It’s a Numbers Game

It’s amazing how some decals and weathering can go so far towards making a model look “right.” In my last post I mentioned that I’d acquired a GP9 that didn’t quite pass muster, then talked a bit about my philosophy on whether I can overlook that or not (the answer: “It depends”).

In this case, I couldn’t overlook it, so this post will talk about what I did about it.

For those who may not recall (or are too lazy to look back at that post) here’s an image of how the locomotive looked out of the box. To reiterate, my perceived imperfections were:

• Vermilion (“orange” to the non-Chessie inclined) stripe a little too dark
• Zeroes not even close to the right style for Chessie
• Sixes close, but not quite
• Stroke thickness of sixes and zeroes do not match.

All of this was fixable.

The first step was to remove the numbers (but not the “C&O” letters, which were pretty good in my estimation). To do this I used a method that Jason Quinn, another fine Chessie modeler, recommended. He has a Facebook Group, “Chessie System through the modelers eyes” that is worth checking out. In that group he’d posted some videos of how he uses a Solvaset-soaked paper towel and Scotch tape to remove numbering. (There are links to them at the end of the post, but you have to be a member of the group to view them.) The first few times I tried it, I didn’t have success. Then I realized that I needed to make sure the surface was no longer wet before applying the Scotch tape. Maybe this was obvious to some, It wasn’t to me for whatever reason.

Once I realized the error of my ways, the lettering came off so easily I was amazed. I mean it literally fell off whole, leaving me with a blank palette to renumber on.

I used a set of Chessie locomotive numbers designed by Jason Quinn and produced by Precision Design Co. I was pleased with the quality of the decals and how they went on. I can tell you, as someone who tried to put together a correct set of number decals myself, it’s a lot of work. So, thank you guys! These numbers are perfect, since Jason is as… uh… let’s go with “picky”… about correct type as I am.

The results speak for themselves. A noticeable improvement.

The next step was weathering. I decided I was going to only use Pan Pastels on this one, using a technique that Mike Confalone uses in his weathering series of videos available from TrainMasters TV. But because I had handled the model so much without wearing gloves, I wanted to make sure my finger oils were gone. So I brushed on a coat of 91% isopropyl alcohol on the model. And when I did, something interesting happened.

The paint faded.

(Pardon the lime green lazy Susan I use for painting. The result of doing a model of the Bob’s Burger’s building for a layout.)

I quickly realized what happened.

A few years ago (actually 17… man, I’m getting old) Mike Rose had an article in RMC (also available here) about this phenomenon. (“Faaaaaading Freight Cars”, January 2001 RMC) where he basically discovered that if you sprayed alcohol on something that had already been sprayed with Dullcote, you’d get this fading effect. A respray of Dullcote makes it go away.

I loved what had happened, except for the cab roof, and would also have loved to have kept the effect on the rest of the body. Unfortunately, I still  needed to put a coat of Dullcote on the whole model to give it some tooth for the Pan Pastels to stick to, which I knew would obliterate the effect. When I reapplied alcohol later, I liked the cab better, but nothing else turned out as well as the first time. The alcohol effect did give me a chance to tone down that vermilion stripe way more than the Pan Pastels would have done alone, though, so it was a trade-off.

The photo at the top of this post shows my favorite post-weathering shot, but here are a couple more:

Some of you may have seen these photos on Facebook before. I’m pretty happy with the way they came out, and the gentleman I purchased the engine from was blown away. Truth be told, the techniques are actually pretty simple, but boy, do they make a difference.

Some nice things about Pan Pastels:

• They stick well and hold up to handling even without sealing. But they do need a flat finish to really get them to stick.
• If you don’t seal them, they are not permanent. They will take handling, but will also come off with wet wipes or similar.
• If you do seal them with Dullcote or other fixative, they don’t fade like some other powders.

All that said (and it was a lot), there are three morals to this story:

1. Don’t be afraid to weather. It makes a huge difference, and you don’t necessarily need an airbrush.
2. Mistakes aren’t always bad. I was pretty happy with the “accidental” paint fade.
3. Even if they are bad, you can often recover from them. (But still, you might want to start on an old Bachmann or Tyco boxcar before trying things out on your $200 locomotive.)

So what are you waiting for?