Friday, July 15, 2022

Project Showcase | Custom Sludge Tenders

Inspired from the Thomas and Friends story, "Tenders for Henry," when the big express engine, Gordon, gets a visit from his brother, the Flying Scotsman. Henry is jealous of his 2 tenders, so Duck plays a trick for him to have 6, when they turned out to be old and filthy boiler sludge tenders. So, what are Sludge Tenders? When steam locomotives are scrapped, sometimes their tenders would be used as spares for working locomotives, fitted with snow plows to help clear snow, or carry the sludge that's cleaned out of the boilers that are emptied to help with maintenance when cleaning.

For this big project, I'll show you start to finish how I made them in HO/OO scale from scratch, using spares, detail parts, and cardstock!

1) Body Construction

The very first thing I did was browse eBay.co.uk and looked for OO gauge spare tenders, and found a handful of different sizes from Bachmann Branchline and Hornby. This included some for various classes such as a GWR castle, and mostly LMS tenders, with one smaller than the rest. They all had metal slabs added for some weight. Some had no buffer beams. This would give me the ability to make the tenders in the exact shape I wanted, and would prove to be far cheaper to build than getting fully assembled tenders.

When they finally arrived from the mail on the office desk, I began scratch-building! I built around the weights and molded parts of each chassis themselves, using chipboard. All the added buffer beams were balsa wood strips cut to length either end, one end having brass buffers also found on eBay.co.uk, and left the other end that connects to the locomotive blank with the edges cut at an angle in the bottom (much later I would add couplings like the TV model props).

Before spray painting the buffer beams red, I tried brass brake pipes from a lot I found on eBay.co.uk to see how they look with the detail. Later I'd also try some made by 51L also on eBay, white metal castings that have a great appearance, and look very prototypical. In the end, I ended up making my own TVS inspired ones from craft wire.


Soon the body began to take shape. I made them entirely from Bristol board! Picked up from a pack of them in the drawing section of the craft store, which is very strong and easy to cut, and for the basic construction of the tenders, it felt right to use. Any other "molded" looking details I glued strips of Bassil Basics cardstock, such as for footsteps, and curved edges on the top of the body.

It was here I also began to add the handrails, the ones I used were Nairnshire Modelling Supplies from eBay.co.uk. I have to have the purchases ship to a friend in the UK and then to my home as they don't offer international shipping. They're the medium sized ones, with 0.45mm wire. They look great and are a nice detail for the body! Any handrails and wire will do, but since these are hard to find, I've been using Cal Scale handrail stanchions and K&S 0.020 music wire.

2) Painting

At last, paintwork! I gave the bodies an even spray of RustOleum's Camo dark brown. Next I followed up by using Tamaya's Weathering Master kit, which like makeup you rub on with the included foam-tip to "streak" the stuff from the top down, creating a fine application of the smeared powder. The more you add, the thicker it gets.

Then I added the details, including Smiths couplings! I first tried the LP5 screw links, but opted for the LP4 chain links like the show later.

3) Lettering


After a while, I finally got the N E lettering for the bodies made from cut vinyl from a friend. The N E stands for the North Eastern Railway in the UK. I cut the lettering away from the sheet I want to apply with scissors, then use Scotch tape to peel the vinyl away from the backing, and stick the lettering on the body. I remove the excess vinyl using metal modeling tweezers and my hobby knife to pluck it off when necessary. The result is a clean, sharp application that makes it look brand new, so now the heavy weathering can begin!

4) Extra Weathering

I started using acrylic thinned with water to add streaking from the top down to the bottom, using Folk Art or Americana craft colors for some rust, some tan for contaminated water. Once that dried, I dry brushed the plastic chassis detail.  I did the same thing for the Bristol body edges, along the top, and on the handrails. This helps bring out the detail and add a touch of extra realism. I even added some blotches of green to mimic moss, that might have crept up from standing on the sidings for a long time.

Now for the best and important bit, the actual sludge! My good friend ED @EDsTrainz recommended enamel washes by Mig, which acts like an oily stain that dries that dry clear, flat, or shiny depending on the bottle. This ended up to be just the look I was looking for to match the sludge streaks catching the sunlight on the TV model props on screen. So I ordered Dark Wash for the muddy off-black type of look I was going for.

As it is enamel based paint, they need a vigorous shaking before use so the actual "color" is mixed with the enamel oil. Having a cordless paint mixer works very well for this. Then I carefully opened the bottle, and applied the wash with a fine brush, working in two streaks on the side of the body top to bottom, and along the bottom edge of the footplate of the tender's chassis, all the way around. While wet I could use a Q-tip to blend the streak close to the bottom so it fades from a hard drip to a blended spread with the body's dry paint. This was exactly what I wanted, and once dry, created an amazing effect that looked great under the office and studio lights.

