My weathered CFCLA diesels

My weathered pair of ex-New South Wales locos are hard at work down south in Philden Street Yard.

With so much happening between working on the layout and a new book these past few months, I almost forgot to share some completed photos of my first two model locomotives to have been weathered. The ex-NSW pairing of FL220 and JL406 turned up a treat, having been airbrushed and detailed with oil drips and subtle paint chips before receiving a coat of Vallejo clear matte acrylic. I'll have a detailed explanation as to how I arrived at the finished results below in a new book due out next year. But for now, these two are going to entice me to weather some more of my models over the coming months.

FL220 received a very light weathering, but it is still enough to show up on the yellow on the pilot.

Even a well maintained loco will accumulate some diesel soot on the grilles.

I avoided airbrushing too much around the windscreens, but there's just enough grime kicked up from the rails to make the face of the loco look realistic.

Compare this as-new photo of FL220 taken after I purchased it in 2021...

...to this photo taken a year later after being put to work on my layout.

While JL406 now looks a whole lot dirtier in Philden Street Yard, than...

...the new model that first debuted on my original layout Philden back in 2019.

The ex-NSW 442 Class is my one tie to my original Philden layout, and shows a lot of use being this far south on my inner Melbourne Philden Street Yard.

The one thing about weathering locomotives, is that it makes the unweathered ones stand out. I'll have to do something about my West Coast Railway B65. It now looks too clean!

I've come to love the CFCLA leased pairing. A sound equipped EMD and an Alco still earning their keep on my early 2000's layout. The ex-422 Class FL220 was the second sound equipped locomotive I purchased for this layout, and the ex-442 Class JL406 followed early the next year after I ummed and ahhed over what was available now versus what was announced as coming over the next few years. In the end, my memories of JL406 running on my Philden layout won out. JL406 was still available to purchase ready to run with DCC and sound, which didn't make me feel bad for having sold-off all my standard DC equipment ahead of the new layout build. The pairing makes for a great excuse to run from southern NSW to the Port of Melbourne before stabling overnight in Philden Street Yard.

I've already done a short video of the pair at work in 'The Yard' when they were both new. In case you missed it earlier this year, this is what they looked like before I gave them a light weathering...

As for my other weathering projects? There are still some models available to purchase through my eBay shop, link below, but only while they last. I'm waiting until next year when my layout is finished and has made its debut exhibition before I decide upon doing anymore weathering or taking on some custom work, as I now have a short list of people waiting for me to find the time to weather their entire fleet of models.

So what does this mean? It's my fancy business card and guarantee that the model is weathered by me.

And you'll know that each of the models you purchase has been weathered by myself as they come with a Certificate of Authenticity. Who knows? One of the models you buy may just happen to be featured in an upcoming book?

For my own record...

Models sold 49/105