Weathering Rolling Stock, a Continous thread

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I was asked how I weather the trucks and wheelsets, what colors do I use and do I air brush or hand brush them?

All trucks and wheelsets are 1st cleaned with 91% Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA). Either the dip method or an air brush spray. If using the air brush the PSI is set between 50 and 60. They sit to dry overnight

Paints: I use mainly Tamiya acrylic paints as my base and 75%of the time I will hand brush them on. The other 25% I will use the airbrush but those are on large runs (more than 10 cars) of reefers, autoracks and tank cars.

All wheels threads are cleaned with IPA on a cloth laid across the track and the wheels are rubbed across it. It may seem like a long slow process but you’d be surprised how quick any paint is removed.

Colors: I use Hull Red xf-9, toss in some drops of Black xf-1 and then thin with IPA at about 50/50 as the base. As I use up browns, tans and greens I will toss those colors in the bottle and just mix it. So my truck and wheel colors are rarely the same from run to run.
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Some clients do request colors to match the area they are modeling.
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The above OBIX covered hopper was shot if a spray of reddish dirt to match the area the modeler sent a picture of. Basically just Hull Red without any black. After they are dry I will forward the pictures to the client and they decide if they fit what they are thinking for a weathered truck and wheelset. Real rails cars are not solid rust but tend to what I see as a dirt color
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I took these pictures in Rochelle, Illinois on 9/3/2024. I use these as inspiration and proof not everything is rust covered
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However if more rust is needed or desired, I will take straight Vallejo Air Burnt Umber #71.040 and brush/dab it on

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All pictures of the prototype are mine. The goal was to find some new tags and graffiti for my library of pictures, but really the wheels and trucks really stood out in my mind.

As with all weathering there usually is no right or wrong. Experiment and see what works for you and have fun…
 
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TLOC said:
I put the trucks on the cars and tested how they roll. The under sides are weathered not the bodies yet!View attachment 201015Pretty good! But an unusual 1st for me. While putting a wheel set into the holes on the truck the point of the axle broke!View attachment 201016View attachment 201017View attachment 201018 I removed the broken axle point and for kicks re-inserted the round axle tip and it works great. It is one of the reasons I put the 5 cars on the track for the rolling test.

This morning I will be adding a rust color to the trucks as these are too greenish gray in my eyesView attachment 201019View attachment 201020View attachment 201021


But this one came as reddish rust color and needs a bit more black/gray but not too much
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Once I have fixed these I will starting wreathing the roofs, if not late tonight, early Monday
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Hmm, lots of boxcar red to deal with…

The Dark Side is calling you, @TLOC , you will soon join me…do not resist.
 
C&OMtnMan said:
Hmm, lots of boxcar red to deal with…

The Dark Side is calling you, @TLOC , you will soon join me…do not resist.
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Yes tough color to weather lightly without going overboard. There are 7 more cars to show off over the next few days after these 5 are approved and 5 are box car red. The plan is a fade but getting it dark enough without being gray is an interesting balance. Then a good track kick up along the sides but low on the car. Plus each different car manufacturer’s car fades differently even after the same amount of spray passes. Love a challenge but now that I’m feeling better it’s fun again…

Don’t let folks tell you weathering between different eras is the same, it’s not. There are less pictures of the 50, 60’s and 70’s of freight cars. Roof pictures are even tougher

Strange but since I’ve posted a few of these pictures on my layout/weathering page I’ve gotten a few inquiries from guys asking for my pricing for 60 and 70 era cars. Thankfully though (or maybe not) I don’t do steam locomotives. I’ve gotten more requests for weathering steam in the last 2 weeks than I’ve had the last 2 years combined.
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TLOC said:
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Don’t let folks tell you weathering between different eras is the same, it’s not. There are less pictures of the 50, 60’s and 70’s of freight cars. Roof pictures are even tougher
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Preaching to the choir on that point, you are:

GEVO diesels produce less soot in their exhaust than their diesel predecessors, affecting the look of the top of the engines. And the soot the older diesels generated is a drop in the bucket compared to the ash & cinders of steam locomotives (and soot of the oil-fired steamers). That’s why I lean toward griming up the roofs of my rolling stock, rather than fading them. In many locales, I’m sure enough crud was deposited trackside to affect the color and texture of mud splash.
 
