MODELLING AN ABANDONED WAGON

Layout detail can be found in the most unusual of places, though it’s more rewarding when added to overlooked items, as Howard Smith shares.

Layout detail can be found in the most unusual of places, though it’s more rewarding when added to overlooked items, as Howard Smith shares.

There comes a point in the history of any road or rail vehicle where its usefulness is exceeded. It’s possible that the task for which it was constructed no longer exists, or it has become life-expired and beyond economical repair.

Worn-out vehicles present modellers with the challenge of creating authentic-looking patina. The luckiest of vehicles will find their way into eventual restoration, but the majority will succumb to the cutters’ torch, the metal being recycled and finding its way into anything from a washing machine to buildings, ships, or, more vehicles!

Rusty cars, vans, even steam locomotives are favourite subjects of choice for modellers, and these handily find their way into specialist scrapyard creations, filling otherwise neglected corners on many model railways. There is another and overlooked ending for some vehicles, however – that of neglect through abandonment.

Parked and forgotten, the weeds and trees slowly enveloping them, these vehicles are destined to be reclaimed by nature, their ownership unknown – or beyond caring – about their future. Perhaps of little scrap value, or located where recuperation costs are prohibitive, their patina is often heavier than that of vehicles being scrapped.

I discovered a photograph on the excellent online resource, Flickr – a highlyrecommended website for modellers. A pair of wagons abandoned for 25 years between Ravensbourne and Beckenham Hill stations in South London instantly made me think about the ex-Airfix ‘Lowmac’ kit, now manufactured by Dapol. Though of a different design to those ‘parked’ at the side of the line – one even overturned – its affordable price prevents distressing a new RTR model.

Here’s how I built it, with tips for giving your models that neglected look.

Wooden areas

The wagon is largely wooden-bodied, so to add texture, the deck is scored many times with a scalpel blade, and sections are removed to represent rot. It makes sense to paint the wooden areas first, more so because these are recessed. A coat of base woodlike colour is applied – a mixture of (LPW18) Wooden Deck Darkener, with a touch of (UA914) Red Mud. I was too lazy to apply a primer first, so two coats are required.

Painting the model

Rather than a step-by-step photographic account of painting this model, I’ve separated the different effects into photographs. I’m particularly pleased at the way it has turned out. Each of the completed effects are common to much of our rolling stock, and I hope it inspires you to look at your models in a different light. Remember, all these techniques can be applied to RTR models, too!

Wooden highlights are applied using Lifecolor (UA774) Old Peeled Deck. Dry-brush this, removing the bulk of paint from the brush on a paper towel first, for best results.

Part of the process isn’t modelling what’s there, rather what’s not. Here, a section of the steel reinforcing plate has been damaged and is missing – a nod to a previous life of hard work. The subsequent rotten wood underneath that wouldn’t have dried out as readily is picked out with more of (LPW15) Soot.

Damaged areas of the decking, hollowed out with the scalpel, are accentuated with a wash of (LPW15) Soot. This finds its way into the scores, highlighting relief detail, created by the scalpel.

Vegetation

Grass can be cut to shape with small nail scissors to conform to any shape you require. When torn from larger sheets, such as this, grass fibres rarely all remain upright, so cut stray or awkward-looking ones with scissors.

When parked for long periods of time, vegetation and leaf matter rot to become soil, which provides a base for weeds and grass to begin to grow, their roots taking hold in the rotting wood. Earth weathering powder from Liberon Modelisme – a French manufacturer from the 1980s – is used. A useful substitute might be DCC Concepts Ultra Fine Clay, loosely mixed with darker paint to form a texture.

CONCLUSION

This project worked out better than anticipated. Though the kit is approaching 60 years old, as demonstrated, it still has its place, even on a present-era layout, if sympathetic improvements are carried out.

Small areas of grass are plucked from the sheet and placed arbitrarily around the wagon decking, between planks where grass roots can easily take a hold, or where accumulation of soil is more prevalent.

Posing on a sheet of scenic matting by Martin Welberg, available from The Model Tree Shop, to demonstrate how the wagon is disguised, areas are plucked from the matting which closely mimic climbing brambles, and these are glued with PVA adhesive.

