Jerry White Weathered Union Pacific 4-12-2

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86TA355SR
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Jerry White Weathered Union Pacific 4-12-2

Postby 86TA355SR » Wed Dec 15, 2021 10:17 pm

Here’s a Jerry White custom locomotive I weathered.

My intent was to practice new weathering techniques. Armed with some YouTube “knowledge” (I’ll call it that!) and after studying different weathering articles, I started painting.

Finished model is a combination of washes, cheap oil paint (artist tube paint) & air brush shading.

I prefer light weathering but this model needed to be “worn” to reflect an end of life cycle locomotive. Therefore, heavily weathered was appropriate.

I replaced the worn driver & tender truck springs, cleaned/lubed everything, added data/“UP” decals to cab, and eventually window glaze.

A big thank you to Butch for all the great information he shared with me, especially for this model. I appreciate it.
Last edited by 86TA355SR on Thu Apr 21, 2022 8:29 am, edited 2 times in total.

up148
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Re: Jerry White Weathered Union Pacific 4-12-2

Postby up148 » Thu Dec 16, 2021 9:16 am

Nice job Aaron! Your weathering skills are improving with every loco. This JW 9000 is a really nice looking loco, especially considering when it was most likely built. With the 3rd cylinder linkage it had to be a complicated build. Any photos of the underside showing the drive?

86TA355SR
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Re: Jerry White Weathered Union Pacific 4-12-2

Postby 86TA355SR » Thu Dec 16, 2021 11:35 am

Sure, here’s the underside, also shows the third linkage. Very small screws hold it together and it does operate/move. I was a little nervous about taking it apart to remove the drivers but it was non-eventful, thankfully. Didn’t have any extra hardware if something got lost, so to say I was careful is an understatement.

The Gresley valve gear operates perfectly.

Image

Topside with boiler off:

Image

A few other details:
It weighs 19 pounds on drivers! I removed the boiler weights for easier handling.
Gear ratio is 25:1. Operates beautiful as expected of a JW drive.

The model is at least 45+ years old as previous owner stated it’s been in his collection since then. He bought it used originally, so it stands to reason its older than that. Really appreciate the craftsmanship in the model, similar to what Butch said, it’s cool to think this was built in a gone era.
Last edited by 86TA355SR on Thu Dec 16, 2021 1:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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De Bruin
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Re: Jerry White Weathered Union Pacific 4-12-2

Postby De Bruin » Thu Dec 16, 2021 11:46 am

Very nice weathering, meticulous application right down to the rods too. The model itself is amazing, did anyone else actually go to the trouble of including the working third piston rod, counter balance and linkage?
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86TA355SR
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Re: Jerry White Weathered Union Pacific 4-12-2

Postby 86TA355SR » Thu Dec 16, 2021 1:41 pm

De Bruin wrote:Very nice weathering, meticulous application right down to the rods too. The model itself is amazing, did anyone else actually go to the trouble of including the working third piston rod, counter balance and linkage?


Thank you. This is my second attempt at weathering and I really enjoy the process (painting/decals/“finishing”). As I develop additional skills/techniques I hope to capture better accuracy in my models. The big lesson I learned is start with light colors and coats, it’s MUCH easier to add then remove!

Sunset/3rd Rail did two runs, both had working 3rd link. The SS version is a better 2R model IMO. MTH did a 2R run also, but I don’t know if they included that feature. I’ll let Butch answer about Koh’s.

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Re: Jerry White Weathered Union Pacific 4-12-2

Postby Erik C Lindgren » Thu Dec 16, 2021 2:04 pm

Sweet :)

E7
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Re: Jerry White Weathered Union Pacific 4-12-2

Postby E7 » Thu Dec 16, 2021 6:03 pm

Hello Aaron,

Butch will tell you I am not a big fan of weathering. That said, there is one thing that jumps out at me in your second image: Lifesavers! The alternating rings look a bit too....defined?....consistent?....uniform? That look would be more correct if the Loco were standing still. When moving (which it would hopefully be doing most of the time), dirt would be more diffused, not a distinct pattern!

Have a good one!
Rich

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Re: Jerry White Weathered Union Pacific 4-12-2

Postby bob turner » Thu Dec 16, 2021 8:16 pm

Not sure that is true - a lot of western steam had such streaks, due to the high calcium content in the water.

I was never a great fan of weathering - but it is 9/10 of winning a contest. At OSW factory painted imprts have taken first prize while those of us with hand-crafted brass scratchbuilt models are simply out in the cold.

I learned this early on - heavy weathering or you lose. Vertical streaks - essential. Oil streaks on tender - simulated with varnish. Rust? Lots of orange and brown chalk.

Nice job. Glad you pulled the weight out - Gerry had a "thing" for big slugs of lead. And thanks for sharing the photos.

86TA355SR
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Re: Jerry White Weathered Union Pacific 4-12-2

Postby 86TA355SR » Thu Dec 16, 2021 8:37 pm

E7 wrote:Hello Aaron,

Butch will tell you I am not a big fan of weathering. That said, there is one thing that jumps out at me in your second image: Lifesavers! The alternating rings look a bit too....defined?....consistent?....uniform? That look would be more correct if the Loco were standing still. When moving (which it would hopefully be doing most of the time), dirt would be more diffused, not a distinct pattern!

Have a good one!
Rich


Rich-

These darn hi resolution cameras amplified it a little too, it doesn’t seem as pronounced/obvious in person. Thank you for the suggestion.

