You can buy ready-made tarpaulin wagons but you can also make your own. MRE goes undercover to find out how.
There are lots of techniques for doing this but Bruce Randell’s approach is the easiest I’ve found.
The 7 steps for making the tarpaulin is:
- Place some objects in the wagon that will give the tarpaulin the shape you want,
This can be any shape or size you require. - Cover the wagon with clingfilm.
This protects the wagon from the next steps. - Wrap the wagon load in two or three sheets of tissue paper,
If you want a tight, taut, cover use three sheets of paper. - Hold the tissue paper in place with a rubber band.
- Spray the tissue paper with a PVA/Water mix until it’s soaked and finally shape it,
Bruce recommends a 50/50 mix for the PVA/Water. - Once dry, paint it and add weathering if wanted.
- With the paint dry, cut off the excess.
Cut off the spare tissue first, then remove the rubber band and cut just about the rubber band line.
Now remove the clingfilm and you have a tarpaulin for your wagons.
Bruce’s video and an example are shown below.
As mentioned at the start, it’s a very easy and simple technique and produces so great-looking covered wagons.
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Andy is a lifelong modeler, writer, and founder of modelrailwayengineer.com. He has been building model railways, dioramas, and miniatures for over 20 years. His passion for model making and railways began when he was a child, building his first layout at the age of seven.
Andy’s particular passion is making scenery and structures in 4mm scale, which he sells commercially. He is particularly interested in modelling the railways of South West England during the late Victorian/early Edwardian era, although he also enjoys making sci-fi and fantasy figures and dioramas. His website has won several awards, and he is a member of MERG (Model Railway Electronics Group) and the 009 Society.
When not making models, Andy lives in Surrey with his wife and teenage son. Other interests include history, science fiction, photography, and programming. Read more about Andy.