Weathering Rolling Stock, a Continous thread

[TLOC]

What I find harder than the doing of repetitive cars, is bringing myself to write about it; I’m afraid of boring the forum with my limited subject matter.

Don’t feel that way. I know it’s easy to tell you that and I know the repetitive feeling but…

Lots of folks visit and view but don’t comment. I have many messages via the forum messenger system that thanks our contributors for posting their weathering techniques, real life weathering issues and photos. What you may think of as boring may trigger something in somebody reading. That’s good and it’s what I wanted when I started this thread. I think CambriaArea51 (Tom) feels the same with his Continuous locomotive thread.

When I got sick and then the stroke this Summer, I got lots of good wishes messages rooting but also for me to post weathering stuff. It helped me push myself. Forget boring, post away

When I started I wanted and still want constructive criticism and no negativity. I think that’s been accomplished along with the sharing. Heck just posting a picture may help someone.

It’s not boring, it’s fun

 

[TLOC]

Well, I’m sort of back. I started buying equipment before and after Christmas to get back into speculating and selling weathered cars. One of the reasons was the possible up coming tariffs, the normal price increases and I didn’t want to place deadlines on myself while still recovering my health. So if I grab a piece of equipment I own I can work on it at my leisure. That’s what these are…

There are 2 shows coming up, the end of March and in September. I’m looking for the 1st time ever getting a table for myself and selling just weathered equipment. I have plenty of freight cars for the March show already weathered and many with graffiti. Vehicles (mainly MOW), freight cars, a few diesels, intermodal equipment and loads for flats and gondolas. I may even put together a few hundred trees for the September show but that’s another thread. I enjoy making trees and I mainly do trees during the NHL playoffs starting in April and running into June.

Any who!

Reefer container chassis are on the bench. Here are the first 6 of sixty I recently purchased in 2 lots

I didn’t really make an effort to clean these. They were new and still in the packaging and were a bright shiny JB Hunt chassis color orange.

So I loaded the air brush with good old 91% Isopropyl Alcohol and sprayed the chassis both from the top and bottom. This helped knock out the sheen and give a grip to future paint. I went onto some reefers and containers for these chassis while the chassis dried.

I then loaded the air brush with 30% paint to 70% Isopropyl Alcohol for thinner. I used a mix of Tamiya XF52 Flat Earth and a few drops of XF90 Red Brown. I wasn’t trying to get all the knooks and crannies just an overall basic spray. I dropped the PSI to 16 to spray these. If I missed a few spots the better. If you look at container chassis they are spotty in how Mother Nature weathers them. Next up tonight will be a top down spray of my Tamiya rust colors. JBHunt keeps their chassis fleet fairly clean with little rust but they still get some spotty rust. I will spray top down and maybe 6-10” away from the chassis to get just a speckling effect or at least I hope so.

These 6 may have taken 15 minutes total for the 3 sprays applied. First was the IPA spray and then 2 separate sprays of the color. I waited about 15 minutes between each spray while the units dried.

Here are the Reefer containers and regular containers (all JbHunt) I am doing while the chassis dry

What you may have noticed if you are a regular visitor to the thread is I’ve changed up the way I do things. Usually I inspect and clean with warm soapy water and a good rinse. That was skipped in favor of just a IPA spray. There is no fading! I went directly to the base weathering coat. Next up is a rust spray still using Tamiya Arcylics while continuing to use the spray brush and not brushed on washes of Vallejo. Part of that is, the chassis are kind of fragile and I wanted just the spray effects. Dabbing paint into the chassis crevices is more efficient with a spray brush.

Later…

 

[TLOC]

My friendly neighborhood pusher and I met up yesterday. More trailers, containers and chassis to be weathered. Some maybe sold

 

[TLOC]

I was asked about 40’ containers, how many were in the lot.

I took a picture of the remaining 40’ as I have already sold some this morning

17 chassis remains, most but not all do match the container name

26 containers 40’ remain

These are for sale

The prices have been edited and there is a sales listing in the Sales Forum

These are the 40’

 

[traiNscale]

some nice containers you have there!

 

[CambriaArea51]

I was asked about 40’ containers, how many were in the lot.

I took a picture of the remaining 40’ as I have already sold some this morning

17 chassis remains, most but not all do match the container name

26 containers 40’ remain

These are for sale

The prices have been edited and there is a sales listing in the Sales Forum

These are the 40’

View attachment 212577View attachment 212578View attachment 212579View attachment 212580View attachment 212581

Sad I missed these.

