An aside.
This arrived midweek:
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A Badger air compressor, I've never used one before; certainly not on an item of rolling stock of any sort. Previously, I've sprayed thinned coats of varnish onto the surface of card buildings such as the one posted above, and bits of balsa using a Badger air brush attached to those propellant type tins, but never anything requiring any specific skill or familiarity with a serious piece of kit such as this
So, as you might have guessed, I'm eager to give this a blast. But on what?
May I introduce my first victim:
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Yep, it's that nice little Bachmann GP 38-2 again - or at least the body this time - draped in those unflattering Chessie colours which just have to go.
As I say, I've never attempted anything like this before, but frankly I need a break from all this wood work stuff and, well, I just want to give it a go.
So what colours and finish should I choose: well, I suppose it should be suitable for the era and location I've chosen - yellow and blue, bearing the legacy(legacy?......
apologies, legend) 'Santa Fe' in large yellow letters on the sides, I should imagine - however, I've little access here to the appropriate decals needed and quite honestly, I'd prefer to use what I've got which consists merely of a limited palette of ageing enamel paints and absolutely no decals apart from some numerals in a sort of silver colour.
So, I reckon (please correct me if I'm wrong) that I should opt for something leased(?) in a simple overall colour of say black or grey as I've got loads of paint in those colours. Other colours are also available.
Additionally - drawing a deep breath - I want to aim for a highly weathered, extreme weathered finish just to see if I can emulate some of the rust and dust that appears on many locos picture in the RR Archive galleries that I so enjoy exploring. Yes, I know it sounds as though I'm biting off far more than I can chew, but if push comes to shove, I can always strip the paint off using Dettol and start again!!
My plan in brief, is to remove the handrails using a scalpel (unfortunately, these are moulded or glued on) then rub down the moulded grab irons. Then, rather than stripping off the paint, I'm going to give it a thorough wash in detergent then leave to dry for several days. Having done so, I'm going to spray the whole thing with a grey primer from a spray can, then decide where I want areas of rust to show through. Having determined this, with the first blast of my virgin compressor, I shall introduce a rust mix of a suitable colour which I'll apply in thin coats. Then, I'll mix up another shade of rust to apply to parts of the designated rust areas: 'neat' to be drybrushed and a 'thin wash' of the same into which I may mix some fine weathering powders I've got (no idea of the make) to create a bit of texture. Following this, an undercoat of slightly thinned dark grey paint will be sprayed onto the model apart from the rust areas which will have been masked prior to spraying. Then, thin washes of varying shades of top coat will be applied in stages and/or washed on with a paint brush to allow the lower layers to show through - I used this technique on the roof slates of the building shown further up the the thread which I think you can detect. Finally, dirt and other deposits can be built up using the same techniques in appropriate shades from the tinlets strewn across my desk, and streaks applied with a wide artists brush and thinners using a downward motion. Rust steaks, where required, will be applied using layers of rust colour dry brushed on through a 'mask'. To finish, the whole will be dressed with a light wafting of powders. At some point during the latter stages of painting, I will apply some replacement grab irons using a kit I bought a couple of years ago during my previous dalliance with the Dark Side.
Now, I reiterate: I've never done this before and I've really no idea if it'll work, however, I intend to have fun trying
Whether a loco in such an extreme condition would ever have plied the iron roads of Downtown LA in the late seventies, I can't say, so I shall be guided by the thoughts of any kind soul that could advise. I'd certainly be grateful of any reasons or excuses for using a loco not of the Santa Fe fleet, and any suggestions as to a possible suitable livery would be welcome (especially a single colour). Incidentally, with regard to the loco number, I was thinking of placing a grey patch over where the numerals would have appeared, the reason being that said loco had been pressed into service prior to numbers being applied. Sound plausible?
Thanks for your interest.
jonte
Need to get into the habit of reading this stuff before pressing 'submit'
Then I can cut and hang the picture frame front (with short wings at each end) which will raise and lower on a piano hinge I've got out in the garage somewhere to ease rail cleaning/maintenace etc.
No kidding! Very effective!