Hi,
Another update, I added some more grass and more importantly, built a passenger car washer from Walthers. I will have to say that I really didn’t like the car washer as far as building goes. The instructions where simple enough and it wasn’t hard but well, I just think it was rather poor. Can’t put my finger on it.
However, I would apreciate some sugestions on what colours you would suggest that those “fluffy wipers” should be?
Any comments welcome:
Magnus
That’s pretty cool- didn’t even know those existed. (As far as colors go, I would think “dirty” somehow…) I would imagine thou that railroads would want to ensure that their passenger cars are clean and that would be the best way of doing it.
Yay- I learned something today.
Or perhaps a bright color - the car (as in automobile) washes around here all seem to have bright yellow brushes - that you can then diryt up a little with the dirt/grime and whatever else comes off of passenger cars…
Lillen, Having never seen the real thing I can’t help you with the color on the brushes but the grass, from what I can tell, looks very good. How did you do it, who makes it etc.?
Jarrell
I was thinking about that too. I remember them when I was a kid in the 70’s but I’m not sure how far they go back. Might make for an interesting scene and a bit of colour difference in comparison to the otherwise drab colours in a servicing yard.
Magnus
Hi,
Thanks, the grass is Noch 6 mm grass and I applied it with the Noch grassmaster. Full strength white glue and then I hit it with the grassmaster. Quick, easy and gets a good result with minimum effort. I then press the grass down in random places to get away from the “lawn” look that to many model railroads have.
Magnus
Superb grass, best I’ve seen in a long time. The car washer looks great too, I saw one in Calgary and there was a metal raised platform at one end of the car wash for a crew to stand on while they washed the windows of the dome cars with long handled brushes, I don’t know if it is still there, anyone in Cowburg know???
If you think the “Walthers” car washer was an unsatisfying kit to build try the original version manufactured by Stewart Products. That thing was a nightmare.
Only photo I could find of it on the layout is this one (look to the extreme right of the photo):
As far as the “fluffy wipers” color goes, I’d leave them as is. It might be too difficult painting them evenly given the “fluffy” surface. And the model is based on a vintage design, so the drum brushes are supposed to look like that, not like the yellow or blue wipers/brushes you’ll see in automobile car washes today.
If you wanted a more modern look you could replace the brush drums with yellow, white, or blue wipers. Sort of like this one:
Lillen,
There was a prototype car washer used by Amtrak at Tampa Union Station back in late 80s-early 90s ( out of service now). Your Walthers kit, imho, bears a close resemblence to that unit.
Thanks for the kind comments.
I will keep the vipers as they are then. I was considering a bone/tan color with dirt on them but if you guys say that the color is OK as it is I will keep them that way.
Magnus
Lillen,
Forgot to mention that the outer support beam and brace structure that held the washer together was a grayish-white, which became quite faded and dirty looking after just a couple of years. The brush holders were a dark color.
Your washer looks fine.
[:-^]
Hi Magnus,
Before retiring I had the opportunity to use bus washers in many places. They could be any color but I would say the majorrity of them were either green or blue. I would imagine that they would be supplied from a very limited number of companies so bus and train washers might be similar or at least close.
If the railroad was a very profitable one they might decide to have the brushes in their own colors, (but I doubt that today).
Johnboy out…
The “Wobbly” wobbles on. . . . . . . .