A preview...

[kstrong]

Starting with the February issue of GR, I'll be talking about painting and weathering locomotives. I don't have space in the magazine for much in the way of history or many "finished" photos, so I thought I'd use the forums as a bit of a teaser...

Before:


After:


More photos and history can be found here.

Later,

K

[cabbage]

I am sorry Kevin...

But this is a subject you and I will never agree on!!! Comming from a British and Colonial background only the engine in the upper image would be acceptable. Here, the engines were washed and polished, then paintwork fettled in the roundhouse every day. This is because a clean engine runs better and requires less expensive servicing than one that is covered in grime -which gets into the works. Here, crews were awarded prizes for the cleanest engine.

Is this reality -or simply fashionable?

regards

ralph

[kstrong]

No worries, Ralph. It's not a matter of agreement or disagreement. I have nothing against colorful locos, either, but I'm also a student of history. That fancy red paintwork would never have lasted into the 1900s. While most folks on your side of the pond continued to buff their locos to a fine shine every morning, the simple economics and physical requirements of running a railroad on this side of the pond in the early 20th century began to dictate that such practices weren't as practical in many circles. There were many factors: money, labor, the operating conditions under which the locos ran (long distances with few stops) were only the main ones. Spit and polish came down to the individual crews, which they tended to do on their own time or initiative. Many narrow gauge railroads ran second, even third-hand equipment (such as this one) so many locos were near the end of their operating lives anyway. They were also operating right around the break-even point, so money for maintenance--even routine maintenance--just wasn't there. The crews did what they could, but a freshly-painted rust bucket is still gonna leak.

Truth is, the lettering and linework on the loco above is probably fancier than the railroad likely ever had on it. The TVRR, like a handful of other narrow gauge lines in the early 1900s, took on a very minimalist approach to decoration, foregoing lettering or decoration of any kind beyond a number. They didn't interchange with other railroads, and the management felt no need to advertise. They knew whose engine it was. (This was exacerbated by film emulsions of the day not being terribly good at "seeing" the contrast difference between the artwork and the base color, so some photos simply do not show lettering that appears in others.) I opted for something a bit more fancy, based on what other scholars of the railroad presume they used in the late 1880s. (That, and it gave me an excuse to explain lettering and striping for the article.)

It's actually that contrast in attitudes on either side of the pond that largely dictated why railroads and rail travel continued to thrive over there, while it quickly fell out of fashion over here. Many scholars tend to blame the automobile and air travel, but if rail travel in the US was maintained to the levels it was in the 1880s and 1890s (the last of the spit-and-polish era), railroads would not have been "degraded" to a very utilitarian transportation system. We're just now--almost 100 years later--realizing that railroads are anything but basic transportation. Now, got a few hundred billion lying around so we can rebuild? We promise to keep the brass polished this time.

Later,

K

[kstrong]

One other advantage on your side of the pond...

It rains almost every bloomin' day over there. How dirty can your locos get???

Later,

K

[cabbage]

The Acid Bath spray that the locos and rolling stock get when leaving Derby Midland Station and entering Etches Park for the night -consists of 1 molar Hydrochloric acid followed by a 2 molar spray of Sodium Bicarbonate. Then they get scrubbed and fettled by the crews there.

I suppose the Victorian railways started the clean locos look as there were several competing companies and the look of the loco and rolling stock was a good selling point. I do however think the "Great North of Scotland" original livery of Salmon Pink and Emerald could have been a little off putting. But the colours were chosen so that the locos could be seen well against the snow.

Carlisle Citidel in the Victorian era would have been a riot of colour. Blackberry LNWR, Orange Highland, Red Midland, Blue Caledonian, Light Green NER and Dark Green Glasgow and South Western...

I will continue to shake my bottles of Brasso and Laquer!!!

regards

ralph

[S&G Rute of the Silver River]

Magnificent. I was woundering why didn't thetender have any steps off the rear? Was that in the prototype, becouse I can't load those shots too well.

[Takasaki Matt]

I'm looking forward to the article Kevin.  Even though this side of the pond pool puddle well wherever I am, engines got a varied amount of cleaning, I want to model a scruffy 'seen-better-days' industrial loco with dust and grime to give it some character.  I assume the article will focus on dirt not rust.

Anyway, more photos please, you can tease us a bit more...egh?

