Condemned Coach saved by SVR

When Dapol first produced their Collett Coaches I was keen to get some Blood and Custard ones to supplement my Mk 1 fleet. Unfortunately Dapol's choice of colour wasn't too great. Yes, I know there are photos showing a more Oranges and Cream version than the LMR and ER versions but the four I got were a disappointment.

I stripped one down with the intention of repainting it - and even had a couple of goes. As none of these were taped up well enough to prevent runs and didn't use an airbrush, the result wasn't too flash. I even had a go at painting it plain maroon but the maroon I used didn't match the rake of Dapol maroon coaches.

As part of the "finish 10 UFO challenge" set by my wife, finishing this coach was on the list. Having given the spray red a go and deciding it was a miss, I stripped the coach body (again) and had a thought. The idea of a condemned coach being saved by a preservation society would work I thought, and be something different in a train running in my Banger Blue collection.

So tonight, while watching the Pies beat the Roos (I am assuming that is what will happen, the score is pretty lop sided as I type) I dirtied the coach up more - only used Humbrol 118 and 33 on it; the rest of the effect is from the stripping process - and then wrote the condemned symbols and wording along with the SVR (I have enjoyed my visits to the Severn Valley Railway and look forward to taking my family - and they have a couple of these coaches AFAIK) and then used some of Amity's vinyls from her Craft Robo to make the tarps. Hopefully these will bed down a bit more as time goes on.

By doing it this way, should I work out how to do a better job the coach may be restored - just like the real thing!

Let me know what you think either by leaving a comment, post to either the VAG or N Gauge group or direct email.

Tweaking

I received recently some more of the very excellent N Gauge Society Stove R model. I got some pre-ordered (BR Crimson and Cream, BR Maroon, BR Blue and LMS Crimson) and decided that I had one too many Crimson and Cream and not enough (ie none) BR Crimson. It was the latter which turned up recently (along with some LMS ones for non-NGS member mates). Now I wasn't too impressed with the very light grey rooves (roofs?) and have thus had a go with the good old Humbrol No32 which I favour for things like this. The shot above shows the before and after on the BR Crimson versions. Probably not the right base grey for this livery but works very well with the BR Maroon and Blue versions. I have the Precision Paint colour for Crimson coaches but I find it only works well with an airbrush - not an option out here in the bush and besides, the body is integral with the roof. I am however, having a go with the LMS Roof Grey on my LMS example.


At the same time I was painting the Stoves, I handed off the Dapol BR Blue CCT which had come from the Alton Model Centre (this is ND008 - and one of the early ones. AMC still had it in stock so well pleased for the tip off - thanks TM of ACT). I had managed to win a bid for one on eBay shortly before the tip so I now have two. The roof colour on the original is shown here next to the first coat of No32. I have since done both vehicles and fitted them for close coupling.

Not content just with these, the various finished etched kits were primed and painted on the weekend - the rain has stopped at last and humidity resumed its non-existence. I also painted my recent NGS Gresley BG kit. Dulux Quickdry Heritage Red seems to be a good match for BR Maroon - given that no two painters mixed it the same back then and weathering depended on a lot of things.

Next plan is to finish the BG, fit sides to my Ultima LMS 50' BG and paint the Prestwin shown earlier. After that, it is back into chassis and hopefully the W&U etches will turn up - they are taking an age to come from Darkest Essex.

Purchases

I haven't really done much modelling since the last update - I have made a start on converting a Dapol Autocoach to 2mm Standards by making some bogies for it. Still working out what else to do to it (fixing the vents on the roof is high on the list - and I am thinking of putting it in the last GWR coach livery rather than the late 20's/early 30's livery it currently is in).

What I have been doing is getting packages almost every day (the flood waters are down and the mail is getting through). Today's was from the Alton Model Center with a rake of Dapol Collett's in GWR livery - the first batch years ago sold out in a flash and even this run (NC041-NC03) vanished from the likes of Rails and Hatton's fairly quickly. Fortunately AMC had enough for me to get a rake of 8 - and a BR Blue CCT (NB008) from quite a long time ago. Very happy to have been given the tip from a fellow modeller in the ACT.

Other arrivals include a BHE Royal Scot and a Farish Jubilee - the latter for my wife. Hopefully the nameplates for the Jub turn up soon - 5566 to go with my 45565 so we have our States of Origin running on our layouts.

Last night I ordered the chassis for the J70/Y6 locos which we hope to start building in a week or so - although following the arrival of the NGS Journal one is going in my PD Marsh Sentinal kit - which will be numbered for the W&U Y4.