Weathering Rolling Stock, a Continous thread


Three more grain cars in the works. Trucks, underside, and sides weathered. Sides are done in powders and sealed. Next will be some airbrush blending.
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Remember these?
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I showed them on my FB page and had asks to buy them! I texted the client and he said no he loves them and will not sell them.

Told the people asking and 2 asked if I had any tank cars I could do the same to. Someone asking me if I had extra cars!!! Image that, I do. Anyway sold today 4 tank cars from Walthers Mainline to 2 different modelers for weathering and delivery 2/21/2025. That is beyond my normal 6-8 week lead times. But with an uncertain December for us I added a cushion!
 
This is called trust your process!

I am working with 3 of Marlin39’s Western Pacific cars. The cars are faded and the undersides, truck frames and wheels are weathered.

The roof is next and the first part of the roof is the roof walk. The cars have a build date of 1952 so these will not be heavily weathered, some rust (not much) but in the appropriate spots for the time that David models. But we have to make the roof walks stand a little bit out over the roof.

I used Model Air orange rust as a base on the roof walks shown in Picture #1. After drying with some help from the blow dryer I added Model Air burnt umber as shown in Picture #2. It’s drying (no blower dryer for this) for 3 hours as I move to other models. Picture #3 are the colors I used. These were straight from the bottle but the surface had some water spread across it first. I also touched the brake wheel and footstand for the brake wheel.

I know it’s not much and I rarely show these type of in process pictures. But the roof walks look terribly over weathered considering what David asked for. These will dry out to (90% certain) to what I want before moving on. Experience tells me this will be fine. So figure out your process and trust it! Besides if you or someone else doesn’t like it, you can easily remove it before it’s clear coated

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VA#71.130 orange rust
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VA # 71.040 burnt umber
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Proof of colors, these are thoroughly mixed prior to use

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My mixer. Expensive at $90 a few years ago but has turned invaluable to me. Completely a subjective statement but the paints are much better mixed than shaking the bottle by hand
 
I know it’s not much and I rarely show these type of in process pictures. But the roof walks look terribly over weathered considering what David asked for. These will dry out to (90% certain) to what I want before moving on. Experience tells me this will be fine. So figure out your process and trust it! Besides if you or someone else doesn’t like it, you can easily remove it before it’s clear coated

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Is there any chance we see any post-drying photos to see the change in appearance you describe?
 
Color-coding springs could help identify the age or type of springs, making maintenance and inspections easier. Assorted colors could also indicate various specifications, such as load capacity, type of material, or specific usage.
 
I appreciate all who have come to this thread and offered positive thoughts and suggestions since the beginning in February of 2022. As I have posted here and on FB in 2024, my commission weathering will be intentionally slowed down in 2025. Because of that my posting of projects here will be less. But I will continue to check in and if there is a posting I will continue to comment.

I posted this on my Facebook page

Wisconsin River Valley and Terminal Railroad in HO scale

I posted 69+ pictures but of course we are limited to 10 in the forum. Most of what I posted have been shown here anyway.

2024 is almost a wrap in Wisconsin. We will say goodbye to a strange year for me in about 7.25 hours. I’ve been sick, healthy and in between. Terry and I have been mostly good with the health but there were a couple exceptions.

My personal modeling in the year drastically slowed down even though I tried to cut down on my weathering commissions. I remained busy to almost overwhelmed. I am reducing what commission work I will accept in 2025, so text me!

I’ve included a small portion of some weathering projects done in the past year. I know I am sick of seeing a HO scale well car but even more so of containers. But if you have some that need weathering, send them here! I’ll get over it. Like 2022 and 23, 2024 was a huge year for the yellow TBOX car. Graffiti was applied either custom with a brush, an airbrush or using the decals from Circuscitydecals.com and a few from Blair Line. Tagging with few exceptions was custom

I fell in love with each of the 70 diesel locomotives I completed with 2 more to complete and ship out in the next week.

Terry and I are approaching 2025 with fingers crossed! The grandkids are healthy and growing, the family is healthy enough and we look forward to our niece’s wedding in May.

Happy New Year
Tom and Terry OConnell

Some pictures
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The above 5 containers on my workbench were the 1st of what turned out to be over 400 containers

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The last of 2 diesels for 2024 are for Marlin39. I appreciated David allowing his cars to be posted here on the forum and FB. Most for some reason do not want me posting pictures

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