We were at the Severn Valley over the weekend delivering some of Chris's paintings for the Summer RailArt exhibition and while we were looking at the trains I noted that a number of coaches were very well weathered and that photos of them would be quite useful for weathering of model coaches.
I found that Humbrol enamel washes (dust) used in the airbrush does a really good job toning down the paint colours, especially black. and also the build up of grey grime behind any fittind / handles. Paul
Just to add a bit of comparison, I also took these shots of a newly painted Stove R straight after the LMS coaches
Very interesting photos of the close up detailing ... thanks for posting and sharing the data Rob. One point I'd like to add regarding the weathering shewn here in these pictures is that the SVR coaches (as is many other heritage line stock) are painted with synthetic enamels and pale varnishes and these modern paint pigments weather in a different way to old lead in oil particle based paints as used in the olden days of the LMS. Modern enamel and thrixotropic based paint tends to "bleach out" once exposed to prolonged bouts of UV ray and sunlight, in older lead painted coaches surfaces just becomes "flat" (the gloss is abraded away resulting in the colour looking like an undercoat). Once this happens the worn paint is able to capture airborn dirt particulates which gather and collectively "stick" to ridged and creased areas of the coach body... this dulls the colour down which some coach painters would call a patina. We first started to see this UV colour bleaching effect on stock spray painted in Rail Blue in the late 1960's and I certainly recall some spare 304 EMU trailer cars in original Stock Green go the same way which had been stored at Longsight for donkey's years... they too had bleached to a very pale green tone. For many years BR had contracts with T&R Williamson of Ripon for Ripserol coach paint for application to loco's and rolling stock which was applied by spray gun in the various works paint booths. cheers Yorkie
A bit like this - Again no doubt about them being "modern" paints but they have certainly faded. Also taken on Friday at the Severn Valley
Very much so a bit like that Rob, principally its the dye pigment which is fading out as opposed to the glaze in old lead paint which becomes weather eroded... indeed even lead paints will ultimately bleach out if left unattended for many years... I've seen fragmented remnants of old Gulf Red colour applied to stations during the 1950's and that had bleached to an almost pink shade. So lead paint will in time also bleach but coaching stock would have gone into works for partial repaints every few years and then possibly just recieved a fresh coat of varnish which would have restored the original colour hue.
