Trim and Terrific

Having aquired a Black Diamond Models Flat-Top T-class last year, I set about giving the model a spruce-up recently. The paint was looking a little worn and as I wanted it to be a near-enough representation of T345 as it ran at Maldon in the 1990s it need yellow handrails.

Before:

And after:

The loco is now back on the operational roster and is quite often paired up with my Bendigo Rail Models T333.

No lines...No problem

This is one of those things that takes less time to fix than it does to complaint about. The Auscision Models N cars are very nice but for those who have the sets which feature the silver stripes there was one issue that caught the attention of many; the lack of stripes over the window 'plugs' in the BRN Snack Bar car. When the prototype cars were built the shells were pretty much all the same in regards to the windows. So when they fitted the Snack Bar in the BRN they simply fitted 'plugs' into the window spaces behind the serving area. In the Teacup and early V/line era these cars had silver stripes which passed through the window area and on the BRN they were panted through the 'plugs'. On the model this detail was unfortunately missed:

As you can see the fix to the problem is easy thanks to Bills Billboards who make a decal set to cover up the mistake. The decals are best applied in sections (in other words, cut the decal into 4 stripes and apply individually). The results speak for themselves:

Another small job I did some time ago was to paint the wheels on all the cars and the D van. You can't see it very well in the picture and in some way that is part of the point. Even when new the prototype didn't have chrome wheels. Again it is easier to fix with paint rather than complain about it.

A BCE, but no D

I have been waiting on a BCE carriage for some time, plenty of kits or RTR models have been sold on ebay over the years but have always been outside my price range. Thus when an opportunity came up to get one in return for building some SEM sheep wagons I jumped at it:

The model itself is a Northern Models kit which for it's time was quite good. However I want this model to be a close representation of 2BCE as it appeared in the VGR in the late 1980s. That meant the paint had to be stripped so a new coat of Crimson Lake paint could be applied:

As you can see, the paint was removed using Methylated Spirits and an old toothbrush. The underframe will simply receive a new coat of black after the under-gear is added.

The next update on this project should see the model painted and finished.