Exanples of Weathering for Bachmann Northern 4-8-4

[beiland]

I somehow ended up with 3 of these locomotives. They are the latter day versions, so good motors, run smoothly, good pullers.

I think they will end up looking very good with a good weathering job. I believe I would prefer to do that job with some sort of 'dry method' such as weathering powders, etc ,...rather than any air brushing/spraying methods?

I would appreciate any and all examples of weathered versions.

 

[Espeefan]

I don't know that you'll be able to do them justice without some spraying, even if only to apply a flat coat necessary to give some tooth to hold dry medias, either powders, or Pan Pastels. After, you'll need to spray some sort of fixative to keep your dry media in place, or make sure you don't handle the model again. My suggestion would be to apply Tarpon gray to the smokebox front, the edges of the firebox under the lagging, and the access panel between the sand dome and the stack. It looks like the model is all black. Flat coat the model, then fade the model with gray or white Pan Pastel. I strongly recommend finding some photos of these engines in service and using them as a guide. Steamers accumulated crud in a different manner than rolling stock or diesels and you'll need to get familiar with how that happened. If you're modeling a specific area, consider the color palette you'll need. The basic Pan Pastel set isn't enough to do steamers. I picked up a gray set, as there are many grays and white in the steam engine weathering palette. Considering the Santa Fe ran through lots of desert, I'd suggest desert tans. Go easy on the rust. I have one or two models that are very heavily weathered because I am portraying them at the end of their service lives. Most steamers were well kept in good repair. They'd be dirty, but not trashed in normal service.

 

[beiland]

THANK you very much for that reply Alan.

I was aware that I likely would need to apply some sort fixative coat. i just wondered how any spraying methods could present problems with the running of these steam engines,...and how to avoid missed areas without some sort of rotation of the drivers and their rods??

 

[Espeefan]

THANK you very much for that reply Alan.

I was aware that I likely would need to apply some sort fixative coat. i just wondered how any spraying methods could present problems with the running of these steam engines,...and how to avoid missed areas without some sort of rotation of the drivers and their rods??

I use a light spray on the drivers and running gear, then rotate them 90 degrees under power and touch up. Cue tips with the necessary cleaning solution on electrical pickup areas get rid of anything that doesn't belong. I've found it's not that big a deal when weathering. Spraying on an actual topcoat is asnother matter, but weathering washes won't gum up the works in my experience. Just use a light touch on the airbrush. I recommend no rattle cans as you can't throttle the paint flow with them.