Weathering Engines a Continuous thread.

[migalyto]

(why is the rolling stock thread locked?)

Look at post #743 Its on page 38

Thread 'Running Bear’s April 2026 Coffee Shop'

Mar 31, 2026

• bnsf971
• Replies: 1,498
• Forum: ANPL Coffee Shop

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[CambriaArea51]

I have a few Kato engines that I haven't run in awhile. Noticed the couplers needed weathering. So I did that and painted the wheels and rusted the trucks a bit more.These were renumbered to reflect CSX ownership.

 

[TLOC]

I have a few Kato engines that I haven't run in awhile. Noticed the couplers needed weathering. So I did that and painted the wheels and rusted the trucks a bit more.These were renumbered to reflect CSX ownership.View attachment 263552View attachment 263553View attachment 263554

Nicely done.

 

[Homer Jay]

Hey guys, I need your help. This is my first weathering of a locomotive and I have no idea how the roof of those locos actually look like. Can you provide links or pictures that show the locos roof? Also, what do you think of the roof weathering job I've done? I think it is too dark and to uniform, but since I have no idea how real loco roofs look like... I dunno.

 

[diesel]

There are a lot of things you can do with the roof, but the most obvious is always the soot in and around the exhaust stack. If you've already done that, I suggest very thin light earth washes to lighten up and simulate long term rain pooling and runoff over the entire roof. Then go back with a really flat black and hit the stack again. The roof will sometimes be more faded because of increased UV exposure.

 

[moonlighting_racer]

+1 on it being too dark. A light fade pass would help a lot and break up some of the monochrome on the cab roof too. I would hammer the exhaust area with black powders, then try to brush them down in either direction.

The grill in the back looks amazing though!

 

[CambriaArea51]

Nicely done.

Thank you.

 

[diesel]

I thought I could find some roof shots, it turns out they are hard to find but here I have one very sooty and one very clean roof for you:

and another cleanish one

 

[CambriaArea51]

They are hard to find, unless they were on top of an overpass or a drone in today's time they are few and far between.

 

[Snowman]

Ah HA!! I stumbled across one of diesel's down on shots just a few hours ago. The one looking down on the top of the (I assume) BN F45 or FP45 type cowl unit. The one with the winterization hatch. The one with the dark, but not black roof.

And I was gonna point you at that one, but he already did. And he's also the original poster, so I refer you back to him.

 

[Colorado Midland Modeler]

I thought I could find some roof shots, it turns out they are hard to find but here I have one very sooty and one very clean roof for you:
View attachment 264963
View attachment 264964

and another cleanish one
View attachment 264967

Great reference photos! I find it amazing how clean the roof of the 3835 engine is in the top photo as well as the UP? something 10 in bottom photo.

 

[diesel]

This one illustrates the dirt/soot dichotomy, note that the pooling isn't strong because the unit is operating in a very dry climate.

 

[diesel]

This one has more dirt and pooling. It's on grey so easier to judge the tones. DF4B in Chaoyang.

This would be more applicable to NA locos because flatter roof. Note the dirt gradations on the panels between the stacks, modest soot on the stacks, and oily residue escaping from the vent (I wish I knew what it actually is).

The key to convincing dirt, is gradation and texture. That is why airbrush alone can't do it all, the airbrushed gradations are always completely smooth.

Here's a GKD-1, you can see the light coloured dirt accumulation which highlights the roof. In this case, hardly any soot because the modern prime mover has a much cleaner exhaust than the previous generations.

 

[moonlighting_racer]

Nothing really new here, just practicing on YN2s before I try to do my Intermountain SD40-2. I might need to go back with some more powder, the clear really blasted it off this time, particularly on the plow and tank. Maybe one more pass of black on the grills too. Fade looks a bit frosty in these pics but I think its weird iphone compression again, its not so bad in person.

 

[Homer Jay]

Thanks a lot guys, for the roof pictures! In the meantime, I have repainted the dark roof and applied a much lighter weathering. What do you think now?

BTW, this is a heavily modified Proto2000 model. It has:

• LED lights
• ESU Loksound with a powerful passive radiator speaker
• ground light
• cabin light
• stay-alive Capacitor
• Remote couplers front/rear
• motorized radiator fan

In the next days, i will start a new thread, where I can share some details about this mod.

 

[Colorado Midland Modeler]

Thanks a lot guys, for the roof pictures! In the meantime, I have repainted the dark roof and applied a much lighter weathering. What do you think now?

BTW, this is a heavily modified Proto2000 model. It has:

• LED lights
• ESU Loksound with a powerful passive radiator speaker
• ground light
• cabin light
• stay-alive Capacitor
• Remote couplers front/rear
• motorized radiator fan

In the next days, i will start a new thread, where I can share some details about this mod.

Looks great! For my personal taste, the weathering is right in what I'd call the "Goldilocks zone".

 

[AirbrushNo5]

UP 677 looks great

 

[moonlighting_racer]

That looks really nice, a huge improvement.

My only minor quibbles:
1. Add a little dust/dirt/grime around the lowest parts of the frame, particularly above the trucks. That area seems bright compared to the rest of the model esp above the rear truck.
2. Paint your handrails! I don't model UP but a quick google shows they should be white in the grab areas.

 

[Homer Jay]

That looks really nice, a huge improvement.

My only minor quibbles:
1. Add a little dust/dirt/grime around the lowest parts of the frame, particularly above the trucks. That area seems bright compared to the rest of the model esp above the rear truck.
2. Paint your handrails! I don't model UP but a quick google shows they should be white in the grab areas.

Thank you!

I’ll leave the handrails gray, all photos show the prototype RS27’s with gray handrails, not white

 

[moonlighting_racer]

Thank you!

I’ll leave the handrails gray, all photos show the prototype RS27’s with gray handrails, not white

Ah word everything I googled was more modern.