Garden Railway Forum

Reko #1 went into grey undercoat about a week ago, and got its first coat of "coach lake" on Thursday. I have noticed that the spray paint companies over here tend to name their maroon and crimson paints after varieties of red plonk. Being a beer drinker, this means basically nothing to me, but then LMS, NER, GS&WR for the various shades of Lake would mean nothing to the average non-railway enthusiast plonk drinker. Anyway, I decided that Burgundy looks a bit too LMS, so I went for Merlot which looked a bit darker in the ghastly light of the hardware barn. This instinct seems to have been proved correct, as Reko#1 is a shade and a half darker than the Thriller from the Ziller(talbahn) I made for the last layout. The first coat of Merlot got sanded down on Christmas Eve, and I gave it another blast today. Hopefully, it will dry all right, but the weather is on the cold side for painting, but it is due to get colder over the next few days.

Cheers,
+Peter in Va

I look forwards to seeing the results. I have given up on any painting at the moment as it is far too damp and cold (plus thanks to the strange drainage characteristics of the garden I need gumboots and a raft to get to the shed.)

When I first read your post I thought you needed gunboats and a raft to get to the shed. I know there are some rough spots in Wales, as elsewhere, but gunboats to get to the shed!

Then I put my glasses back on...

Aa'm lucky in that we have a screened in porch where the outdoor coats, welly boots, dog leashes, and recycling bins live, which is a few degrees warmer than the great outdoors. It is also close enough to an electrical outlet that I can bung a small electric heater in there, but there is a high probability if I do so I will trip-up the Missus. Lighting seems to consist largely of either daylight, or the fall out from the security light on the apartment building a block away, which is placed in such a way that tha feels tha's having a nasty encounter with Herr Flick and Schmallhausen the minute tha steps out the back door. However, I think the next few days will defeat even the porch as a place for painting, even though the humidity is quite low at the moment.

Anyway, Aa'll get a bit more of the interior done, and then see if Aa can pinch Herself's camera, and record the results.

Cheers,
Peter in Va

Having lived on one of the more interesting estates in Cardiff, gunboats would have been required.

Years ago I used to work for the Post Office in the days when the uniform was collar and tie, dark blue tunic, and peaked cap. There were certain streets where my arrival with anything to be signed for at an early hour at the front door would lead to someone thundering down the stairs, seeing the peak capped figure through the frosted glass panel in the door, and exiting rapidly out the back door. The usual postie on that delivery was a woman who tended not to wear a hat...

The Newqidas are in cold storage for a few days with regards to spray painting. We have got several days of below freezing highs coming. I think I am going to have to smack the person who suggested that I would not like the heat in the South. We had a few miserable days in the summer, but this "fair Baltic" weather is a bit too much like being at home on the English east coast. Instead I am going to soldier on with the interior, paint the seats red or blue, make the loo cubicle, and wait for 50F plus temperature to return!

On a side note, it feels a bit funny not having to drag down to church every morning for the Holydays after Christmas. The new parish is a lot lower than the old one!

Cheers,
Peter in Va

Finally! A day warm enough for spray paint. The wife went shopping, so it was spray booth out of the basement and onto the screened in porch and give the first of the Newqidas another coat of coach lake, and the internal panels a blast with something that says summat weird on the label, but looks cream to me. It always seems to me that either yuppies or women or yuppie women pick the names for shades of paint, as the average denizen of a basement workshop has no idea what "ecru blush" might be - some sort of pink would be my guess, but...

Anyway, today has been about 16C and damp, which is quite a contrast to the -16C of a week ago. The damp is not a problem as I am not looking for a high gloss finish, these coaches are actually used.

Walking the dog was actually a pleasure last night instead of a race against frostbite.

Cheers,
Peter in Va

IrishPeter wrote: ↑Fri Jan 12, 2018 8:17 pm
Walking the dog was actually a pleasure last night instead of a race against frostbite.

