Photoetched number and class plates provide a very accurate representation of the real thing. Painting them to bring out their best is another thing entirely. Locomotive plates are relatively easy to deal with as they can be painted with the base colour and carefully sanded back to reveal the brass numbers. NZR car and van plates…
As the W kits get closer to shipping, I’m focusing on the few remaining details like the number and maker’s plates. That occasioned me to exhume the test shots I did for this a little while ago. Prototype plates were around 1/4″ thick, scaling out to 0.1mm, which is convenient as 0.1mm brass is readily…
Depot Brands Wagons passed regularly through shops for repair, overhaul and maintenance. The last shop passed through, the last shop where the wagon was overhauled, and the site of the last air brake overhaul were usually marked on the solebars. The overhaul site and date are indicated by the letters ‘OHL’ after 1960 and ‘LIFT’…
A summary of a chat group discussion mainly contributed by John Brouwer and Kevin Crosado. It is clear from photographs that Q wagons were not painted according to the official diagram, and that furthermore the Westport and Greymouth fleets were significantly different. These differences appear to be related to the working of the inclines at…