Thanks Ed for the suggestion! If you want to see his exquisite professional model work, go check out his Patreon! patreon.com/EDsModelingCorner

5) Final Touches

The last thing I did was update the front and back detail. Looking more closely at footage and photos of the VHS tapes and the Thomas Wiki, I learned the actual TV model props had couplings added, but no buffers, so they could couple together. So I replaced the Smith's LP5 screw link couplings with LP4 chain links, which I spray painted with RustOleum terracotta primer, perfect to give them a rusty appearance!

Then the brake pipes. I swapped most of the model ones with my own from 20 gauge craft wire, each bent using a screw driver handle, and cut the excess with pliers. I wrap the facets around the bottom where they'll fit on the model using strips of Sticky-Note paper, cut with a hobby knife and a  steel ruler. I use Crazy Glue to secure the edge of one end and then  once it sets, wrap the strip around the wire a few times until it makes a  nice nub, then glue the end and cut excess with scissors. Be careful the glue doesn't get on your fingers! Once I make a batch of them I also spray paint them with black RustOleum primer, then drill a hole on the buffer beams using a pin vise, and secure them in place with more Crazy Glue.

They look so good! This was a fun project and scratch-building them really helped make these tenders look exactly how I wanted them! Henry looks pretty funny pulling them, and they're a great show-piece.

At the moment the only thing I would love to add is Woodland Scenics Realistic Water to pour sludge in the body shell, which is like a epoxy that dries glossy when cured, and can be colored. I put a piece of foam core on the bottom of each tender and sealed the edges with Woodland Scenics foam glue. Adding a bit of green-brown dye Woodland Scenics sells to the mix in would add that dark color to make the "water" look milky and muddy as I pour, and will harden to a glossy finish. That would be something that would sell the look of a tender holding sludge once cured without worrying spilling actual liquids on the layout! If I go ahead with it I'll update this page with pictures when finished!

Thanks so much for reading everyone, I really appreciate it and enjoyed sharing this project with you! Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions about the  process. Linked below are most of the supplies I used you can look at for your own projects!

- Stephen

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Project Showcase | Custom Bachmann Mail Vans

An essential piece of rolling stock for carrying letters and parcels, the red mail vans by Bachmann USA for their line of Thomas and Friends products are great to have on any layout, and look wonderful being pulled by Thomas or Percy like the classic series! I had the original ones with the Sodor Mail lettering when they first came out in the mid 2000s, before they replaced it much later with the CGI series logo that had a envelop and a wing on it. So I decided to take these original vans and give them a detailed upgrade! Once weathered customized, they look very close to the real thing, dusty and well used being pulled on the main line across vast distances for the mail trains. I'll show you how I did it step-by-step. Let's get started!

1) Varnish


The very first thing I do is give them a spray of Krylon matte finish, which helps make the livery have a flat look. It kills the shine of the manufacturer's plastic and paint and gives some tooth for the weathering powders, which we'll add later!

NOTE: Please spray outside or in a well ventilated area, with a mask, and make sure that there is a consistent temperature in the room of choice, not too hot or not too cold, as it will effect the spray application. Having good lighting also helps with drying. As the trim tape for the lining was glossy, I spray the model a very light first coat to help painting, apply the paint I want for the body  shell, then once dry I add he glossy lining before a final coat. I've been trying out Tamiya's TS-80 Clear matte finish and I highly recommend it for the best results. Weathering will come later!

2) Weathering

Weathering these vans helped add that extra touch of realism needed to bring these models to life! I first see what I can do with dry brushing with acrylics, working from dark to light to add lightness to the details using earth-toned and rusty colors. Once dry, I enjoy using Dave's Decals weathering powders I use a lot for my models. I used the dark soot color to go around the doors and brackets using a soft brush, a medium sized one along the sides, and a smaller one along the details. I also used a rusty color for the the bogies (trucks) around the springs.

3) Roof Detail

Now the best detail to give these vans, the roof ventilators! The molded ones look very flat and less noticeable, so doing a search on Shapeways I found an excellent vent pack of GNR Ventilators and Gas Lamps made by Mike Trice. When I get them in the mail, I use my flat head craft knife to scrape off the molded details and completely sand the tops of the roofs flat. Then I drill holes back where the vents should go by hand with my pin vise, using a ruler and marks from a pencil to help as a guide.

Finally, I take the 3D prints and spray them matte black with spray paint. Once dried I snip them away with my pliers, and glue them in the holes once they fit snugly. I also glue around the bottom underneath for a secure glued fit. Once dry, I might go over it with a bit of my weathering powder to add some dust or suit along the edges to bring out the detail.