Cheers,
Peter in Va

Frost on the ground is a positive advantage here when we take our three Springers out into our fields. If it is warmer and wetter they always chase, slide or dig for moles which results in them having to go into the pond, stream or shower before being allowed back into the house. It is great to see them enjoying themselves but involves a lot of rubbing dry and towel washing.

We have a brace of terriers, but one is too old to really be taken for walks. On good days he'll shuffle his arthritis up to the end of the garden and back. The other one is still a puppy - a very well behaved puppy, but a puppy nonetheless. Walking him on cold days is a bit easier as their are fewer squirrels for him to go after. It is amazing how much momentum he can build up before the slack runs out on a six foot lead! A practical demonstration of the physics behind broken three-link couplings.

I am now beginning to wish I had painted the first Newqida LNER Green/Cream, which on reflection seems a better livery for a slab sided steel coach, and leave the wooden coach(es) either varnished or red. I am quite good at getting the variegated panels look of well-worn LNER varnished stock, but it has more to do with my clumsiness with the stain than anything else! Anyway, it might be off to the Rocking R to see if they have a rattle can that approximates to LNER Green a la Darlington before too long.

Cheers,
Peter in Va

I found a can of spring green which looked somewhat Darlington-ish in the Rocking-R and brought it home along with a packet of shelf clips for the wife's pie safe. The outside temperature then took a long trip south, so it was yesterday before it was in the high-50s and I could do anything with the NQD stock, which turned out to be paint the innards and upper panels cream. I couldn't do much more than that thanks to a back spasm which made standing uncomfortable, but at least progress was made. It got another spray this evening.

This particular vehicle is the experimental conversion, in that there will be a lot of putzing around with this one. The next two should be easy. but the conversion of the fourth into a brake-third (disabled access) is going to be a lot more complicated.

Peter in Va

Warm enough for painting again today at 63F/16C. Gave the first NQD a blast with a rattle can of spring green that I had got from the Rocking R. Too bright, and not yellow enough for the Darlington version of LNER green . Back across the road for a can of meadow green which actually looks to be quite a bit closer to the Doncaster version of the colour, though it is probably a bit more on the blue side of green than it should be. Close enough for government work, however. Gave it a quick blast, and it looks decent enough. Time now to leave it on the screened porch until it dries. I just hope the down town car parts place has 1/8th black trim-line tape when I head that way.

Peter in Va.

Can’t wait to see your work Peter.

Now let's see if I can remember how to do this...

Ah - file too big...

Hang on a tick!

Erm.... <looks puzzled at computer photo editing programme>

"Sweetie!!! Can you fix the file size?"

Cheers,
Peter in Va

OK - let's see if this works.
There is a fair mount of touching up to be done with the cream paint, and I think the floor will end up grey at some point, but the whole thing represents a big advance on the original model with everything in dark coloured plastics. The toilet compartment has yet to be fabricated - maybe tomorrow's job if life does not interfere too much!

Peter in Va

They look good Peter, I do like the colour.

Glad you are posting pictures Peter.

You write such interesting posts but with pictures they are perfect.

That does look nice and love that colour combination .

I rather like the old LNER tourist stock livery and thought it would suit these slab sided steel coaches well. I am somewhat bracing myself for ordering the waterslide transfers for lettering these puppies out, as Ga.3 transfers are big and therefore expensive, but at least they only need LNER and a running number. Unfortunately, the running number is liable to be pretty lengthy.

Peter in Va

Very nice Peter, great colours.

Here is my part finished Newqida. Inspiration taken from Dougrails conversion, with a colour scheme to match my Maroon Lady Anne and based on the BR blood and custard. It has had the roof anglicised. The picture was taken in very bright sunlight so the colours are not exact, and a little bit of finishing is required, This is mainly transfers and reinstating some minor details. (When I find where I put them 2 years ago!).

A second coach is in the workshop, at painting stage, but progress has been slow!

https://gardenrails.org/forum/download/ ... ew&id=3101

Nice paint job, they do lend themselves to re-working.
Grant.
PS I like the reflections in the puddle of water, great shot.