I was addressing it & thought about that for improvement too. I did another dull coat pass, full strength this time, only on the area between the bands since I posted these pictures. It helped. A little blending with the airbrush/paint is next option, Got a few ways to “correct” it still up my sleeve, haha.

Bob,

Did you finish your scratch built 4-12-2 ?

One of the old timers told me JW used those big weights because the rolling stock back in that era wasn’t like the free rolling cars of today-in other words, a very heavy locomotive was needed to pull a reasonable train. Whatever the reason, it’s a heck of a lot easier to handle with it removed.

Aaron

E7
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Re: Jerry White Weathered Union Pacific 4-12-2

Postby E7 » Thu Dec 16, 2021 10:56 pm

Aaron, Bottom line is, as long as YOU are happy with them!

Have a good Holidays,
Rich

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De Bruin
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Re: Jerry White Weathered Union Pacific 4-12-2

Postby De Bruin » Fri Dec 17, 2021 12:52 pm

I like weathering a lot, (typically my customers do not) my experience with it is even minimal flat mat washes can make the details really pop visually.

As an aside, Aaron do you have any experience with the dry brush pigment process? I don't, but have recently purchased a powder set from Micromark in the interest of mucking up some of the newer styrene and PVC freight cars in my club's for sale pile prior to listing them on Ebay, the few weathered examples (and oddly the tagged examples as well) have done quite well at closing compared to stock factory versions. To me the dry brush process seems like logical next step to learn how to do for realistic weathering.

I met Jerry White back in the mid 1980's at Larry Muir's South West O scale in Irving TX. He gave a clinic on re-powering locomotives that was a fascinating, and yeah I recall then he was a big proponent for adding weight for a variety of reasons, also quite a character!
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Chris Webster
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Re: Jerry White Weathered Union Pacific 4-12-2

Postby Chris Webster » Fri Dec 17, 2021 9:43 pm

E7 wrote:That said, there is one thing that jumps out at me in your second image: Lifesavers! The alternating rings look a bit too....defined?....consistent?....uniform?

To me, it looks like the second photo is slightly overexposed - on my laptop's uncalibrated monitor, the white background is brighter in the second photo than in the first photograph...the overexposure makes the white bands brighter as well.

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Re: Jerry White Weathered Union Pacific 4-12-2

Postby E7 » Sat Dec 18, 2021 12:32 pm

Chris Webster wrote:
E7 wrote:That said, there is one thing that jumps out at me in your second image: Lifesavers! The alternating rings look a bit too....defined?....consistent?....uniform?


To me, it looks like the second photo is slightly overexposed - on my laptop's uncalibrated monitor, the white background is brighter in the second photo than in the first photograph...the overexposure makes the white bands brighter as well.


Chris, I'll be the first to confess that weathering ISN'T part of my fantasy. You could even go further and ding things up a bit (bent hand rails, dents, wavy panels, a mini train wreck :shock: ) for the sake of fooling someone in a photo shot. I see far too much of the REAL world in my everyday life, and I have NO need to see it in my models.

That said, it would seem to me with locomotives chugging along horizontally at several mph that most of the dirt would be patterned West to East with not as much North to South, except when things are stationary. As for what effect my crummy little monitor has on things, I ain't got a clue!

If I were ever to go down the weathering road (don't hold your breath on that one :shock: :lol: ) I think the best aid one could get would be photos of the REAL thing in various states of dirt! And yes, I only buy Builder's photos! Train wrecks....No Thanks! :lol: Considering how much info (both builder's drawings and photos) is available on the Net, it appalls me to see how "science fiction" gets passed along by builders and importers. I may not be Einstein, but I ain't blind! :lol:

86TA355SR
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Re: Jerry White Weathered Union Pacific 4-12-2

Postby 86TA355SR » Sat Dec 18, 2021 3:45 pm

De Bruin wrote: ….Aaron do you have any experience with the dry brush pigment process? I don't, but have recently purchased a powder set from Micromark… To me the dry brush process seems like logical next step to learn how to do for realistic weathering.


The Vallejo ground powders? No, I haven’t used that brand. I have used pastels in the past though.

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Re: Jerry White Weathered Union Pacific 4-12-2

Postby ScaleCraft » Sat Dec 18, 2021 3:49 pm

I'm just old enough to remember some steam in SoCal. SP steam switcher on the branch jut on the south edge of Northrop Aviation. Driving up to visit Uncle in Lancaster, looking out the side back window of the 40 Ford Tudor and as track and road came back together before Palmdale right into the cab window of a Cab Forward.

Weathering is on par with automobile customizing. Very owner specific, and usually does not meet new owner's demands. I have spent months and months with pint after pint of PollyS paint and decal remover and thousands of Q-tips removing weathering.

This website gives lots of photos of engines in various stages of grime. One thing I have always remembered was the whitish calcium deposits streaking down from seemingly every pipe joint, valve stem, injector, air pump, dynamo..if I do weathering, that's all I do. You have to do that first before anything else:

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum ... 8/page128/


This is really indicative of a west coast engine leased out to an east coast railroad....and lack of even steam cleaning.

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/prod ... mthumb.jpg

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/prod ... mthumb.jpg

I like to see turntable extenders, too:

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/prod ... mthumb.jpg

And you can see the streaking even on a superbly maintained museum piece:

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/prod ... mthumb.jpg

And this is perfectly weathered!

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/prod ... mthumb.jpg
Dave....collector, restorer, and operator of the finest doorstops


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