A STEP TOO FAR? STEP BY STEP

George Dent was tasked with adding a grimy, weathered finish to Mr Leigh’s personalised ‘Manor’.

When Chris passed his re-christened Dapol ‘Manor’ my way, it came with a request for a heavily weathered finish, as per No. 7815’s lamentable condition, circa 1964. I got the impression that Chris couldn’t quite bring himself to recreate such a dismal appearance and, when it came to the crunch, neither could I.

Although I’m a Midland man by nature, I do have a keen appreciation for certain GWR locomotives, especially the 4‑6‑0s, so I opted to tone things down a little. However, a degree of texture was added to key areas such as the smokebox, cylinders, frames and bunker area, with the help of dry pigments mixed with acrylic paint.

Significant deposits of grime were created across the bodyshell, replete with streaking effects here and there, with an airbrush employed only towards the end of the process to blend everything together and create a ‘misted’ effect. I also took the opportunity to obscure the old smokebox number and shedcode, until Chris gets around to fitting new ’plates!

1 A mix of red/brown, dark grey and matt black acrylic paints were combined with earth brown dry pigments to create a textured coating, which was brushed over the tender chassis, bunker, tender top and footplate area.

2 The same mix of paints, with less of the dry pigment, was brushed liberally over one side of the tender. I prefer to use flat brushes for virtually all aspects of weathering, as they cover a much wider area than round brushes.

3 Before the paint dries, wipe away the bulk of the paint in downward strokes using cotton swabs. Remove as much of the paint as you like, leaving behind streaks of grime in key areas, such as around the bunker and behind the handrails.

4 After treating both sides and the outer end of the tender, attention turned to the locomotive. The paint and pigment mix was brushed carefully over the wheels, frames, footplate, cylinders and motion. Keep it away from power contacts.

5 The boiler, firebox, cab and splashers were treated to the paint-on-wipe-off technique, again with a mixture of paint and a tiny amount of dry pigment. Remember to use the swabs in vertical strokes as much as possible.

6 With a little care and practice, it’s possible to leave deposits of ‘dirt’ in and around the moulded relief, introducing subtle streaks, mimicking the actions of rain and gravity. The addition of the dry pigments adds an extra degree of matt sheen to the grime.

7 A handful of layers of the paint and dry pigment mixture were stippled onto the smokebox, veering towards a dark grey/black shade. Dark and light ‘rust’ shades were also stippled over the smokebox and footplate.

8 The bufferheads were stippled with the same textured paint mix, building up a few coats to remove the shiny perfection of the metal parts. The bufferbeam and cylinder covers were covered before wiping much of the paint away.

9 Working with hand brushes alone can produce a rough appearance, but an airbrush – loaded with a mix of red/brown, earth brown and matt black – can tone everything down. Thinning the paint allows a very fine mist to be emitted.

10 This fine mist can be built up over several layers to soften any ‘hard’ edges and create a more unified, dusty appearance. Altering the blend of these three paint shades allows for a wide palette of tones to be created, avoiding a one-dimensional appearance.

11 Lighter tones are ideal for general track dirt, while darker tones mimic smoke and soot staining around the smokebox, chimney, boiler top and cab roof. Darker tones are also good for adding shading into recessed areas.