken down considerably; I used Johnson?s Klear for the varnish, and a dense colour can be built up with multiple applications of them.
The second, and larger flatcar is finished as being ?brand new? dating from 1883, having been built by the Peninsula car Company: there were also some companion boxcars with both vehicles being 30 feet long: I have the transfers for one of the boxcars to be built in due course. The boxcars were not quite the longest the Denver & South Park had, those were the charcoal cars which were very large, almost to standard gauge dimensions, and 31 feet long.
All Denver & South Park RR flatcars had two stake pockets that were at the ends and inset from the sides. These fitted into hidden stake pockets at the junction of the intermediate ?end to end? longitudinals; these were used when the flatcars carried sleepers (or in American, ?ties?) and to help to stop them falling off the ends. The stake pockets along the ides are made from small pieces of Plastruct ABS plastic, glued on to the junction of the 3mm thick PVC solid foam, deck, then a piece of copper wire is fitted into pre-drilled holes in the centre, and small bits of 1mm square plasticard added top and bottom for the stiffening there.
Here are some photos of them together, taken inside, as the weather was a bit cool!
A 'low down' view of the pair of them
a close up of the older and shorter one's weathered deck, some weathering has also been added to the solebars, and trucks, which themselves were modified (both vehicles have different modifications to them.
A view of the top of the pair.
A couple of view of some loads which are in two pieces each - there are other larger versions of each styke that have been constructed as well.
Just visible on the older one are some 'bolt heads' - they are marked out with a ruler and a compass point, the filled in with a black pen to make them show up! I would assume that on the fullsize versions the coach bolt heads would be flush with the top of the planks: so that produced the method and they will not be 'flicked off' by passing knocks when being loaded etc.
The old deck photo is not very good re the bolt heads so I grabbed the camera and took another - this time of the much easier to see version - on the new deck - Ahh the convenience of digital cameras!
here is the result - much better I think.
I have just finished a couple of Denver & South Park RR flatcars; the shorter one needed some transfers which have now been delivered.
Having applied them to the narrow depth of the solebars I decided to add some heavy weathering to the vehicle, which dates from 1879; to provide some contrast a couple a new planks that have been fitted into the (older) flatcar deck.
Most of the weathering is washes of (very thin) acrylic paint; but I have also used some of the very fine pigments (or powders) that are available from the Military Modeller?s equipment. These are MIG pigments, and are the ?European dust? and ?Light rust? colours.
They look very light in colour, but when mixed with an applying varnish darken down considerably; I used Johnson?s Klear for the varnish, and a dense colour can be built up with multiple applications of them.
The second, and larger flatcar is finished as being ?brand new? dating from 1883, having been built by the Peninsula car Company: there were also some companion boxcars with both vehicles being 30 feet long: I have the transfers for one of the boxcars to be built in due course. The boxcars were not quite the longest the Denver & South Park had, those were the charcoal cars which were very large, almost to standard gauge dimensions, and 31 feet long.
All Denver & South Park RR flatcars had two stake pockets that were at the ends and inset from the sides. These fitted into hidden stake pockets at the junction of the intermediate ?end to end? longitudinals; these were used when the flatcars carried sleepers (or in American, ?ties?) and to help to stop them falling off the ends. The stake pockets along the ides are made from small pieces of Plastruct ABS plastic, glued on to the junction of the 3mm thick PVC solid foam, deck, then a piece of copper wire is fitted into pre-drilled holes in the centre, and small bits of 1mm square plasticard added top and bottom for the stiffening there.
Here are some photos of them together, taken inside, as the weather was a bit cool!
A 'low down' view of the pair of them
a close up of the older and shorter one's weathered deck, some weathering has also been added to the solebars, and trucks, which themselves were modified (both vehicles have different modifications to them.
A view of the top of the pair.
A couple of view of some loads which are in two pieces each - there are other larger versions of each styke that have been constructed as well.
Just visible on the older one are some 'bolt heads' - they are marked out with a ruler and a compass point, the filled in with a black pen to make them show up! I would assume that on the fullsize versions the coach bolt heads would be flush with the top of the planks: so that produced the method and they will not be 'flicked off' by passing knocks when being loaded etc.
The old deck photo is not very good re the bolt heads so I grabbed the camera and took another - this time of the much easier to see version - on the new deck - Ahh the convenience of digital cameras!
here is the result - much better I think.