 

[TLOC]

I still have a few 40’ and 45’ containers not weathered if anyone needs a few. Just ask for pictures if interested

I am currently working on 5 GN box cars from Rapido that overall is a very nice car. The roof walks though are wavy enough to be able to teach a youngster how to surf!

Anyway. The 5 cars have been matte clear coated. I can’t find my almost pink formula to fade red colors. So I’m hoping. Not quite where I want it but here are 2 faded and a matte clear coated for comparison. Hand brushed using Tamiya colors: Xf-2 White, Xf-7 red all thinned with x20a thinner

If these get approved by my friend I will finish the other 3 units. Let it dry over night and do the other side tomorrow

Weathering will probably be over the weekend

 

[TLOC]

I’m back to working on the 5 GN red boxcars. The idea was to really fade them to a pinkish white. In the previous pictures above there is a definite fade compared to the unfaded car.

I hit another spray of fade today and then a hint of some kick up from the road bed. My friend does not want any rust

Not sure I’m liking this but it fits what he requested.

The kick up spray is xf68 NATO brown plus drops of xf3 flat Yellow. The mixture started with 1 drop but ended up being 4 drops when finally applied and probably 85% of thinner. I sprayed the mixture at 16PSI.

The final clear matte coat has not been applied

 

[C&OMtnMan]

Not sure I’m liking this but it fits what he requested.

What is it you’re not liking? The lack of rust?

 

[traiNscale]

i mean we all do not really like rust, but knowone did ask the rust if he likes us too
i think they look great.

i like em.

 

[TLOC]

What is it you’re not liking? The lack of rust?

i mean we all do not really like rust, but knowone did ask the rust if he likes us too
i think they look great.

i like em.

I’m ok with the lack of rust. The build dates are 1958 and my friend is modeling 1965. Sorry, I should have explained better. My concern is IMO the fade looks too white and not enough pink. I tried toning down the whiteness with the NATO Brown and Yellow kick up spray mix. I don’t want to add anything else until he comments because he didn’t want the cars to be overly dirty.

Thank you for the comments

 

[C&OMtnMan]

I’m ok with the lack of rust. The build dates are 1958 and my friend is modeling 1965. Sorry, I should have explained better. My concern is IMO the fade looks too white and not enough pink. I tried toning down the whiteness with the NATO Brown and Yellow kick up spray mix. I don’t want to add anything else until he comments because he didn’t want the cars to be overly dirty.

Thank you for the comments

This touches on environment-appropriate weathering. The sun in the arid Southwest can cause brutal fading with little rust until sandblasting orcracking/peeling of the paint exposes bare metal. Whereas, in the more temperate and humid Eastern US, Pacific Northwest, etc.,The fading is slower, and the freeze/heat cycle in the presence of water makes for more rapid rust.

If they were box cars that hung out more in Arizona, New Mexico, etc., like, say, Santa Fe, SP would they possibly get faded like that in seven years?

 

[logandsawman]

I’m back to working on the 5 GN red boxcars. The idea was to really fade them to a pinkish white. In the previous pictures above there is a definite fade compared to the unfaded car.

I hit another spray of fade today and then a hint of some kick up from the road bed. My friend does not want any rust



View attachment 213415View attachment 213416View attachment 213417View attachment 213418View attachment 213419View attachment 213420View attachment 213421

Not sure I’m liking this but it fits what he requested.

The kick up spray is xf68 NATO brown plus drops of xf3 flat Yellow. The mixture started with 1 drop but ended up being 4 drops when finally applied and probably 85% of thinner. I sprayed the mixture at 16PSI.

The final clear matte coat has not been applied

I think they look great, very appropriate as it would usually take more than 10 years for rust to corrode that railroad paint

even in a more corrosive environment, in my opinion.

Nice job, Tom!

 

[TLOC]

This touches on environment-appropriate weathering. The sun in the arid Southwest can cause brutal fading with little rust until sandblasting orcracking/peeling of the paint exposes bare metal. Whereas, in the more temperate and humid Eastern US, Pacific Northwest, etc.,The fading is slower, and the freeze/heat cycle in the presence of water makes for more rapid rust.

If they were box cars that hung out more in Arizona, New Mexico, etc., like, say, Santa Fe, SP would they possibly get faded like that in seven years?

