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Weathering Track
Thread startertmiller
Start date
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I saw on a video that it is recommended to apply a thin coat of oil to the rails before weathering. Others just paint away and clean the track later. The idea of oil seems like a good idea, but I would think that you would have to be very careful not to get any on the side of the rails where you want the paint, only keeping it on the top of the rail. I am just wondering how difficult it is to clean off the paint using a rail cleaning pad or alcohol?
I think it would be a whole lot easier to just tape off the tops of the rails and as soon as the paint is sprayed, then take a piece of paper towel folded over to make it somewhat stiff n give the tops of the rails a wipe with some alcohal... just my $0.02...
I won't paint the tops of the rails with oils for that very reason; run-down onto the webs where you don't want it....absolutely do not want it! I prefer to paint it by hand with a stiffened artist's brush (I trim the bristles to be stiffer and also cut some well back so that what's left will cover the rails webs and feet, but no more). Every 30-40 seconds, I take up a rag and wipe clean the tops of the rails with a dipped finger tip. Works for me.
I spray paint rails, roadbed and ties with earth or other brown colors, 2'-3' at a time, and wipe off the tops of the rails with a paper towel before the paint dries. Any spots that I miss can be taken care of with an easy hit with a BriteBoy later. I also go back before ballasting and hand paint random ties with grimy black, roof brown, etc., for a little variety. Works for me!
willie
My thought is to paint the rails a burnt umber and the inside roadbed a spotty grimy black. Unless I change my mind, I plan on using my airbrush, Sounds like oil is not the best way to go.
Thanks guys for your advice. Always good to know what the other side is thinking.
Personally I like this guys work. His youtube channel is Everardjunction and he models British railroads. I think that the track weathering he does looks fantastic. He uses an airbrush and tapes only the switch points. I plan on using his technique when I get to that point on my layout. www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB1B3DABAEB2DED5A
Weathering track isnt all that hard. Like others have said, do small sections at a time and clean the rail tops as you go with Lacquer or Paint Thinner and a paper towel over your fingertip.
I personally use Testors Roof Brown paint in a spray can, I spray the entire track and make sure it is all covered. Then I will go back with Testors Grimy Black and mist over the track to dull it down and age it a bit. It works pretty well and is a very quick and easy way to weather track. You can take a paint brush and highlight more down the center of the ties if you wish to simulate oil dripage and such as well. It also provides a good base color for your roadbed for ballast to be laid over.
I just recently did a layout section with a brown Sharpie (felt pen), worked great and no cleanup involved!
Otherwise I do the stiff bristle brush thing as mentioned by Crandell.
Thanks for the advice guys. My first thought was to use an airbrush, but now I may go the brush route. My concern with the airbrush is over spray onto the ballast.
Yesterday I tried painting a small piece of track with a brush. For the first go-around I used Woodland Scenics Earth Colors burnt umber. Too transparent. Then I tried some burnt umber acrylic paint that I bought at WalMart. Much darker and looks good.
I like the idea of Testor's Roof Brown in a spray, but not sure I like the idea of an oil based paint. Would really have to ventilate since my layout is in the basement.
In using the spray can, I assume you were able to get the nozzle close enough to the rails to avoid too much over spray onto the ballast?
Hey Rico, how bout a pic of the track coloring with the sharpie...that sounds like a really easy way to do it....I might have to run to walmart today n get a couple. I am guessing a darker brown is the way to go?
No, if you want to use spray cans or even a airbrush, its a good idea to do before you ballast the track. The spray cans would be virtually impossible to control and get close enough to just hit the rail without masking a ton. If you get too close, the paint will just pool and puddle right out of the can. An airbrush you might be able to focus enough on the rails but it would still be a good idea to mask
Josh, I agree that it would work better to weather before ballasting. But that is not the case. I have started to weather with a brush. I thought the acrylic paint would work best straight from the tube. Wasn't sticking too good. So added some water and now it is flowing and adhering much better. Still some shiny spots, but I think that might be a normal look. Looks pretty good. Just a tedious and time consuming job.
Took the advice of using 600 grit sandpaper to clean the rails. Comes right off with little effort.
I guess the fun will begin when I airbrush the grimy black between the rails. Will get some pics when I get a little further along.
It depends on HOW ACCURATE you want to be with the track/rail painting. In the 1900's you didn't see so much sand for traction. The rails were rusty on the sidings. Rail was in sections so you can paint some rusty, and then some flat gray or medium brown. Around any place a steam engine could park they would run the grate shakers and such and clean out some of the cinders. THAT would be between the rails. Also, pre-WWII the ends of the ties were exposed.
I model the N&W in the mid 1930's in SW Virginia. I start with painting all the rail with a thinned Scalecoat engine black. I spray just enough to tone down the silver on the Walthers code 83. I mask and paint the turnouts and I also pre-mask areas with the different colors of mainlilne rail. I have thin shim stock bras as rail frogs, or whatever those plates are they bolt to the rails. After the track is dry, I go back with some armor sand and highlight some of the ties. All non-coal tipple sidings ties are lighter than the mainline. After the track has had a chance to dry, a final check is made and all clean-up done BEFORE ADDING BALLAST. I go aver things again on grades to add in more 'sand', and for the yard, mostly cinders. The track MUST BE PERFECT before you ballast it because after the glue dries...THATS IT! I use 1 cup Elmers glue (White glue) 2 cups of water and 1/2 cup of 409 as a wetting agent. I drip it out of a paper cup with a little hole to allow the glue to dribble out of the hole and wick into the ballast gravel.
I used Floquil Roof Brown spray paint from a can to paint the rails and ties of my layout. After the paint had dried, I went over the tops of the rails with a "Bright Boy" and removed the paint with #5 elbow grease. The painting was done just after the track was laid and way before ballasting (this is important to the sequencing of the process). I actually feel ballasting to be a part of the scenery and is done only after the scenery near the tracks has been finished! After the Roof Brown has been applied to everything, I paint random ties with a light gray, black, burnt sienna; or, burnt umber wash made from acrylic paints and water to randomize how the ties look as in reality some ties are new (black) some are old (gray) most in between (roof brown, burnt sienna, burnt umber).
... The painting was done just after the track was laid and way before ballasting (this is important to the sequencing of the process). I actually feel ballasting to be a part of the scenery and is done only after the scenery near the tracks has been finished!...
I feel pretty much the same way, with one exception. I am not going to apply any ballast to the track until the last step when an area is having the scenery applied. The scenery was "there" before the track was, so ballasting is the last step for me.
I feel pretty much the same way, with one exception. I am not going to apply any ballast to the track until the last step when an area is having the scenery applied. The scenery was "there" before the track was, so ballasting is the last step for me.