Pictures later or tomorrow morning

I have applied a gloss streak from the dome of the WEPX tank car per Dave’s request. This will simulate spillage which was almost unregulated when these cars were on the rails. Plus I added more grime to the top 1/2 of the tank with a tint of my reddish start to rust color. This will give the car some notice!

Both box cars now have different shades of trackside kick up spray along the bottom edges

The 2 white tank cars have been weathered but you can still tell these were white at one time. I will add some gloss streaks, again to show some spillage flow

I’m on break but contemplating shooting the cars with a matte dull coat. They have been dry for over 4 hours since I worked on the 5 last night and this morning. Meanwhile I have been working on the other 7 cars of this group and cleaned the layout room.

Later
 
Well I think they look good! I just went back to the train room and checked on them. I need to take some pictures to send to Dave in the morning. After he looks at them I will post them here

Here’s some pictures of mine that will need weathering over the next few months! I know wrong thread but I allow an occasional exception. I sent these out to be stripped and painted. I weather things I no longer paint!
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A little interlude to compare the differences that photographic equipment makes. I got a new phone/camera early in the week.

The subjects are my single-sheathed, outside bracedFirst up, a photo I’ve shown before, from my iPhone 11:

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And now, from my new iPhone16, same setting and location as before:

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Well, the new phone is giving me higher resolution, but you have to zoom in pretty tight to tell it.

Color rendition is pretty accurate on both. The color difference in the car between the pictures is real - it’s two different cars, and the one in the top was airbrushed with more of my rose-colored fade coat (look at the B&O capitol dome).

Not necessarily “earth-shaking” overall difference between cameras, but when you zoom in closely, the resolution difference is much greater than I initially appreciated.
 
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Just a side note as to why I have been posting without a lot of actual progress in weathering for a while:

First, I worked a month solid of 12-hour-days, interspersed with the rare day off.

Second, I had to travel 500 miles for my mother’s health issues and associated major surgery.

Third, while both of the above were still going on, hurricane Helene came through our town. I got away with minimal damage apart from a lot of trees down around my property. Lots of folks got it worse. So, in what “free” time I have, I engage in cleanup.
 
C&OMtnMan said:
Just a side note as to why I have been posting without a lot of actual progress in weathering for a while:

First, I worked a month solid of 12-hour-days, interspersed with the rare day off.

Second, I had to travel 500 miles for my mother’s health issues and associated major surgery.

Third, while both of the above were still going on, hurricane Helene came through our town. I got away with minimal damage apart from a lot of trees down around my property. Lots of folks got it worse. So, in what “free” time I have, I engage in cleanup.
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Not a problem posting without progress. Glad Helene was only minimal for you. I have a friend who’s son lives in Chimney something NC and the house floated away

Be well be safe
 
CambriaArea51 said:
Tom, I came across this video that might be a good reference in the future. It starts out showing the tops of a grain train. A good variety of grain spillage, tops replaced, walkways replaced, and a couple of cars that the grain was sprouting.
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Tom thanks for sharing the video. This is saved to the files. A great resource for the tops of grain covered hopper
 


With the mention of Hurricane Helene, an update from me on Hurricane Milton.

We are pretty well inland in west central FL, and still wound up getting the eyewall as it was still a hurricane. Two trees down; one damaged the roof. Hole over the living room, and a few other break throughs. Carport pretty much destroyed. No damage to the layout or rolling stock and motive power. I packed everything securely and stored it in the 135mph rated shed, which was untouched. Just got power back this afternoon after being out, along with the internet, since wednesday night when Milton came through. I took the two dogs and a roadtrip to GA for the storm. Glad I did.

That aside; it's a drop in the bucket compared to what Helene did in NC. Western NC is where my heart is. I lived there for a short while, and have regretted leaving every day since. Almost everything I loved out there is just, gone. :'(

I'll have more weathering related updates soon. Love the posts, keep em coming. A worthy distraction from the reality at hand.

-RC
 
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