Dapol’s (CO44) Lowmac is a veteran kit, issued by Kitmaster, later to join the Airfix range. Despite its age, the kit, which employs 1960s’ tooling, remains available from all Dapol stockists and builds into a respectable wagon, if detail is added. The buffers and imitation couplings provided aren’t bad, though if building this as a running vehicle, I’d recommend replacing these, perhaps with sprung variants. For this static model, cleaning is minimal, particularly as buffers will only be fitted to one end. The bulk of flash can be removed with a scalpel, and, if used carefully, requires no subsequent filing. The plastic used in the moulding machine is very soft, hence cuts easily, though is flexible. Where flash is difficult to remove, such as behind the coupling housings, a flat scraper blade is a useful addition to your usual range of scalpel blades. Used like a chisel, corner fillets can be removed. It’s also unlikely that all the securing eyelets would be in the same positions, so these are removed using the tool. There are few parts. The kit is ideal to represent an abandoned wagon that has been robbed of buffers and coupling parts – rather than cut these off if using an RTR wagon, they’re just not added. I’d recommend swapping the wheelsets for metal tyres if building this kit as a ‘runner’. Flipping the wagon over, a test fit of five crucial parts can be made. The solebars, axles and bed should slot together without problems. The axles have excessive side play in the ‘boxes, and, though fine for a static wagon, I’d recommend fitting top hat brass bearings if the wagon is to ‘run’. Bearing holes are moulded, though it’s important this abandoned wagon stays put, so I’m gluing the axles solid with superglue to prevent the wagon from rolling if placed on a layout. A ‘dry run’ of buffers and coupling is attempted at one end of the wagon – the other not having these fitted. A little trimming of plastic with the scalpel is required for a snug fit, but despite its age, parts fit better than some newer kits I’ve built. The links are cut from the couplings for appearance. As with almost all injection-moulded kits that come on a sprue, parts are trimmed with a scalpel or craft knife, armed with a fresh blade. A cutting mat is highly recommended to increase the life of the blade, and protect your workspace. For a kit that’s almost 60 years old, the flash – plastic that has escaped through small gaps in a tooling through wear – on smaller parts is minimal, though more present around some areas of the solebar. Parts won’t fit correctly unless it’s removed. Sanding sticks can be useful for plastics if you’re finding it difficult to glue parts. Often removing a small amount of the surface layer – and subsequent grease or contaminants – is sufficient to provide better penetration of the solvent into the plastic. A wash of solvent adhesive is applied to the rear of the buffer beam. I’m using the limonene-based Mr. Cement Deluxe by Japanese manufacturer Mr. Hobby, imported by Albion Hobbies and available via its stockists.

The wheels supplied have a rough finish and I suspect would soon accumulate track dirt if installed on a running wagon. These are fine for a static model, but I’d look at replacements if building this kit to work reliably as an operational wagon. Superglued into position, the new ratchets appear better on the wagon than a filled-in blank strip of plastic. Though the same could be done to the brake lever, once painted and hidden among vegetation, little will be seen of it. Finer detail is often a weak link with older RTR and model kits. Phosphor bronze strip from Albion Hobbies (PB1M) is 1mm wide, and, though ideal for pick-ups on locomotives, it can be bent to make finer – hence better – new brake ratchets. Using nothing more than a pair of snipe-nosed pliers, small strips of the phosphor bronze can be formed around a scalpel blade, which acts as a former and guide.

With all areas dry – I use a hair dryer to speed this process up – highlights of DCC Concepts Track Rust, Rich Rust and Humbrol Rust are added. Use the lastmentioned in moderation as it’s bright. Scale Model Scenery (CX003) Ultra Fine Chain is added, after being painted with (LPW01) Burnt Umber and highlighted with DCC Concepts Rich Rust weathering powder. The base colour for steel areas of the wagon is (LPW01) Burnt Umber, with a little DCC Concepts Track Rust weathering powder added. Lichen and mildew is added using a small brush, and applied as though using watercolour paints, leaving it to pool in some areas. A combination of (UA747) Dirty Green, (LPW16) Fouling Green and (UA749) Vegetable Origin Damp Green is used, though never mixed. The speckled areas of rust are what artist, Bob Ross would have called a ‘happy accident’ – a spray of Testor’s Dulcote applied in thin coats possibly reacted slightly with paint that hadn’t hardened.