Some wrongs can be righted

Attempt #1 at painting my beloved little 0-4-0 was not a success.

The primer was "OK," at best. I went ahead and loaded up my airbrush with thinned flat black enamel, ready to spray the base coat.

Ready...aim...fire!

A splattery mess slopped onto the little loco frame I had spent HOURS working on. Strange cobweb-like fuzz started to form over the messy, blotchy paint coat. My heart felt like it was sinking.

Luckily, some wrongs can be righted. After some agonizing on an online forum, it was suggested I soak the whole thing in 91% rubbing alcohol and go at it with a toothbrush and Q-tips. Not only did this clean up the messy paint, it stripped the less-than-adequate primer job and also removed the factory paint from the frame and cowcatcher. I was back at square one, ready to start afresh.

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This time I used a big rattle can of Rustoleum 2-in-1 Primer as my base. Really nice, even coat, and a tough grip on the brass and white metal parts.

Next, I decided to eschew the airbrush in favor of Tamiya rattle cans. The first coat of black:

Looking much better now! The next day, I started filling in details with graphite (Tamiya "Gunmetal") and Brass (Testors), as well as adding some decals.

Now THAT'S more like it! The moral of the story? Don't lose hope in the face of disaster...you can often find a way to salvage your mistake.

I will leave you with a tempting little preview of a future scene on the layout...Our 3/4 completed depot with 3/4 completed #2 posing in front.

Layout update, 8-20-14

Some progress has been made on the layout! Roadbed, frame, and pink foam have been mated together.

I have been making some first attempts at creating some contours to the ditches and valleys on the trestle/bridge side of the layout. This is messy work using a rasp! I'm trying to go slow, and visualize what will look natural and logical. 

Creating a small "fill" area for a bridge abutment is necessary to give the impression that the bridge was actually built into the topography.

Here's how our little depot stands, as of today:

I really like the look of the Grandt Line shingles, a nice dimensional texture on the roof. Can't wait to get the train-order signal built and installed! It will really give this structure that "uber-railroady" feeling.

I had a bit of a disaster in my first attempt at painting #2, my 0-4-0. Suffice to say that my airbrush and the paint I chose were not playing nice with each other. I'm in the process of stripping everything to give it another go; I've spent a lot of time (and $$!!) on this little loco kit, and I want to do everything right. 

Thanks for looking!