Thanks for asking, Tom
Most of my stuff was purchased on ebay, I am modelling up to 1940 and find some interesting older freight cars and locomotives come up for sale daily. So, a purchase is more an opportunity rather than something I was looking for, consequently after an initial look over, they often go back in the box.
Many need couplers or trucks, and some I like to lightly weather. If I have several I will go to the light weathering, I will not weather just one but will get a batch together and work on them that way. Sometimes I will go back over a box car again when I do another batch. Here I brush paint the trucks, and use a wash of antique white and/or india ink and alcohol/water. Usually go over it several times. Rarely do I use dull cote. I have black and rust weathering powders that I use mainly on the locomotives.
If I am anxious to put it on the tracks, I may just get the trucks and couplers right then start using it.
Here is an example, one of my favorite locomotives, a Mantua. It is a good runner. I maybe overdid the tender but that is powder on the trucks and got the rust effect on the top of the tender using the powder with water. Note on the flat car the trucks were painted too. The locomotive has been repainted and whitewashed, I think I rubbed the whitewash with cotton balls to fade it a little.
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I got a second place in a Walthers contest for this one, which was a free catalog also $75. Spent the money right away. The chains were not done very well, but I am guilty of sometimes overlooking an obvious thing.
Bottom line, I do different stuff all the time, try to remember what I liked, but love to experiment. Don't get to stressed out about it and remember that trains are pulling cars from all over, usually, so they will probably differ.
The track was painted with the Woodland scenics pen. I weather the ties by just rubbing some fine sand or real ballast a little on them, then cleaning track. My layout is all DC.
Dave LASM