TVT Jackson Sharp Cars Part 2.

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TVT Jackson Sharp Cars Part 2.

Post by GTB » Tue Jan 03, 2017 4:49 am

Model Story

With the hot weather having arrived with a vengeance, I'm back to building rolling stock inside the house. This project was more or less a follow-on from the previous one posted here, so I haven't gone into detail, or shown progress photos.

https://gardenrails.org/viewtopic.php?f ... VT#p114957

Having built a branchline loco for the TVT it needed it's own passenger car, with a few 1st class seats, somewhat more 2nd class and a van compartment. The VR had a few of these for use on lightly trafficked outer suburban lines and this model is based on the cars used for the 1920s 'Deepdene Dasher' which chugged back and forth on a line that was then semi-rural, but is now closed and turned into a suburban linear park.

Construction of the model was similar to last years Bachmann kitbash, so the details can be found in the above link. The major difference was splicing in the van section between the first and second class compartments. The code after the car number on the letter board shows the function of the car, A for first class, B for second class and C for a guard's van.

The stations on Victorian narrow gauge lines weren't manned, most were just an open shelter shed, with some being no more than a station name-board at a level crossing. Tickets were purchased off the guard and this car has the typical booking office sign on the van window.

The first photo shows the completed, but unpainted model, looking like one of my sister's patchwork quilts. There are parts from three models visible, plus the scratchbuilt van section made from polystyrene sheet.

Image

You can't see much inside the van section once the windows are fitted, so this hasn't been detailed, although my usual seats made from wood sections have been fitted to the passenger compartments. This pic shows the internal layout.

Image

A new airbrush has sorted out some of the painting issues I've been having, but I still can't find a decent satin varnish. This pic. shows the finished model ready for it's first trip down the branch, bringing up the rear of the weekly mixed. The booking office sign is a translucent white waterslide decal applied to the inside of the window, to simulate the original, which would have been etched into the glass. To paraphrase LBSC "a coat of paint conceals a multitude of plastics".......

Image

The model used for this kit bash was bought recently off Fleabay and was an early Bachmann model, with plastic wheels and a smooth roof. I don't recommend these, as the mouldings are slightly different to more recent models and the moulding quality wasn't that good. Splicing the bits together took a lot more work to hide the joint than the models I made last year. The plastic wheels weren't a problem as I make my own wheels in any case.

TVT Story

When the TVT went shopping for surplus rolling stock in Tasmania, it found three american style end platform cars, of which one had been rather crudely converted to a van with a sliding door from a goods van.

The van conversion was originally intended to be used as a source of spares for the other cars. When the branch line service was reinstated, there were no spare passenger vans, so the TVT car builder thought he could do better than the existing body and rebuilt the spare car with a larger van compartment with sliding doors and a ticket window, similar to VR narrow gauge vans.

Regards,
Graeme
Last edited by GTB on Fri Apr 26, 2019 9:50 am, edited 3 times in total.

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Post by ge_rik » Tue Jan 03, 2017 7:16 am

Brilliant as ever, Graeme.

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Post by LNR » Tue Jan 03, 2017 7:44 am

Nice one Graeme.

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Post by Peter Butler » Tue Jan 03, 2017 12:13 pm

I do love the quality and finish of your models Graeme, the mix of materials and detailing is just perfect.
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Post by Soar Valley Light » Tue Jan 03, 2017 6:58 pm

Very nice indeed - I love it!
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Post by bazzer42 » Wed Jan 04, 2017 8:22 am

Have to agree with other comments a clever use of styrene and a lovely paint job. I might need to dig my old air brush out and see if we can be friends again.....always struggked in thd past and found cleaning a fag.

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Post by workwright » Sat Jan 07, 2017 12:12 pm

Hi, a very nice model a high level of detail and an excellent finish. I cannot see anything wanting in your satin finish but I note your comment in your post. I have had over last year a couple of disasters with varnish. The worst was a fully lined model going white when sprayed with my usual finish. I had a search to find a new finish that so far has not let me down (6 cans sprayed in warm weather , damp weather and over the last couple of days cold weather) . It is Tamiya TS - 79 semi gloss clear. Apart from being in a tiny spray can contents only 100ml there is enough to give a 16mm model a couple of coats. The jet of the can is excellent really atomising the coat. You have probably tried it, but in case you hav'nt.... No good on the hot parts of locos though! (do not ask!)
Writing of hot models congratulations also on your lovely tank engine, Borun-The Pelican. That is another crisp detailed model. Regards, workwright.
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Post by GTB » Sun Jan 08, 2017 3:16 pm

workwright:122100 wrote:I have had over last year a couple of disasters with varnish.
Welcome to the club......

