The weathered loco at work

I finally succumbed and bought an Ixion Hudswell Clarke, despite having a surplus of industrials to work the quarry on my Melcombe Magna layout, figuring that when they are sold out I would be regretting not having one.

I was concerned that the loco would be unable to cope with the typically industrial track on the quarry branch. All my kit built locos have compensation and the Ixion model is fairly rigid in comparison, there being a modicum of movement on the rear axle only.

I am pleased to report that the loco has no pick up problems despite my concerns. However, it is prohibited from one flange grinding curve which is way below the 3ft radius the makers recommend as the minimum radius for the loco, and it was a little bumpy through some of the hand-built pointwork. I have also found that it seems to hiccup along at slow speeds, as if it is getting a pulse to the motor now and then. None of my controllers, which range from the feedback type to pure DC, seem to cure the problem. The model is destined to be fitted for DCC, so maybe this will improve matters. I would be interested if any members can throw light on this problem.

As it comes, the model is obviously in pristine condition, and cute as it is, needs a little attention if it is to appear as a working engine. There is a ‘skirt’ below the boiler, filling what should be a gap twixt boiler and running plate (shades of the Tri-ang OO locos of the 1950s) and this is painted in the colour of the loco, which, on a red or green model sticks out like the proverbial sore thumb. Cutting the skirt away is not really an option, as it will expose part of the cast metal weight and drive mechanism, but if painted matt black I think it is a little less obvious.

The easiest way to do this is to dismantle some of the superstructure, and the instructions supplied advise how this is done, as the parts will also need removing for periodic lubrication or for fitting a DCC decoder. It is worth noting that the clack valves will also need to be unplugged from their locating holes. Surprisingly, this is not mentioned in the instructions.

The chassis was tackled first, as the mainframes are in unpainted shiny black plastic. The wheels were first removed by simply removing two screws from the keeper plate, unplugging the brake pull rods, and dropping all three axles out.

The weathering process was begun using suitably sized brushes.

• I used a mix of Humbrol No.29 Dark Earth and Precision Brake Dust to pick out the brake shoes, hangers and pull rods.
• I painted the representation of the firebox behind the oval cut out in the frames with a light rust colour.
• The frames were then painted with a mix of Precision Paints Underframe Dirt, Matt Black and Dark Earth.

Before reassembly the shiny wheel rims were painted with Humbrol Matt Green No. 228, which is a near match. The sides of the keeper plate was painted as per the chassis frames, as this is visible as part of the frames.

With the handrails and injector pipework Oily Steel, along with the cab handrail stanchions, buffer heads and the bright red handbrake handle and balance lever on the safety valves.

Whilst on the subject of the red bits, some locos had red rods, and some had red regulator handles and reversing reach rods, but any paint on the handbrake would soon be worn off with use, and I think the use of this colour is generally more prevalent in preservation than on working engines in the steam era. The photo above shows the work done on the chassis and handrails of the model before re-assembly for further treatment, with the skirt below the boiler painted.

The planking of the footplate is nicely represented, but shiny black. Access to the cab interior is restricted insofar as it seems to be one unit, so I was unable to remove the roof or the floor which would make life easier. However, I managed to brush the cab floor with a thinned mix of Humbrol 29 and Matt Black, poking the brush through the cab openings. Apart from the handbrake handle previously mentioned, the rest of the cab was left as is. I’m sure there should be a reversing lever in there. I painted the edges of the cab footsteps matt black to help disguise the thickness of the plastic moulding.

The join in the chimney is, I thought, too prominent. I removed the chimney (I think it was attached with a spot of glue but succumbed to a tweak) and filled the join with Humbrol model filler. After rubbing The locomotive after brush painting down, I painted it Matt Black before re-fitting with a spot of superglue. There is a moulded collar to locate the chimney accurately atop the smoke box.

My usual mix of Humbrol No 29 and Matt Black was then mixed and painted on the cab roof and the inside of the coal bunker. A little stippling of this on the rear cab sheet just above the coal line will represent wear and tear caused by coaling the loco. When dry, a similar mix with about 50% white spirit added was brushed over the whole loco body, and whilst wet was drawn off with a dry flat brush. Any signs of brush marks were dabbed with a sheet of kitchen roll.

The wheels and rods were treated with the same mix, and the result is shown in photo below. So far, a few hours’ work spread over a few evenings has given the model a much more work-a-day appearance, using only brushes, paint and white spirit. Now is the time to get out the airbrush and mist over a mix of Matt Leather and Matt Black, with a little grey added for good measure, the proportions are not critical as long as the mix looks suitably dirty. When dry I mixed Humbrol Metalcote and Dark Earth and dry brushed the running plate and smoke box. This gives a little oily sheen. Humbrol No.121 was dry brushed around the injectors and clack valves, and also around the smoke box sides as priming stains. The smoke box received a further treatment of Humbrol Metalcote and Leather dry brushed and stippled on, as I think I overdid the rust and limescale in this area. When weathering a loco, if you are not happy with the result it is usually easy enough to put right. I also cleaned up the rods a little, and the difference can be seen in the photos.

The coupling links are a little too rounded, so I gently squeezed them in a pair of small smooth jawed pliers, and again, the difference can be seen in the before and photos.

A set of lamps from Slaters, intended as guards van lamps were modified by drilling a 1.2mm hole about 3mm deep on the underside of the case, which will give a nice fit on the Ixion lamp bracket. The bulbous moulded lens was sliced with a scalpel to give a flat surface for a pilot hole in the centre. This was then drilled, using a 2mm bit, deep enough to fill with five minute epoxy after the lamp including the lens aperture had been painted matt white. This will give a good representation of the glass lens.

A set of fire irons is supplied, with some oil cans and a bucket that has a very fine working handle. I painted the smaller oil can and bucket silver, but the fire irons are a little overscale. Replacements are easily made from 0.6mm soft iron wire chemically blackened and left to rust for a while in a damp environment.

To finish, coal was added to the bunker, using PVA mixed with some acrylic matt black, number plates were fitted, and a driver was obtained from Border Miniatures excellent Heroes of the Footplate range.

I think the loco now looks much more at home with my motley collection of Industrials.