Todays project


CSXMATT

CSXMATT

Member
Took my Lionel BN covered hopper and weathered it a bit. Still need to weather the roof, but looks good enough for now.
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Looks like the boys at the elevator were moving cars with the loader again.
Good job!
 
Please understand this is constructive criticism. Don't kill me. The thing is, when I see photos of actual weathered rolling stock, the paint does fade, but it doesn't distort and disappear quite like that. I can't even really see the BN logo anymore, or the lettering, and frankly I can't find any example of such a thing in the real world. I can find lettering that has turned half brown and looks a very pale mint green, but the edges are still defined. Maybe concentrate more on rusting up the car, or even applying a very thin green wash to simulate the white paint fading, but not just erase the edges of it like that.
 
What is usually advised is a thin wash of white over the original paint to dull it and make it look faded and old, then do your weathering over that. I found a local brand of clear dull rattle can finish that must have some white in it and it produces that look very well.

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MikeOwnby said:
Please understand this is constructive criticism. Don't kill me. The thing is, when I see photos of actual weathered rolling stock, the paint does fade, but it doesn't distort and disappear quite like that. I can't even really see the BN logo anymore, or the lettering, and frankly I can't find any example of such a thing in the real world. I can find lettering that has turned half brown and looks a very pale mint green, but the edges are still defined. Maybe concentrate more on rusting up the car, or even applying a very thin green wash to simulate the white paint fading, but not just erase the edges of it like that.
Click to expand...

The idea came from a BN 2 bay hopper I saw in real life in my hometown. The logo was very faded and almost unlegible, it was a very rusty car.
 
Matt's photo shows one of my favorite weathering techniques: lightly airbrush the entire car with its base color. For the ICG, it would be wussy orange. For an even heavier weathered look, I'll add a drop or two of either black or white, depending on the base color. That alone makes a big difference. From there, its rust and dirt and streaks to your hearts content. And prototype photos like the one Matt posted are a great help. Don't get caught in the road name trap - just because you have a great photo of an ICG hopper, doesn't mean you can't use it as an example for an SP hopper.
 
CSXMATT said:
The idea came from a BN 2 bay hopper I saw in real life in my hometown. The logo was very faded and almost unlegible, it was a very rusty car.
Click to expand...

I get what you're saying, and that ICG/INTX car actually illustrates what I was trying to say. Yes, the lettering and logos are almost invisible in places, but note that the edges of the paint, even where very faint, are still nonetheless quite clearly defined everywhere except for just a very small part of the white paint in the large logo. I think you'd probably end up getting a more realistic look by using washes and/or powders that go over the top of the markings and "erase" them that way than by actually rubbing off the markings and removing those clearly defined edges.

In the end, it's really just an opinion for you to consider. If you're happier with the other method you're using, then by all means go for it. Just because I'd do it differently doesn't mean that's the way it has to be done. I've personally got so much rolling stock that the idea of trying to weather all of it even lightly is incredibly daunting and not something I'm willing to tackle any time soon, so you're way ahead of me in that area regardless of how you decide to do it.

BTW, your work in those two most recent pictures is outstanding. Very well done.
 
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