Working on the railroad, again...

Attracted by the low price and fun challenge I recently purchased two of the Roco "Bromberg" type 4-axle boxcars of the DR. Not too many parts and no sanding, grinding, gluing required. Parts went together quickly and easily.



After putting together the kits, I knew they needed to be weathered, so started out with a wash of black india ink in alcohol. This was followed by applications of the Bragdon Enterprises powdered "chalks," the rust color of which was disolved in alcohol as well, making it penetrate into the springs and other bogie details. It was then finished off with dry applications of the "chalks."

Having finished the two Brombergs, I went at the pair of Brawa Gags boxcars (at back) a more modern type of 4-axle boxcars and the pair of tank cars. All in all a fun afternoon that has left me looking to do more. First, I place them on the layout and ran around for a while behind my BR 120 Taigatrommel of the DR.

A weathering challenge...

"The -best- weathering is subtle. But then again it's not only how you weather (materials/tools/techniques) but what you are weathering. Here are a few examples: A BR44 at the end of epoch 3, DB, a work horse, is a lok I weathered heavy, not last legs, but not run thru the 'lok-wash' :-) BR10, very little, it was still a flagship at that time for the DB and well taken care of. The running gear of a dampflok was dirty, so that is were most of the weathering applied. One can also consider the era, where as 1-2 epoch loks were will taken care of, still, coal, grease, water, oil, and the weather had some effect. Even an e-lok is going to have dirty boogies and carbon on the roofs. If modeling epoch 4 dampfloks,... well you can go to town!" Sent to the Märklin Bar and Grill by Dr. Dirt, aka Kevin Brady, May 27, 2008.

Inspired by Dr. Dirt, went to work on my BR 44, epoch 3 markings, but at the end of that or early epoch 4, not yet with the DB signet, missing smoke deflectors and perhaps close to retirement... In looking at the picture I see some spots I want to touch up, mainly the wheels. For some images of steamers during that period go here.


Also my BR 10 001, at then end of epoch 3 or very early 4, perhaps sensing that it would soon be replaced by an 110 electric or 220 diesel in 1968... Images of the BR10 002 in 1967 , and in 1968 and 1972, the year of it's demise... This was years before the engine they were supposed to replace, the BR 01.



There were only two of these "black swans" built. 10 001 survived and can now be viewed at the Deutsches Dampflok Museum, DDM in Neuenmarkt-Wirsberg, Germany.

More weathering

Kept going by weathering the Roco BR114 DR (Ost) and immediately ran into trouble that I may yet be able to get out of unscathed... While the Dullcote I had diluted caused no problems with the Brawa engine, it did cause the paint on the Roco to run, including in the area of the markings on the side of the cab... Once dry, a hair dryer helped stabilize things fast, I continued weathering, the alcohol wash being ok. Overall, the engine looks good, and while I had not intended to use the brass etched plates, they will get applied now in place of the smudged markings... Pictures of that when I have them on. In the meantime I learned a high-stakes lesson about testing in an inconspicuous spot (like the inside) first...

Not one to be deterred, I immediately grabbed another engine off the layout, this one a Märklin BR38 DB and proceeded to weather. First the Dullcote, then only very selective alcohol washes with a fine brush, then the powdered pigments. The wheels and undercarriage got a diluted wash of india ink. Goal here was not to overdo it.

Before

After

Finished it off by adding real coal to the tender.

Clean up and filth...

After having the HVAC ductwork cleaned in the house (and not having done any maintenance in 6 months or so) the layout was a complete mess with dust and dirt everywhere. It was so bad the trains wouldn't run, and that's with the supposedly utterly reliable "3-rail" AC Märklin... As usually happens, the true extent of the mess was discovered when company wanted to see trains run... So, got to spend a whole weekend blowing and vacuuming dirt up and cleaning track. Then cleaning all the stock on the layout as well... Next time the ducts get cleaned, the layout gets covered, despite the contractors assurances. This was not the kind of weathering I had in mind!

To preserve my librarian's pallor I left the sunshine of this Memorial Day weekend and headed into the basement to get back into developing my weathering skills and trying something new. To raise the stakes I selected my nice and shiny Brawa BR 132 of the DR (Ost), a beast of a Russian built diesel-electric. The plan was to create a faded dirty appearance like that below taken in the early 1990s after DB and DR had merged into the DBAG. The DR had plenty of engines in that state though too. Notice how clean the windows are, even on the sides.


Here's a view of the canvas... I do not want as intense a fading as in the prototype image above, but do want to show that this is an engine in heavy use with less than exemplary maintenance.



First I removed the shell and all windows. Then I brushed on dilute Dullcote (1:3) and when that was dry gave it a wash of 90% isopropyl alcohol to create the faded effect. When the shell was dry I began working on the sides first with some soot weathering powder, then in some areas a little darker gray. The roof received the same treatment. The bogies received a wash of the dilute Dullcote and when dry a wash of black india ink with a touch of burnt umber ink in alcohol. Finally some dark rust was lightly applied. Finally, everything was put back together. My windows are clean too, just like the prototype.


Next up, a way too shiny Roco BR 114 of the DR (Ost).