I have in the past weathered specifically per the region. I often use the red dirt of kick up spray for trains based in Oklahoma and other places. Light sand like colors for the southwest desert crossings. But here the cars are based mainly in the Pacific Northwest around Puget Sound.

Talking to my friend today he’s ok with the heavy fade but I will hit the 2 cars on the right with more dirt blending it all. I will darken the rails the doors slide on.

Friday, I will be starting on the structures for the paper mill for my friend’s layout. I need to see how the ideas on paper will translate to styrene, lots of styrene.

I received 2 freelance coil cars around noon via the USPS. There “were” no plans to weather these till at least Summer. But after seeing them on the layout, maybe at least a matte clear coat to knock, out the sheen. They do reflect

 

[TLOC]

I think they look great, very appropriate as it would usually take more than 10 years for rust to corrode that railroad paint

even in a more corrosive environment, in my opinion.

Nice job, Tom!

Thank you Dave

Just a touch more of grime to the 2 on the far right. But that’s more insistence from me than my friend. I’m working real hard not to put some rust on the ladders or stand offs of the roof walks.

I have another 6 boxcars of his to do. He is going to supply pictures of those cars in the early sixties. I need a better guide and pictures are helpful and inspirational

 

[TLOC]

Good morning. A general question about tide or water marks on our models.

What causes Water or tide marks?

Basically, too much thinner on the brush. It doesn’t matter if you use tap water, distilled water, the manufacturer thinner or a homemade thinner such as Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA), windshield cleaner solution or a cleaning polish like Future. Too much thinner with pooling on a model will create water marks or tide marks.

If you look back in this thread there have been a couple discussions about water spots, marks or tide marks. One discussion revolved around the fact we had moved from well water to a house with municipal water and a water softener. That may have played a part but basically it came down to using too much water used to thin the paint

I basically use Acrylic paints in my commission weathering. The brands I primarily use are Tamiya for air brushing the fades and the Vallejo brands (Air, Model Color and Panzer Aces) for weathering. I apply the Vallejo as a wash with a brush. I always air brush the varnishes or clear coats to seal the models.

For my own models I do use Oils after air brushing the Arcylic fades. I seal with a semi gloss varnish and then I use the Abteilung 502 brand for the weathering. Tide marks happen with oils too!

I do get water marks or tide marks occasionally on a model when hand brushing the weathering on using washes. Most of the time it is because of pooling of the wash in a spot. The easiest solution I have found is to wick that pooling puddle away with a dry brush, just touch the spot before it dries. The issue people say about acrylic paints is they dry too quick but a wash if mixed and applied “properly” (u determine what is proper) should give you “some” time. Acrylic paints do dry quickly but the water doesn’t.

I apply a wash to a wet model

1. I take a fresh (cleaned and dry) flat brush, dip it in water, touch it to a paper towel to wick away the excess and apply to where I’m putting down the wash
2. Then with another brush I dip it into my wash solution, touch it to a paper towel to remove any excess and then apply it to the model
3. I try not to flood the weathering area but if I do I use a dry fresh brush and wick the excess away before it has dried. If it has dried I’ll dip a brush into straight IPA and remove it

Many of you have been here from the beginning of this thread. Some of the methods from the beginning have evolved and changed for I hope the best. The thing is and I’ve written this before is experiment and find what works for you and use that. None of what I do or write about is hard and fast not to be altered. I’m always trying something ON MY PRACTICE models. As I told a reader yesterday in an email:

There is no weathering that can’t be fixed, have fun

 

[TLOC]

Where do you get your weathering information?

I’m a YouTube viewer

My main YT content provider is Boomer of Boomer Diorama. He mainly is building his shelf layout but his weathering how to videos IMO are the best. He is still posting weekly

Next up is Dansrailroad2011. While he doesn’t post as consistently as he has in the past he is worth checking out. Many videos starting when he was a young teen to the polished content provider he is today. His excitement for model trains is contagious

JCSRIP Track was probably one of the best content providers on weathering. While he has disappeared into another gender of modeling his weathering video content is still outstanding

Do not overlook the military modelers out there. Another teenager when he started is Panzermeister36 who has also evolved into a polished YT content provider. He does occasionally model trains but his military modeling is useful to train modelers and he is very good

There are others out there and I like listening to Rinaldistudiopress. Andy from the Second Section podcasts has some good weathering video out there under his name AndyDorsch

If you have a favorite please post it here.

