Painting a pair of teak coaches
Mark Horley
Pictures by the author
I HAD BUILT AN ALL-THIRD and a brake third using body sides, ends and the roof mouldings from 422 Modelmaking, combined with plenty of plastic card and a few bought-in components. From an article in the August 2018 Railway Modeller, I believe the Hull & Barnsley railway originally finished the coaches in a varnished teak livery, although I expect that by the end of their lives in the 1930s (the period I model) they were painted a plain brown colour.
I prepare the coaches for painting with a good wash and gentle scrub in warm water, using an old toothbrush. I stuck some masking tape over the wheel rims to prevent them becoming thick with paint. With the mixed materials used in the coaches, resin sides, brass W-irons, white metal buffers and a large amount of plastic card, I start with a spray of grey primer from an aerosol can, bought from the local hardware store.
Let primer harden for a week or so
Teak basecoat applied
Give the primer a week or so to harden and then mask off the bulk of the underframe with newspaper. The body is then sprayed with ‘Teak basecoat’, from an aerosol can I bought some years ago from JLRT. It is best described as a yellowy orange or peach shade.
Horizontal brushing
Vertical brushing
The varnish, in
descending order
first, second and
third coats
Once this had dried, I create the teak effect. For this I use water-based teak varnish from the local DIY store. This is applied with a coarse brush in horizontal and vertical strokes, as required by the panelling. Repeating the directional brushing as the varnish dries accentuates the effect.
After two coats, I discuss the depth of colour with my friends at CovGoG; the consensus is that I need the a third coat.
A newspaper mask protects the bulk of the body while spraying the underframe
Underframe is sprayed matt black
Yellow enamel is used to line the main body - not without problems
Decals applied
After setting it aside for a few days, I use low tack masking tape from a well-known supplier of military vehicle kits to cover the edges of the painted area. Over this I use decorating masking tape and newspaper to protect the bulk of the body. The underframe is then sprayed matt black from an aerosol can bought in a local shop.
I line out the main body panels with yellow enamel paint using a lining pen and a ruler, as I realise the edges of the panels are not necessarily straight. I have to clean out and reload the pen three times in the process as the paint hardens after a while and refuses to flow.
Decals for the class designations come from Railtec and are carefully applied with tweezers.
The sides are then gently sprayed with a varnish from a can purchased in a wargaming shop. The finish is nicely matt but I find you have to be very careful to coat the model very lightly or the thinners in the spray causes the paint to craze.
Finally, I slide the glazing into the slots behind the windows, before clipping in the coach ends and dropping on the roofs. Although not shown here, the roofs are sprayed with a satin white from a DIY shop and later misted with Railmatch ‘Roof Dirt’, again from an aerosol. Overall, I was pleased by the finish achieved although a bit more care, patience and practice with the lining pen would be beneficial.
The completed Third