4) Couplings

For couplings, I use Smiths from gaugemaster.com in the UK. For these vans I tired the LP8 or the LP8F screw-link kits to assemble with my modeling tweezers. I have something like the metal tip from a fine tip paintbrush handy to bend the "hooped" parts, then squeeze them to the center piece to swivel freely. For the counterweight that hangs in the middle, I snip the bottom of the nail and wrap the end with Sticky Note strips to glue on to create a "nib." That gives it a distinctive profile that acts as the bottom weight. Of course you can use the LP4 chain link couplings more like the show used for these versus the screw links, but I like how these look a lot better!

To install them on the ends, I snip the molded hook on the coupling plastic piece on the buffer beams, and used a pin vise to drill two holes by hand, one above the other, then use my hobby knife to cut a slit out of the plastic, all the way through the buffer beam to the back end, so I can simply push the Smiths coupling right in and glue it on, snipping any excess metal from the coupling itself first with pliers.

Now they're ready to make their deliveries with Thomas and Percy at the yard! They look so much better and feel like realistic models I can be proud of when I run them on the layout. They were a fun project to tackle, and the Bachmann Thomas engines look good pulling them!

Thank you so much for reading! Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions about the  process. Linked here are the supplies I used you can look for your own projects!

- Stephen

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Project Showcase | Custom Bachmann Gordon and Henry

Well, this is one of the biggest planned tutorial posts I've planned for the past two months, and here it is! Gordon and Henry, two of the "Big Engines" of the Thomas and Friends show, in HO/OO gauge, fully customized from the models made by Bachmann USA. I wanted to give them an upgrade for years, and didn't really know where to start with the supplies and confidence I needed to tackle them. There are a lot of friends and followers on Twitter who have tried making them look more accurate to the TVS show, and I was encouraged and inspired to give it a try! Today I'll share with you how I did it start to finish!

Links to supplies used will be at the very bottom of the post!

1) Fixing the Body Shell

First thing I did was fix the body shell. If you want to upgrade the details front and back, take off all of the molded plastic coupling hooks and lamp irons on the front buffer beam and the back of Gordon's tender with pliers, we'll add new ones later!

Now onto the boiler! I had to use my flat-head hobby knife blade to scrape away the molded handrails, then sand it with fine grit sanding paper or files from the hobby store, like 300-400 grit for smoother sanding. I use a cloth to wipe away any excess shavings, then I apply the varnish! I like flat matte, so I use Krylon matt finish from the drawing isle of my local craft store, which has been a perfect go-to for a satin-completely flat finish. It has worked wonders for locomotives, rolling stock, and vehicles when I want to kill the shine of any manufactured paints, and helps hold weathering powders I use very, very well. I've been using Tamiya's TS-80 Clear matte finish and I highly recommend it for the best results.

NOTE: Please spray outside or in a well ventilated area, with a mask, and make sure that there is a consistent temperature in the room of choice, not too hot or not too cold, as it will effect the spray application. Having good lighting also helps with drying. As the trim tape for the lining was glossy, I spray the model a very light first coat to help painting, apply the paint I want for the body shell, then once dry I add he glossy lining before a final coat. Weathering will come later!

I use craft acrylics I color-match for painting over the sanded areas once the varnish dries. Sometimes I have to mix the colors to make it match closely to what I want, then I used a fine flat paint brush to apply! To make it smooth I mixed a little bit of water to help spread the paint evenly along in layers as I needed, so it isn't lumpy! You can also use an airbrush with the same if not better results!

Once the paint dries, I put on Testors trim tape to stick over the boiler bands. I don't find they stick very well unless you use something like an hair dryer to help it stick better as you apply.

Next I use a hand-drill vise to put holes where I want the handrail knobs to go. I make sure the bit is the right size for the handrails to fit snugly once glued. The handrails I use are made by Nairnshire Modelling Supplies in the UK I found on eBay. I had to have them shipped to a friend who lived there who then shipped it to me, as listing didn't offer shipping to the US, but this can work with any you choose from model railroad suppliers or eBay. Since these are hard to find, I've been using Cal Scale handrail stanchions and K&S 0.020 music wire.

2) 3D Printed Faces

As with most of my Thomas and Friends locomotives, I like to give them 3D printed faces that look more accurate to the show, and have the ability to change expressions. Three 3D modelers I know from Twitter, Evan @cooldude7208, Joseph @Thomasmodeller1 and Rex @Rexecutions make great Thomas faces you can get in HO/OO gauge, as well as gauge 1, that they sell on their Shapeways store! I actually helped them with measuring the correct size so they fit perfectly to the Bachmann models' smokebox. I use white airsoft BB gun paint pellets for the eye balls, specifically for Gordon and Henry I use 8mm size you can find on Amazon or eBay. I commissioned a friend to make pupils for me using vinyl decals, cut from black matte sheets at various sizes for my face projects. I fix the faces and the eye balls together using Blue Tak!