 

[kstrong]

Matt, it's hard to see depending on your color settings, but I linked to the MyLargeScale.com forum where a fuller account was published. Here's the direct link again, not imbedded into the text (I thought it was hard to see, too, and considered changing it.):

http://www.mylargescale.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=49585

If you go to page two, there are a few "in progress" shots that didn't make the cut for the article. Most of them have to do with the physical modifications to the loco that I made, which I didn't go in to too much detail in the article aside from mentioning I made them.

Later,

K

[Mr_Ash]

Very Nice work!

[Takasaki Matt]

I got there Kevin, thanks.  Great photos! 'Domo'

I particularly found the bit about scuffing up the plastic and repainting to give more realistic texture to be most useful.  Thanks.

 

[pimanjc]

Kevin,

This is a worthwile topic.  Will it be limited to steam or will the articles also include various eras of diesel locomotives?

JimCarter

[kstrong]

It will focus more on the individual steps and techniques, which are applicable to a variety of types of equipment. I just used a steam loco because it happened to be what was on my workbench at the time.

Later,

K

[kstrong]

Here are a few shots of #5 out on the line, making the Sunday milk run.

 
Sunday's supposed to be a day of rest, but folks still want fresh milk to go with their Sunday brunch. So, the farmers still have to set their milk cans out by the tracks, and the railroad still has to deliver them to other points along the line. But this is easily handled today by a single combine (EBT's #18). The train has come up from Burnt Cabins, and is heading west after stopping at Neelyton.


Westbound towards Shade Gap


Approaching the Shade Creek bridge just east of Shade Gap


The engineer gives a friendly wave as he passes by, eastbound to Neelyton.


Turning north out of Neelyton headed for Blair's Mills and back to the TVRR's home rails.

Later,

K

[calenelson]

Still waiting on my Feb GR to arrive...so until...Kevin would you have any photos of your American with you AC-Delton Hoppers in tow..and/or your B-Mann Wood Ore Cars. 

I have an American due on Tuesday (black/undec) and I'm looking to p/u some cars at the SELSTS for a short consist...Trying to get some ideas of what I may want!

Thanks!

 

Cale 

[kstrong]

What you "want" depends on what you're looking to achieve with the locomotive. If you're looking for a period train with a consist built around the same time as the locos, then the Aristo/Delton hoppers and the B'mann wood ore cars will work quite nicely. For that matter, you can also get away with using some of the older 1:22 flats, gons, and other cars. (Even box cars!)





These two photos illustrate how the tender and the hopper car are both around the same size. The hopper is 7' wide, while the tender is just a bit narrower. The size of the hopper in terms of length and width is very typical of equipment of that era.







These three photos show three different hoppers behind the loco. The first is the Aristo/Delton one shown above, the second is the B'mann wood ore car. The last is the new B'mann 2-bay hopper. This photo shows how the larger c. 1910s equipment dwarfs the much older c. 1870s equipment. Locomotives like this 4-4-0 definitely lasted into the teens and 20s, so it wouldn't be uncommon to see such small locos pulling relatively large rolling stock. But from an aesthetic standpoint (one frequently used as paramount in the garden setting), the larger, more modern rolling stock looks a bit out of place.

If I were to offer a recommendation, I'd look at the Aristo/Delton and B'mann ore cars, and even some of the Hartland flats to go behind this loco. As for a caboose, any of the commercial 1:20 cabooses would work, though I'd be tempted to stick with the smaller, more rustic-looking varieties.

However, on my c. 1913 railroad, you'll find #5 pulling rolling stock of all sizes. A railroad's job is to move freight as efficiently as possible. Aesthetics often takes a back seat to that.

Later,

K

[Great Western]

I look forward to my copy of Garden Railways and this particular article.

One further comment to add to those made by Ralph is that in the UK railways, prior to nationalisation in 1948, were owened by companies who tried to make a profit but also saw their railroads as a public service, especially to the smaller communities outside large cities or towns. 

 The Great Western, which is my favoured road, was very paternal to its employees and also very aware of its place in the community.

[calenelson]

Kevin,

Thanks for taking the time to photo and then post, I really appreciate your help, I believe that is just what I am looking for (the Delton and Small B-Mann cars!)

Thanks again, now to hopefully find some deals at the show!

 

Cale