Remember, no one method is perfect

 

[traiNscale]

Boomer is awesome, watching him weekly, and Dusty is the layout Queen
your other mentions i will check out.

some youtubers iam watching are boylei hobby time, but hes more a diorama builder, but has some nice videos and technics of how hes coloring hes builds. Luke Towan is also a nice source but he, now she stoped uploading and i dont know if shes coming back. last upload i think 8 months ago. other than that there are some random channels that popup from time to time but i dont remember the names.

Rob arsenault on insta or facebook, i dont know if he has a youtube channel?
and soon myself hahaha, maybe iam doing a series, from noob weathering dude, to (thnx to @TLOC ) a better weatherer than many

cheers
Marco

 

[C&OMtnMan]

Good morning. A general question about tide or water marks on our models.

What causes Water or tide marks?

Basically, too much thinner on the brush. It doesn’t matter if you use tap water, distilled water, the manufacturer thinner or a homemade thinner such as Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA), windshield cleaner solution or a cleaning polish like Future. Too much thinner with pooling on a model will create water marks or tide marks.

If you look back in this thread there have been a couple discussions about water spots, marks or tide marks. One discussion revolved around the fact we had moved from well water to a house with municipal water and a water softener. That may have played a part but basically it came down to using too much water used to thin the paint

I basically use Acrylic paints in my commission weathering. The brands I primarily use are Tamiya for air brushing the fades and the Vallejo brands (Air, Model Color and Panzer Aces) for weathering. I apply the Vallejo as a wash with a brush. I always air brush the varnishes or clear coats to seal the models.

For my own models I do use Oils after air brushing the Arcylic fades. I seal with a semi gloss varnish and then I use the Abteilung 502 brand for the weathering. Tide marks happen with oils too!

I do get water marks or tide marks occasionally on a model when hand brushing the weathering on using washes. Most of the time it is because of pooling of the wash in a spot. The easiest solution I have found is to wick that pooling puddle away with a dry brush, just touch the spot before it dries. The issue people say about acrylic paints is they dry too quick but a wash if mixed and applied “properly” (u determine what is proper) should give you “some” time. Acrylic paints do dry quickly but the water doesn’t.

I apply a wash to a wet model

1. I take a fresh (cleaned and dry) flat brush, dip it in water, touch it to a paper towel to wick away the excess and apply to where I’m putting down the wash
2. Then with another brush I dip it into my wash solution, touch it to a paper towel to remove any excess and then apply it to the model
3. I try not to flood the weathering area but if I do I use a dry fresh brush and wick the excess away before it has dried. If it has dried I’ll dip a brush into straight IPA and remove it

Many of you have been here from the beginning of this thread. Some of the methods from the beginning have evolved and changed for I hope the best. The thing is and I’ve written this before is experiment and find what works for you and use that. None of what I do or write about is hard and fast not to be altered. I’m always trying something ON MY PRACTICE models. As I told a reader yesterday in an email:

There is no weathering that can’t be fixed, have fun

I find the Vallejo airbrush thinner gives a little more drying/working time than water does. Helps with the tide marks. I use it now with both Vallejo and Mission Models water-based acrylics

I’ve dabbled only a little in oils (both projects have been posted previously in this thread) and I like what they allow me to do.

One of Boomer Diorama’s recent videos inspired me to try water-based acrylics over Tamiya acrylics for better layering of effects. I’m tinkering with it for track weathering, so it won’t post to this thread.

Testing combinations in an area of my layout that will be in a tunnel…

“What happens in the tunnel, STAYS in the tunnel.”

 

[TLOC]

I find the Vallejo airbrush thinner gives a little more drying/working time than water does. Helps with the tide marks. I use it now with both Vallejo and Mission Models water-based acrylics

I’ve dabbled only a little in oils (both projects have been posted previously in this thread) and I like what they allow me to do.

One of Boomer Diorama’s recent videos inspired me to try water-based acrylics over Tamiya acrylics for better layering of effects. I’m tinkering with it for track weathering, so it won’t post to this thread.

Testing combinations in an area of my layout that will be in a tunnel…

“What happens in the tunnel, STAYS in the tunnel.”

I love that line” what happens in the tunnel…”

I have some Vallejo thinner but I can’t remember If I used it after initial experimenting. Can you shoot a picture of the bottle it’s in and post it here. Thanks