At the risk of getting boring by posting so many of my weathering efforts, and in anticipation of weathering the A3 I had a trial run on Nellie.

And because I can I have posted lots of photos….. Enjoy!

Because Nellie is a fictitious loco I cannot find any prototype photos to use so I looked at various generic examples in Martyn Welch’s The Art Of Weathering book and tried replicate some of the effects – foot prints in the dust on the footplate being one such example.

I have also attempted to give the impression of where the tank sides might have been rubbed over with an oily rag. In the flesh this has come out quite well, but it’s very difficult to capture on a photograph (or it is for me at any rate…..)

Well here she is in all her LNER green glory….

My first finished attempt (the A3 is still work in progress) at lined green LNER livery. Done using the combination of Transfers, Bow Pen,  Bow Compass, and Peter Spoorer lining pen (Like a Bob Moore but cheaper). Lot’s of experimentation with paint thickness’s and a fantastic learning curve. Who would have thought that you could get away with leaving the lid of a can of paint for 2 days let alone that it would make it better to use…..

Some time ago when I made the oil can for my J63 from a few scraps of brass someone asked about a tea billy – well I didn’t make one but I discovered by chance a set of castings   that included one From Here – a bit fiddly to paint and the photo is a very cruel close up.

The castings from Peter Roles are only a fiver and when I sent a cheque off for some they were sent by return of post without waiting for the cheque to clear.

I have added a little more detail to the back head in the form of some gauge glasses made from strips of 1mm perspex and a couple of dials that I will attach to the cab front once stick it in to the cab. Plus a planked cab floor from coffee stirrers

Nellie’s backhead

My compressor made a bid for freedom and smashed itself to bits on the floor, so the painting of Nellie has stopped while the replacement arrives.

Nellie is as complete as I want her to be.

The last details added are Laurie Griffin LNER lamp irons and some nice cast brass vacuum pipes (not sure whose but they are nice).

I have added the rest of the detail to the back head and I also knocked up a brake standard from tube, washers, brass rod and a handrail knob. This is now drying, having been primed along with the crew. The chassis is also drying having been primed too.

I just need to see if my Maskol is still usable for the brass pipework on the back head and that will be primed too. The holes in the floor plate are for the crew and the brake standard once I have put down the wooden floor they will sit on top.