HOW TO
WEATHER A BRAKE VAN
Don’t think you can achieve great weathering results without an airbrush or special gear? Chris Nevard reveals how just a few simple ingredients can be used to cook up something very special.
Chris Nevard
The idea of weathering locomotives and rolling stock can put many off, but in fact it need not be daunting or expensive.
For this demonstration, I made use of matt emulsion ‘test pots’, plus some Humbrol acrylic paints. Test pots are great – they are easy to source, dry completely matt and are available in all sorts of natural tones and colours. I’m a big fan of matt emulsion for scenic work, but increasingly I find they’re great for weathering rolling stock too.
The effect that I was aiming for was that of a wagon that has been almost forgotten, but nevertheless showing signs of basic repairs. It’s a good idea to have a look through books and trawl the internet for inspiration. Paul Bartlett’s website, in particular, is a goldmine of reference images for all manner of British Railways wagons (www.paulbartlett.zenfolio.com).