For more years than I can remember I have used Humbrol oil varnishes as the final clear coat on models. Never had any issues with it, no blooming, a nice even finish and it dried hard. Then a few years ago that old ladys debating club in Brussels decided to screw things up for everybody.

Consequently Humbrol is now crap. Some of the enamel colours have changed shade, plus the clear finishes now contain acrylic and won't harden properly when applied over the alkyd enamels I use. The clears also soften if used on hot surfaces like steam locos. The last tin of Humbrol matt I bought looked like the sludge in the u-bend under the kitchen sink when opened and it frosted badly on a test piece. It went straight in the bin.

I thought the Revell clears might be OK as they claim they are an enamel base and their enamel colours are heat resistant. The clear surface finish is good, but they soften on a hot surface, so may also have been changed to an acrylic. It certainly sprays differently to an enamel.

The Tamiya TS-79 clear you mention is an acrylic lacquer, so it will soften on a hot loco, which I guess is what you found out the hard way.....

I use an airbrush for all my model painting, so anything in an aerosol can is out, my workshop is an aerosol free zone.

There are clear engine 'enamels' available. I doubt they are really enamels, but are worth a try.

I've also been getting rough surface finishes on locos, which I finally traced to one of the etch primers I was using. That had also been reformulated, courtesy of the EC.......... sigh.

Regards,
Graeme

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Post by dougrail » Sun Jan 08, 2017 3:19 pm

That is a really nice conversion Graeme, I love the composite coach :)

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Post by workwright » Sun Jan 08, 2017 8:53 pm

Hi, yes paint is a problem. I have yet to find a system that sprays reliably and remains dry to touch on a model loco no matter how hot the boiler skin and cylinders get. It is a difficult problem to solve. I have set up to spray isocyanate 2 pack, the primer worked like a dream. But the colours were unusable because I got oil or water in the air line which they noticed but none of the other paints I spray did. The air line filters and gun filters had nothing in them either so I am not getting a solution to my problem easily. Unlike you I build locos in batches for sale (Wrightscale) Finding a paint solution is therefore rather pressing. There is no problem with stock that is just spray cans and or Tamiya.
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Post by LNR » Sun Jan 08, 2017 9:28 pm

Like you Graeme, Ive given up on Humbrol, not had any issues with Revell so far. I always use automotive etch or enamel primer, with auto acrylic on top often, and have never had issues with that combination.
Ive also used a fair amount of Wattyl satin, and flat varnish, and whilst not having any problems on the model, find they skin up and harden very readily in the can. Often lucky to use half the tin.
Coming from the marine game all my grounding was in oil based enamels, we even used to get our own Long Tongue Oil varnish made, but paints are no longer what they use to be.
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Post by GTB » Mon Jan 09, 2017 11:27 am

workwright:122138 wrote: But the colours were unusable because I got oil or water in the air line which they noticed but none of the other paints I spray did. The air line filters and gun filters had nothing in them either so I am not getting a solution to my problem easily.
I assume you mean 2 pack polyurethane, which uses di-isocyanates in the catalyst. They are very sensitive to moisture, but airline filters/water traps only remove the water droplets, not the water vapour. It's possible the air in the line was just above the dew point, so as it expanded out of the gun and as the solvents evaporated, the air cooled enough for water droplets to form in the spray cone.

A friend in Brisbane had to air-condition his workshop, to lower the humidity enough to be able to work with polyurethane resins.

Stoving enamels are still available and would stand up to model loco temperatures, but the required oven might be an issue.

Regards,
Graeme

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Post by GTB » Mon Jan 09, 2017 2:14 pm

LNR:122143 wrote:   Ive also used a fair amount of Wattyl satin, and flat varnish, and whilst not having any problems on the model, find they skin up and harden very readily in the can. Often lucky to use half the tin.
I used to use Estapol on my HO models and my ship models have that as the clear coat. I used it on the red steam locos and it does soften a bit when hot. Like you, I always found it went off in the tin and I don't think I ever managed to use all of a tin after they stopped selling the small 125ml ones.

When the local Mitre 10 decided to no longer stock anything smaller than 500ml tins of Estapol, I stopped using it. I think the Estapol formulation had changed, and not for the better, before I bought my last tin.
LNR:122143 wrote:  but paints are no longer what they use to be.
Don't get me started. The rot set in with paint formulations just before I retired.

Graeme

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