{"id":6512,"date":"2026-01-21T10:48:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T10:48:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/?p=6512"},"modified":"2026-03-15T19:44:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T19:44:17","slug":"the-problem-with-doing-locos-for-others","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/the-problem-with-doing-locos-for-others\/","title":{"rendered":"The problem with doing locos for others&#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The problem with doing locos for others is that I put my heart and soul into it and then have to deal with the pains of having to give it back&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/458-4-for-NGRM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-6507 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/458-4-for-NGRM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"231\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/458-4-for-NGRM.png 600w, https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/458-4-for-NGRM-300x116.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Here is a case in point! Its a good job its 0n30 and my Brymston RR is 0n3 or it would be even harder.<\/p>\n<p>This is one of those jobs that\u2019s gone on and on for far too long. It arrived here as an undecorated anonymous K27 with just the standard DC wiring in it.\u00a0 It did arrive with a very bent tender drawbar as well as a selection of the lights not working.<\/p>\n<p>Things It&#8217;s had done to it: &#8211;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>New LED Lighting with a resistance board hidden in the smokebox.<\/li>\n<li>Custom made back lit 458 number boards.<\/li>\n<li>Soundtraxx Tsunami, keep alive and speaker all in the boiler.<\/li>\n<li>Motor Gearbox stripped cleaned and regreased.<\/li>\n<li>Brake gear amended to stop it shorting.<\/li>\n<li>Drawbar repaired.<\/li>\n<li>Fall Plate modified.<\/li>\n<li>Decaled as #458 and Flying Grande road name<\/li>\n<li>Coaled over a foam lump.<\/li>\n<li>Paint and Weathering with acrylics by airbrush and pigments by brush<\/li>\n<li>Sealed with a waft of Dullcote<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/458-3-for-NGRM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-6510 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/458-3-for-NGRM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"294\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/458-3-for-NGRM.png 600w, https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/458-3-for-NGRM-300x147.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Its taken far too long because it being here coincided with my being ill and these really need you to be able to concentrate when fiddling with LED\u2019s you can barely see and surface mount resistor all of which then has to be place with keyhole surgery.<\/p>\n<p>The motor\/gearbox overhaul is something I do to all of them when they pass me by now, as the factory grease is more like candle wax. It&#8217;s all flushed out and regreased with nano grease.<\/p>\n<p>The brake gear on these is fixed at either end of the 8 coupled wheelbase and has a tendency to get pressed up until it touches the wheels and causes a short. I rebuild the insulation at the fixing points and then stick a bit of foam on the underside of the gearbox to stop it pressing into the wheels. These are such a lump there is a tendency for people to pick them up grasping around the body with fingers then bending the brake gear.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/458-2-for-NGRM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-6509 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/458-2-for-NGRM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"236\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/458-2-for-NGRM.png 600w, https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/458-2-for-NGRM-300x118.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a>To do the decals\u00a0I first sprayed all the places they were going with a gloss acrylic varnish. I used San Juan Decals loco sheet which are superb but very fragile. These are fragile enough that to number the loco the 4, 5 &amp; 8 had to be applied and allowed to dry before adding the next one. If you didn\u2019t leave it long enough they all ended up swimming around together in the same puddle (don\u2019t ask me how I know). All were treated with several coats of decal set, each allowed to evaporate before the next, to make sure they were snugged down. When thoroughly dry they were over sprayed with the gloss acrylic varnish.<\/p>\n<p>Once that was all dried wheels cranks and other bits were brush painted with a mix of railcolour acrylic paints.\u00a0 After that a lot more highlighting and weathering was done with my air brush before I then set about it with weathering powders and assorted brushes. In particular edges were picked out with minute amounts of white to give them highlights as if the light was catching them. Last of all it was over sprayed with Dullcote. This is warmed up in my drying cabinet then shaken like mad before being misted onto the engine. The aim being to spray it from a distance, sort of indirectly, so that it almost rains on to the model with little velocity, and it&#8217;s almost dry.<\/p>\n<p>The trick then is to walk away and do something else in another room until its fully dry. If it didn\u2019t pong so much it would be ideal for doing last thing and left overnight. In practice its done early in the morning in the hope the pong has dispersed before Annie gets home.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/458-1-for-NGRM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-6508 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/458-1-for-NGRM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"254\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/458-1-for-NGRM.png 600w, https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/458-1-for-NGRM-300x127.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I really enjoy the final result but I go through all manner of emotions and feelings of self doubt along the way. Its not unusual for me to put off part of the job when its something that could go horribly wrong and then, when I pluck up the courage, I wonder what I was making a fuss about. The confident me would say, \u201c you\u2019ve done this loads of times, got lots experience, crack on\u201d. Instead if the task comes u when the self doubting me is in ascendence then its, \u201cthat could go horribly wrong, if I don\u2019t do it wont have\u201d.\u00a0 Its daft really because when demonstrating to others I preach the \u201cget stuck in and have a go, we learn by our mistakes\u201d and \u201cyou have to practice\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Would I do more? Already am. There are some customer engines waiting and then my own Brymston fleet has a lot (too many!) engines waiting to be given the treatment. Would I do yours? Always happy to discuss options with anyone.<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_6512\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"6512\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" data-prefix=\"far\" data-icon=\"chart-bar\" role=\"img\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\" class=\"svg-inline--fa fa-chart-bar fa-w-16 fa-2x\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M396.8 352h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V108.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v230.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zm-192 0h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V140.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v198.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zm96 0h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V204.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v134.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zM496 400H48V80c0-8.84-7.16-16-16-16H16C7.16 64 0 71.16 0 80v336c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h464c8.84 0 16-7.16 16-16v-16c0-8.84-7.16-16-16-16zm-387.2-48h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8v-70.4c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v70.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8z\" class=\"\"><\/path><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The problem with doing locos for others is that I put my heart and soul into it and then have to deal with the pains of having to give it back&#8230; Here is a case in point! Its a good job its 0n30 and my Brymston RR is 0n3 or it would be even harder. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_6512\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"6512\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" data-prefix=\"far\" data-icon=\"chart-bar\" role=\"img\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\" class=\"svg-inline--fa fa-chart-bar fa-w-16 fa-2x\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M396.8 352h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V108.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v230.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zm-192 0h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V140.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v198.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zm96 0h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V204.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v134.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zM496 400H48V80c0-8.84-7.16-16-16-16H16C7.16 64 0 71.16 0 80v336c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h464c8.84 0 16-7.16 16-16v-16c0-8.84-7.16-16-16-16zm-387.2-48h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8v-70.4c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v70.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8z\" class=\"\"><\/path><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":185,"today_views":1},"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6512","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6512"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6512\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6515,"href":"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6512\/revisions\/6515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}