Weathering Rolling Stock, a Continous thread
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I have 2 of those hoppers (same number) and they roll great when I added the Walthers steel Proto line wheel sets. They have been very difficult to fade. Probably for sale again after the USA Thanksgiving. I was told my cars and weathering prices were too high. So I purchased a few Bachman cars to see if those would sell. But then I put these out at $42 plus shipping that same guy said, well now you are charging too much for weathering. I blocked him on Facebook after that one.
You made my morning thank you
I did a couple days ago respond as did many others to a Facebook question where someone posted a car light to medium weathered and asked how much he should charge. A new to weathering guy and nicely done on the car he posted. So, I responded. $25.00 plus retail cost of the car if new. Boy, can of worms including the guy I blocked did that open. Guy I blocked said, $25.00 because the car once purchased isn’t new and maybe $1.00 in weathering materials. Some people cannot be reasoned with.
The poster though sent me a message on Messenger. The car had some light graffiti and was thinking of going $125-150 for the car. There has been a lot of 125 to 200 prices on cars with graffitI in the weathering groups. I responded by saying a couple of those guys are good to great and have reputations they built up. Plus if you message them they are not all that successful selling cars for $150 just because of graffiti.
Turns out this guy is 15 looking to do the weathering as a job. Good skills already for that age
I am slow compared to others. So I can’t charge using an hourly rate. I watched at Trainfest a few years before Covid a guy in less then 1 hour completely weathered 3 cars including the clear mat finish. I couldn’t do 3 cars in 1 day and don’t want to. I have been told I charge too much and also I don’t charge enough. Pricing like so many other model railroading things is subjective. I am happy with what I charge.
Thankfully for me weathering is something I enjoy. It helps relax me. Also, I’m not in it for the money. I constantly churn my roster of rolling stock. So, I buy a car and put it aside until I can inspect then lightly weather it. I then will look to the layout for the car that the new one will replace. I then will try to sell that car before starting the weathering process on the replacement.
Occasionally though I get crazy. 70+ pulp wood cars, purchased weathered and sold in 2021. Gondolas in 2020. 2022 so far has been a nice mix and I haven’t had the urge to buy one type of car and weather it. Now, if I could find ARMN reefers …
You have repeat customers that come back for your work, they obviously think they're paying a fair price, or they would go somewhere else to get their cars weathered, it's not as if your the only guy in town doing this.
I have never done a coal car. I will be interested
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TLOC
Well-Known Member
3 of the 4 remaining cars are out for approval. #4 was rejected as too clean. The 3 together.
I took 12 or 14 pictures of each car and sent to the client for approval. If you would like to see them, Facebook message me at Tom OConnell, my avatar shows a portion of the pulp yard, a CN loco and 6 empty pulp flats
I took 12 or 14 pictures of each car and sent to the client for approval. If you would like to see them, Facebook message me at Tom OConnell, my avatar shows a portion of the pulp yard, a CN loco and 6 empty pulp flats
TLOC
Well-Known Member
Approval granted and he loved the brown NOKL center beam. My wife says I worry too much, but it’s my work and I want it right.
So thank you guys for bearing with my posting, my pictures and especially thanks for the offered suggestions. Those suggestions I take to heart and even if not used here are filed away for another time. I will post the 5 cars together in another post after Volleyball tonight.
So thank you guys for bearing with my posting, my pictures and especially thanks for the offered suggestions. Those suggestions I take to heart and even if not used here are filed away for another time. I will post the 5 cars together in another post after Volleyball tonight.
TLOC
Well-Known Member
The Badgers won.
The Centerbeams are packaged and waiting for a trip to the Post Office.
Center beams are being switched out
A project of my own. Adding fencing to be weathered on Sunday. 100 of the 380 scale feet is installed
I did turn down another Centerbeam weathering project. 10 to do before Christmas because I can’t guarantee they’d have been done
The Centerbeams are packaged and waiting for a trip to the Post Office.
Center beams are being switched out
A project of my own. Adding fencing to be weathered on Sunday. 100 of the 380 scale feet is installed
I did turn down another Centerbeam weathering project. 10 to do before Christmas because I can’t guarantee they’d have been done
CambriaArea51
Well-Known Member
Tom, found this video that shows the tops of grain cars. Replacement tops, rust and most important grain spillage.
TLOC
Well-Known Member
Been away from the weathering bench and working on the layout. But after my temporary job today and a nice quiet dinner with the wife and granddaughter I looked around the train room. Too much to do and not much ambition, so let’s weather something!
Not one to remember to take a picture of the my own cars before I start a new project I did find this in the photo library. A Centerbeam! Ok, it’s the green thing behind the covered hopper.
After a few minutes in the spray booth and voila…
Then watched a new tonight Boomer Diorama you tube video
Pulled the Centerbeam from the dehydrator and moved to the bench for a plan of attack.
Found a new pair of trucks, changed the wheel sets to steel Walthers Proto, cleaned them with Isopropyl Alcohol and a toothbrush. Set them aside to dry
Questions and comments are welcome
Not one to remember to take a picture of the my own cars before I start a new project I did find this in the photo library. A Centerbeam! Ok, it’s the green thing behind the covered hopper.
After a few minutes in the spray booth and voila…
Then watched a new tonight Boomer Diorama you tube video
Pulled the Centerbeam from the dehydrator and moved to the bench for a plan of attack.
Found a new pair of trucks, changed the wheel sets to steel Walthers Proto, cleaned them with Isopropyl Alcohol and a toothbrush. Set them aside to dry
Questions and comments are welcome
Smudge617
Well-Known Member
As always, a joy to see how you do this, but I love the covered hopper.
