Best method for painting steamer running gear?

[Secondhandmodeler]

I posted this across the street. Everyone is either too busy hugging it out, or philosophising to answer specific questions.

I know this has been covered before, but I would like some new answers. For those of you that paint the running gear on your steamers, which method do you prefer?

1. I've heard of brush painting, which doesn't sound like a great idea to me. I don't see how you could get an even coat on the rods and wheels.

2. Airbrush, which I don't have yet, but will be getting soon. How do you keep the paint from getting in the motor if you paint with the wheels moving?

3. Neo lube, which sounds easy and tricky all at the same time. It doesn't sound very permanent, and I may have trouble with it's conductive properties.

4. Blackening agent, which doesn't sound very realistic to me. Most older locos I've seen pictures of have painted gear and wheels, not a metallic finish.

I've decided that if I'm going to spend the time to fix this old thing, I should probably do the most realistic job my limited skills allow. I would like to hear your opinions on the methods I've mentioned. If you have a better way, any and all tips would be appreciated.

Thank you for your time.

 

[UP2CSX]

Actually, a blackening agent comes out looking pretty good. Any other way of painting the running gear is tricky because you can screw up the conductive properties of some little part and not even know it. Blackening agents are conductive so that's not a problem. You need to clean the running gear really well with alcohol before you use it or the finish will come out blotchy. When used right, it is a pretty good reporduction of most steam running gear in service. The gear got wiped down a lot with grease so that tended to cover up any paint except those engines with special color schemes, where the rod colors were maintained by the railroad.

Also, don't confuse how running gear looks on preserved locomotives compared to when they were in service. This is a picture of NKP #759 at Steamtown with the gear nicely painted:

This is the same class, NKP #740, in service in 1957. You can see that black and rust are the normal colors when the railroad was running them hard.

http://nkphts.org/pictures/ameling/740-Argos-IN-Spring-1957jpg.html

 

[Secondhandmodeler]

Hmm, maybe I'll have to try that neo lube product. It certainly sounds easier than trying to paint without gumming everything up. Thanks for the input Jim.