Once test fitting everything, I give the faces a spray of RustOleum's "Chalked" spray paint sold at most craft and hardware stores, using the Aged Gray color. This has by far been the best paint in a can I've used that matches the color I want for any Thomas face I paint. Once I give the spray paint a 12-24 hrs to completely dry, I use craft acrylics to add white for teeth, and grays for open mouths. I touch up any painting mistakes using a half-and-half mix of Americana "Gray Sky" and "Cobblestone," and use very fine-tip brushes applying it, thinned with a bit of water when necessary. The final touch are the eyebrows, which I "draw" using Faber Castell ink pens, either XS (extra small) or S (small) sizes. As ink takes a while to dry, leave it for a while before handling the face if you don't want smudges.

3) Final Details

Now for the fun part, extra detail parts and finishing touches! This is what brings the model to life and helps add that extra touch of realism, such as couplings, lamp irons, brake pipes, and weathering!

All of the brake pipes and lamp irons are made from scratch using 20 gauge craft wire from the craft store! For he pipes I bend them around a screwdriver to make them curve and bend them with players to make their shape, using my spread to cut the excess off. I wrap the facets around the bottom where they'll fit on the model using strips of Sticky-Notes of all things, cut with a hobby knife and a steel ruler! I use Crazy Glue to secure the edge of one end and then once it sets, wrap the strip around the wire a few times until it makes a nice nub, then glue the end and cut excess with scissors. Be careful the glue doesn't get on your fingers! Once that's done, I stick them on a scrap piece of blue foam and spray all the parts matte black. Once dry, I drill a hole where I want to put them on the foot plate/bufferbeam, and secure them with Crazy glue, although I might leave some fixed temporarily so I can fit a dummy lamp from Bachmann Branchline and rearrange them if I desire to.

Now couplings! I use Smiths from gaugemasterretail.com in the UK, for locomotives and some coaches I get the LP8 screw-links kit to assemble with my modeling tweezers. I have something like the metal tip from a fine tip paintbrush handy to bend the "hooped" parts, then squeeze them to the center piece to swivel freely. I use the same technique as I do with the lamp iron and brake pipes to snip the bottom and wrap the end with Sticky Note strips to glue on as the bottom weight.

If first starting out, I recommend getting the LP5 assembled screw links, or the spare ones Hornby now sells on eBay or most UK suppliers.

Now I have to make a slit on the buffer beam to fit the couplings in, so I hand-drill two holes with my pin vise, then simply cut the excess plastic in between with a hobby knife.

Next, I make the coupling "mount" piece from scratch, the thing the couplings fit securely in place with the buffer beam. I cut two pieces of cut Evergreen styrene, each with a slit for the coupling made from drilling two holes and cutting the excess away like before, and then gluing both square pieces together, one square bigger than the other. I use RustOleum's "Chalked" Barn Red spray paint to color the piece, then once it completely dries glue it in place using Crazy Glue, making sure to keep it aligned with the slit made in the coupling mount, then slipped on the coupling on to dry!

If you're using Hornby's screw links, it's just one round hole, so you can just pop it right in the coupling mount, just make sure it's secured well with glue if you want it to pull trains!

Now for some coal! I would cut the molded plastic from the top, and use plastic card to fill the inside and paint it so I could actually fit real coal inside, but for this project I resorted to using Woodland Scenics white glue to secure medium grade coal from Hattons in the UK. I use a brush to spread the glue evenly on the top, thinning it with water when I needed to. Then I sprinkle the coal right on top, covering all the white of the glue. Once dry, it's rock hard and dries with a completely flat finish with no glossy spots.

I decided to try fixing Gordon's tender by giving it a curved front and end like the show using cardstock paper measured, cut and glued in place, which I then painted and weathered using acrylics and weathering powders.

Finally, I thought I'd try whistles by Ian @IboBro4 and his Shapways store he made, which are made from 3D printed brass, and it's definitely an eye-catching detail that catches the sunlight!

This project took many month to complete, and a lot of figuring out how to tackle these locomotives, but I'm very, very pleased how they turned out. While not perfect, it feels good to finally give these Bachmann Thomas characters the details I've wanted to give them for a long time, and make them look the best I can, it certainly was a fun challenge! In future, I want to make an "Early Shape" version of Henry with the smaller firebox and no cylinder casing supports, a Big City Engine version of him ... maybe a Flying Scotsman or a Green Gordon? Who knows!

Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions about the process. Linked here are the supplies I used you can look for for your own projects!

- Stephen

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