Highland Railway Coach Complete.

HR D19 3rd Class Coach

The coach body was air brushed with Phoenix P727 HR Dark Green 1885-1912 (Dull). I thought at first it was too dull and tried a coat of gloss varnish but that was too bright and I reverted to a duller finish. The chassis was air brushed and then dry-brushed by hand though not extensively. The couplings were blackened with Carr's Metal Black, which is more durable in use that paint.

HR D19 Interior with Passengers.

The interior was more difficult than the exterior as there was a lot of masking to be done and everything took several coats of paint. I think I made it even more difficult by gluing the seats in the compartments before I painted them; I painted them by hand to give them some texture and it took at least three coats of paint. I've only done a basic job on the interior, there's very little detail though it looks fine from outside even without the pictures on the bulkhead above the seats. I might add these later, I'm not sure if there was a mirror there as well, anyway it's a detail that will have to wait as I've started work on the Wee Ben...stripped her down, getting her ready for the paint shop.  

Visitors at CD0GG Open Day

Caledonian Railway 264T Class engine with a goods train in the scenic section of the layout at CD0GG.

NBR/LNER agricultural implement wagon with Fordson "F" crawler tractor load.

Caledonian Goods Brake Van brings up the rear.

CR 264T Class 0-4-0 with wooden tender heads the train.

Caledonian Single No 123 awaits her turn in the sidings, a welcome visitor.

I resolved to take only finished painted stock to the club Open Day today in Carlisle and to this end I assembled a short goods train of appropriate stock headed by my trusty Caledonian Railway 264T Class engine. I took a petrol tank wagon built from a Slaters' kit; my recently finished NBR "IMP" with its tractor load and a Caledonian goods brake van that I built some time ago from etches supplied by Caley Coaches, to bring up the rear. The fine scenic section of the CD0GG layout proved to be a very effective setting in which to photograph the train, I think you'll agree it looked a treat.

Fordson "F" Crawler on NBR "IMP".

Fordson "F" Crawler on NBR/LNER Dia. 99B

Tractor roped and blocked on the wagon deck.

I have a backlog of models, including 4 engines and 2 coaches, which have been waiting in the sidings for the paint shop for far too long, and I intend to address this as a matter of importance. In fact I've already begun work and my HR D19 6-wheel coach is well underway and... as you can see in the accompanying illustrations, I've actually finished the NBR wagon with its tractor load in good time to run at the weekend at the Members Day at CD0GG in Carlisle. The tractor, in the absence of any firm evidence, is roped and blocked onto the wagon bed in the way that I'd do it rather than in the regulation manner of the LNER. The word "SIGHTHILL" on the wagon curb rail presented a problem as I'd no transfer for it so it had to be contrived with a mixture of a few individual transfer letters and a few painted ones. The key to this problem being a new 00 sable paint brush that I bought this morning in Cockermouth, in one of the few remaining art shops in Cumbria.
The crawler tractor is being taken up to the north of Scotland  to replace some poor old horses that are due for retirement from the Forestry Commission, they'll be glad to see it.