Garden Railway Forum

Hi all,

A couple of years ago now I bought the Locolines Wickham trolley in a bid to provide some instant and child-friendly movement on the Clatterbach Valley Light Railway.

It was however something of a failure, and not just because of my ability (!) and the inevitable compromises in such a, ahem, affordable product.

No, what really let it down was the colour fade of the printed card. Yes, I had it stored in too much sunshine, but even so... I dug it out of a box in the loft yesterday and it just looks awful.

So, two questions to anyone:

1. What kind of paint will stick to that surface that might enable me to rehabilitate the Wickham trolley with a better chassis? At first sight it doesn't look like anything will...!

2. As despite myself I'm now rather taken with the Locolines Kerr Stuart diesel in red, and if I made a pact with myself to shade it when not running in the garden, can I expect the printed colour to stay or would I inevitably need to revert to 1. above?

Thanks for any tips.

A couple of years back I built a Locolines kit for a friend and gave it a weathered appearance with acrylics, so I see no reason why acrylic plastic primer shouldn't work, and an acrylic rattle can top coat should finish the job.

Many thanks for the response. Not sure how easy it'd be to do a repaint on a Wickham trolley that's already fully glued-up... Will think on't. No doubt an interesting challenge and of course I'm not too bothered if it fails completely!

Has the colour of your friend's model lasted without fading? (I think I've found some pictures of it on this forum.)

Hmm, not sure that I entirely agree on acrylic paints being colour fast. My own observations are that the quality of the paint and more importantly the shade of paint makes a huge difference to the longevity of it. Red and variations of the shade seem to fade the fastest but I've found also that the material that has been painted also has an effect on how fast it fades. Over the years I have used a variety of manufacturers and types of paint, some need repainting annually if one wishes to retain a pristine look. My railway is not in direct sunlight for more than a few hours each day and all the painted stuff is stored inside from October to April but I still suffer with some really bad discolouration in some areas. The only type of paint that I have not experienced any problems with is genuine masonry paint and that is not easily obtained in small quantities and the colour range is very limited.

I totally agree with different colours being effected by UV light and reds in particular are most vulnerable. However, I think the item in question, made from card, is one which is not likely to be left outdoors for long periods. As for light fastness, my village, constructed from HIP and painted exclusively with acrylics, has been outside this year during the long, hot summer and shows no sign of colour change, neither has the paint shown any sign of flaking. I am completely taken with the quality of acrylic paint and use nothing else.

I don't think any paint is stable and all are susceptible to fading, be it from UV, chemicals handling or other factors. Some paint types and colours are probably worse than others. I would imagine printed card can be repainted if it is well sealed first. A model already built and not capable of being dismantled to aid painting will probably need careful masking.

I would tend to agree, that acrylic paint has moved on in leaps and bounds from the stuff bought years ago.

Sorry if I was unclear - it is an item of rolling stock that is stored indoors between operating sessions that I mean. You may have read between the lines that it initially seemed a good idea to keep it in the conservatory... I wouldn't do that again!

But if I do get a new Locolines product, don't paint it and make sure I store it in a shaded place, can I expect the printed card to retain its colours?

And if I do paint either the one I've already got or the new one I might get...

IanC wrote: ↑Tue Oct 16, 2018 10:42 am I would imagine printed card can be repainted if it is well sealed first. A model already built and not capable of being dismantled to aid painting will probably need careful masking.

... what kind of sealing product would be needed?

Agree about the masking!

This is what I use, it’s excellent stuff, and dries quickly.

I have no experience of sealing card models. Rod's suggestion is good. The only other thing I'd possibly consider is shellac which is recommended for use on MDF models.

I use the sanding sealer on MDF also Ian, in fact it’s the only thing I use now on anything that needs sealing.

I'm in the process of building their Ivor for our eldest, post on upgrading the chassis to come, and it's fading already just from sitting on my modelling table!

If someone knows better I'm happy to be corrected but it's ultra violet light that fades pigments. Perhaps there's a UV resistant varnish or sealer that can be applied to slow down the fading?

pskipper wrote: ↑Sun Nov 25, 2018 7:19 pm I'm in the process of building their Ivor for our eldest, post on upgrading the chassis to come, and it's fading already just from sitting on my modelling table!

I have used this,

Plasti-kote 24002 Premium Spray Paint Matt Clear Acrylic

Most lacquers though have a resistance to UV, so look on the net and you should find something that will suit your needs.