In the book "The Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway" there is one reasonable picture of the passenger coach used on the line in the 1920s. This enabled us to identify it as a LSWR 48' Brake Lavatory Tri-Composite built in 1891/92 to diagram 131.For the 1920s it would have been finished in a green livery but since we have an LSWR liveried locomotive for the earlier period of the line we need a version finished in LSWR salmon pink and brown chocolate. Can't say for sure this coach was used on the line in the early 1900s but at least its LSWR and was used on minor railway lines.
Our first task was to find a plan so that a scratch built model can be made since no 'n' gauge r.t.r. or kit is available from the trade. A quick web search revealed that the December 1973 issue of Model Railway Constructor had a plan and there was a copy for sale on Ebay! This was duly purchased. There are also some good photos of a similar coach on the Bluebell Railway website including a few interior views.
Anyone who has visited my blog at amodelrailway.blogspot.com will know that I am an experienced 4mm scale modeller so to try my first scratch built 2mm scale model is quite a challenge with a whole different set of modelling standards and methods to learn.
The 4mm plan of the bodywork in the magazine was rescaled to 2mm using photo editing software and an overlay created and coloured. There is a myriad of recessed panelling that is represented with outline on the artwork rather than relief on the model. In 4mm relief is easily modelled but in 2mm it is impractical to do so (for my skill level and methodology anyway).
My approach to the build is to print the artworks using an ink jet printer onto photo glossy paper and these will form the bodywork. The artwork is created at 1200 d.p.i. but I feel a smaller resolution say, 300 may work just as well. The photo shows some of the parts. The beauty of this approach is that a second set of artworks could be quickly produced in green livery for the later period.
The next part in this series will cover fabrication of the body sides - There is more to it than just the printed artworks!
Author: DS
To Part 2
Hi the coach (and your other rolling stock) look really good. Please could you provide further details on the process you adopt of reducing the scale using photo imaging software, and I presume that you also use this colour the sides? Many thanks
ReplyDeleteHope I have interpreted your question correctly. Here goes, you need a program like Photoshop. Open a new file within the program and adjust the width to 6100 pixels, height 4000 pixels and resolution to 1200 pixels/inch (472.441 pixels/cm). Anything we place on the canvas can then be scaled based on the resolution. For example, a prototype dimension of 10' equates to 20mm in n scale or 945 pixels (20 x 47.2441).
DeleteThe rolling stock was created from scanned 4mm scale line drawings found in magazines. A suitable prototype photo may also be used.
We can scale this on the canvas as above and all the details, windows etc. will be correctly positioned. We overlay this with an opaque layer and trace the outline of the details from the source image.
Colouring is taken from swatches published on the web and/or actual photos but the hues and saturaton levels of a photo may not be accurate.