Hey yall, long time no see. Figured I would share some recent projects of mine here. We got two brass locos (Westside J3a Destreamlined, NJCB L2c) and two BLI locos which I had recently painted.
The BLI Hudsons recieved new brass headlight castings (since the factory ones are undersized), and graphite painted smoke boxes. I also painted the leading wheels and driver axle ends black, and detailed the backhead (not shown).
The other two engines were painted from scratch. J3a was from Jim Walsh's collection, and was unpainted as recieved. I'm very happy with how the blue NYC logo underneath the numbers on the headlight bracket came out! L2c originally had a terrible paint job which I had removed (see pic). Also did a few minor detail upgrades to each model. Both will get Loksound installed shortly.
This is all to say that I feel like I've come a long way...I remember the dozen or so questions I asked on this forum a few years ago, asking about painting. Terrified of starting. While I still have a lot to learn, I feel much more confident about painting. Its not as hard as it seems!
If anyone is curious I used Tamiya grey primer, scalecoat ii paint (thinned with scalecoat i thinner), alclad ii magnesium for the graphite color, dullcote mixed with glosscote satin finish (thinned with LQ), and microscale decals.
Enjoy!
Original L2c paint, which I stripped:
Charles
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Modeling the PRR & NYC in HO
Youtube Channel: www.youtube.com/@trainman440
Instagram (where I share projects!): https://www.instagram.com/trainman440
Nice Work!
I am not educated on what all the gizmos are on the side of a steam loco. Your paint job below shows that there are leaks from something. What is leaking.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Every appliance or component that has steam in it leaks. Some hardly at all...at first...then more, and more. Stuffing boxes for throttles, leaking fittings that provide steam to appliances, such as the turbo-generator just forward of the cab on the boiler. Safeties leak a wee bit, although they shouldn't really have precipitants showing down the side of the boiler since they release only steam and not water...treated water. I'm not sufficiently educated on steam power to know if the NYC treated their water...probably...some. But if there were dissolved chemicals in the feedwater meant to keep the boiler clear and the pistons and valves in good order, then dried water dripping and drying over the side of the hot boiler would show white.
That is what the model originally had for a paint job. Its what I stripped and repainted. I have no idea why the original owner weathered it like that. The odd rust colored splotches on the sides of the boiler, the very white paint indicating a leaky check valve and dynamo...its all very strange to me. And that's why I felt inclined to repaint it.
I look at weathering the same as I would seasoning on food. Too much can spoil a good thing.
While there are examples of locomotives looking like they've been dredged from the bottom of the La Brea tar pits they are certainly the exception.
PRR_SantaFe by Edmund, on Flickr
NYC_5445_Elkhart by Edmund, on Flickr
I do like to lightly 'dust' the running gear as it helps to make the detail not get lost in the blackness. Traction sand did get blown around and road dust was prevalent on trucks and running gear.
Thomas Underwood Coll B&O060 by John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library, on Flickr
ERIE, 1948, Port Jervis, New York by Center for Railroad Photography & Art, on Flickr
J1_Resting by Edmund, on Flickr
Your paint enhancements look great, Charles.
Regards, Ed
excellent work Charles