If you are modelling an old wagon that will have done many thousands of miles in service, chances are it would have been repaired a few times. `Replaced' planking on the sides & ends of vans & plank wagons, and on the floors of open wagons, are easily modelled by simply repainting the individual planks after giving the whole model 3 or 4 coats of light weathering (with varying colours), then after the `repaired' bits have thoroughly dried continue with more coats of differing coloured weathering until the model looks work-stained enough. When modelling steel built wagons, like the 16 Ton mineral wagon shown above, remember to make the dents and prepare the `rusty bits' before painting! Dents are easily made by warming up the plastic in warm water for a few minutes (Do not use boiling water, as you can warp some parts by overheating, the general rule is; if it's too hot for your hands, it's too hot for your plastic.) Then carefully press the plastic `outwards' from inside the wagon with any blunt item.

I use a selection of screwdrivers and `wax carving' tools to produce dents of varying sizes and shapes. I then use the tip of a scalpel blade to `roughen up' areas that are going to be rusty. Once painted the roughened areas give the paint a `lumpy' or 'bubbled' look, then you simply dry brush your chosen `rust coloured paint' onto the rough patches then weather as you would any other wagon. I would advise a bit of practice on some scrap plastic or `styrene sheet' before attacking your models as it is easy to split or shatter some of the plastics used in making N gauge kits. The most important thing is to try to keep the plastic warm so it is more pliable and less likely to break, this is achieved by simply dunking it back into warm water for a few minutes. (this also applies to plastic kits in other scales)