Thank you very much indeed for your thoughtful and generous comments! The key to this is always research and observation and fortunately there are a couple excellent websites which photographically survey rolling stock in its many states! Many thanks.

@@crewelocoman5b161 Yes, research is important, but so is having artistic talent, as in this case.

@@jagc1969 👍

Brilliant comment, thank you very much. Cards on the table here...I'm no expert 'modeller' by any means just someone who has a passion for the steam railway and if I have a mission statement it is to replicate it as I remember it. It really is just a case of having a go and seeing what works. I've highlighted and enhanced some of my locos (mainly '80s Hornby). I picked up some 'techniques', shall we say, from some Peco publications.. really it's just basic stuff...added it to my trial and error and there it is. What I'm trying to convey in these uploads is that anyone can do it. I couldn't scratch build, re-wheel locos, convert to EM or ProtoFour to save my life and I won't attempt to weather any of my locos. I thought I'd give weathering powders a try, more usually associated with military dioramas, and they are brilliant. They do stick to flat matt surfaces, but need sealing with matt varnish. The powders take a tenth of the time to do than painting and are much better at producing that flat, dirty, non descript hue/shade than any paint. Thank you again! Graeme

Hi Maurice, Spot on again. As you say, at today's prices it's a no brainer. Thank you for your continued support. Graeme

Thank you very much indeed for that endorsement! You are most kind.

Hi, Many thanks again for your observations. My aim here was to demonstrate what can be achieved with a bit of creative effort to utilize what are otherwise old and outdated rolling stock and run them in tandem with much newer models.

More fun and enjoyment than spending £30 on a Bachmann TTA tank wagon. Lot's you can do on the old Hornby tank. Formed in a rake yours look very well.

@@lyndengrant1657 Hi, Many thanks for your comment. Your observation is bang on the money (no pun intended!). However, there seems to be no limit on what people are willing to pay for three dimensionally detailed rolling stock in this hobby. The sales of Bachmann and latterly Accurascale wagons bare witness to that. I'm not advocating a budget approach to everything here, more a case of mix and match. What I would advise though, is the sourcing of reference material to see for oneself what these vehicles really looked like on a daily basis. Which would you rather apply weathering to, a current Bachmann or a 1970s Hornby? Cheers! Graeme