Live from Ally Pally Show - Grimy Times

The London Festival of Railway Modelling is our largest show of the year and the second largest model railway show in the UK. Steve Johnson, owner of Grimy Times Model Railways in Warrington has a keen eye for custom paint effects and his stand at the show offers visitors an opportunity to purchase a number of RTR models with custom weathering. Here, we take a look at three from his stand:

1. Buffer grease
2. Underframe dirt, with emphasis around chassis components
3. Roof dirt applied with an emphasis around the exhaust
4. Side panels weathered, with a lighter finish on windscreens

1. Shiny valvegear dulled with airbrush
2. Soot colour applied around smokebox
3. Water marks applied to smokebox door area
4. Coal added to tender and toned down

1. General layer of grime applied to locomotive
2. Emphasis on underframe dirt with second colour of dirt
3. Heavy application of soot colour to boiler top and cab roof
4. Water marks applied around boiler washout plugs

With a look at how some of his effects are achieved, we asked Steve for his best weathering advice:

Patience: You may not get the effect you want.

Pictures: Study photographs of the real thing.

Experiment: Don't be frightened of trying new techniques.

Discipline: Know when to stop. Less is more in a lot of cases and subtlety is better than extreme, unless that's the look you want.

If you'd like to see more of Steve's custom creations, or enquire about his weathering service, visit his stand this weekend.