TLOC
Well-Known Member
Chris thank you. Really?
I have 2 of those hoppers (same number) and they roll great when I added the Walthers steel Proto line wheel sets. They have been very difficult to fade. Probably for sale again after the USA Thanksgiving. I was told my cars and weathering prices were too high. So I purchased a few Bachman cars to see if those would sell. But then I put these out at $42 plus shipping that same guy said, well now you are charging too much for weathering. I blocked him on Facebook after that one.
You made my morning thank you
Smudge617
Well-Known Member
Don't know why, I like the faded look you've achieved, I really need to try and get that look on mine as most of my cars are wooden, rust just doesn't seem appropriate for them.
CambriaArea51
Well-Known Member
I would've asked him what does he charge for weathering cars. Obviously he doesn't know how much work goes into weathering.
TLOC
Well-Known Member
Tom, I understand and I used to respond like that. I never got anywhere doing that except raise my blood pressure.
I did a couple days ago respond as did many others to a Facebook question where someone posted a car light to medium weathered and asked how much he should charge. A new to weathering guy and nicely done on the car he posted. So, I responded. $25.00 plus retail cost of the car if new. Boy, can of worms including the guy I blocked did that open. Guy I blocked said, $25.00 because the car once purchased isn’t new and maybe $1.00 in weathering materials. Some people cannot be reasoned with.
The poster though sent me a message on Messenger. The car had some light graffiti and was thinking of going $125-150 for the car. There has been a lot of 125 to 200 prices on cars with graffitI in the weathering groups. I responded by saying a couple of those guys are good to great and have reputations they built up. Plus if you message them they are not all that successful selling cars for $150 just because of graffiti.
Turns out this guy is 15 looking to do the weathering as a job. Good skills already for that age
I am slow compared to others. So I can’t charge using an hourly rate. I watched at Trainfest a few years before Covid a guy in less then 1 hour completely weathered 3 cars including the clear mat finish. I couldn’t do 3 cars in 1 day and don’t want to. I have been told I charge too much and also I don’t charge enough. Pricing like so many other model railroading things is subjective. I am happy with what I charge.
Thankfully for me weathering is something I enjoy. It helps relax me. Also, I’m not in it for the money. I constantly churn my roster of rolling stock. So, I buy a car and put it aside until I can inspect then lightly weather it. I then will look to the layout for the car that the new one will replace. I then will try to sell that car before starting the weathering process on the replacement.
Occasionally though I get crazy. 70+ pulp wood cars, purchased weathered and sold in 2021. Gondolas in 2020. 2022 so far has been a nice mix and I haven’t had the urge to buy one type of car and weather it. Now, if I could find ARMN reefers …
Smudge617
Well-Known Member
Your never going to please everyone, if you charge too little, your work will fly out your hands, and you realise that your charging too little, too much and your left sitting with a load of cars that won't move.
You have repeat customers that come back for your work, they obviously think they're paying a fair price, or they would go somewhere else to get their cars weathered, it's not as if your the only guy in town doing this.
CambriaArea51
Well-Known Member
The thing with weathering for someone is you have to know how they want it done, (light,medium, or heavy) they also have to understand no two cars weather the same as do no two sides weather the same. 95% of the time photos and videos only show one side. You might get an end shot good enough to see and tops of cars are even fewer. That's why any overhead video on a bridge or drone I keep in my history.
do it yourself.
CambriaArea51
Well-Known Member
Finished the 6 Scale Trains grain cars. Next up coal cars, sneak peek.
Tried my hand at a bit of weathering lately. Don't have the before picture for this one, it's the Derrick Car from Bitter Creek Models. The derrick was a HUGE pain to put together. $9 of parts and hours and hours (and hours...) of filing and fiddling. Lots of lessons learned if I try to build another one, but the biggest one is that I really just don't like working with metal very much 
Weathering was done with a bunch of black wash and some rusty dry brush (probably not quite dry enough if I'm honest about it)
A pair of 25' C.P. boxcars from Bitter Creek. No. 68 is freshly painted, No. 78 has been through the weathering ringer. These are made from laser board, and I couldn't get a proper peeling paint effect like I've been able to with basswood. The streak stains on the roof are also a bit more pronounced than I would like - in past attempts a lot of weathering chalk has just disappeared when clear coating, but for whatever reason that didn't happen at all here. Maybe the sharp contrast with the silver roof? In any case, I'm going to stop messing with it, I think it turned out pretty well.
These are the coal jimmie set, also from Bitter Creek, made almost completely of metal. The one on the right started out like the one on the left, but has had a whole bunch of black wash applied to simulate years of coal hauling. Still need to add couplers, but overall I like the looks of it.
Weathering was done with a bunch of black wash and some rusty dry brush (probably not quite dry enough if I'm honest about it)A pair of 25' C.P. boxcars from Bitter Creek. No. 68 is freshly painted, No. 78 has been through the weathering ringer. These are made from laser board, and I couldn't get a proper peeling paint effect like I've been able to with basswood. The streak stains on the roof are also a bit more pronounced than I would like - in past attempts a lot of weathering chalk has just disappeared when clear coating, but for whatever reason that didn't happen at all here. Maybe the sharp contrast with the silver roof? In any case, I'm going to stop messing with it, I think it turned out pretty well.
These are the coal jimmie set, also from Bitter Creek, made almost completely of metal. The one on the right started out like the one on the left, but has had a whole bunch of black wash applied to simulate years of coal hauling. Still need to add couplers, but overall I like the looks of it.
TLOC
Well-Known Member
Tom , the covered hopper looks great. Nice subtle effect.
I have never done a coal car. I will be interested
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