Weathering Tips and Techniques Weathering

I NFORMATION STATION PRODUCTS Weathering tips and techniques Weathering

PHOTOS BY JIM FORBES ack when I got started in the hobby I read an article on weathering in Bwhich the author stated that every- thing should be weathered. My reaction was like that of most beginners: Why weather anything? I felt my cars and locomotives looked quite realistic out of the box, so how could gunking them up help? I also worried that I’d ruin a per- fectly good model. A wash of Polly Scale Grimy Black (9 parts Pastel chalks, available from art supply Why weather? Polly S airbrush thinner to 1 part paint) pro- stores, are great for rust or heavy road dirt. “Weathering” is a catchall phrase duces a basic road grime. Cover the entire Apply the chalk with a brush. I add more used to describe finishing a model to model so the paint won’t dry spotty. than I need, then brush away the excess. duplicate the effects of time and use. Since it doesn’t actually rain, snow, or beat down with relentless desert sun on our layouts (at least I hope you don’t have those problems!) we need to resort to other materials and techniques to duplicate the ravages of Mother Nature in our plastic and plaster worlds. But don’t fall into the trap of weath- ering every model to the same degree. This is as bad for realism as no weath- ering at all. Instead, weather models to If the car looks too filthy, simply moisten Combining these techniques – a wash of reflect various ages, maintenance prac- your thumb and rub it along the side of the Grimy Black and Rust paints, followed by tices, and locales. car in a vertical motion. This removes most rust-colored chalks – makes a night and day For example, older cars should be of the chalk from the model. difference between the roofs of these cars. weathered more than newly painted cars or brand-new equipment. Automo- Frequently I’ll combine all three (air- The difference between an unweath- biles in daily use may look worn but brush, wash, and chalk) on one model. ered and weathered model is really star- they’re rarely rusted through, especially The most basic weathering is elimi- tling, as the lead photo shows. The today’s autos which feature paints nating the plastic sheen from models. photos and captions explain how I used designed to prevent rust and corrosion. This single step does more to increase washes and powdered pastel chalks to realism than anything. Painting all your age some N scale freight cars. The same Weathering techniques trucks and wheels flat Grimy Black also techniques can be applied to buildings, I do a lot of weathering with an air- helps since it eliminates that “floating roads, vehicles, locomotives, and even brush but I also use washes and chalk. on air” look shiny trucks impart. figures. Now get dirty. 1 & freight car weathering In September 1948, an aging New Haven 2-8-2 hauls a peddler Easy ways to make rolling stock freight toward its next destination on John Pryke’s HO scale layout. With a little prototype knowledge and an airbrush, John can apply look more realistic weathering in a matter of minutes.

required to spray the paint through a fine airbrush tip with- By John Pryke • Photos by the author out clogging. Weathering color choice is also dictated by a railroad’s operating region. The color you choose to represent any freight car weathering techniques produce a high dirt and dust on a car’s trucks and underbody is based on the degree of realism, but also tend to be time-consuming. area of the country that you model or on a car’s home road. MIf your layout has a large number of freight cars, you Table 2 shows some suggested truck and underbody colors probably don’t want to spend an entire evening weathering for cars from different locations in North America. just one piece of rolling stock. As an alternative, I’ve developed a quick and dirty weathering method that requires only basic Quick and dirty weathering airbrushing skills and a little knowledge of the prototype. By using an airbrush with a fine tip and readily available enamel or acrylic model paints, you can weather one car in a Color selection few minutes or a batch of ten cars in less than an hour. It is There are many paints on the market made specifically for important to follow each step in its proper sequence, as some weathering. Table 1 lists the water-based acrylic and organic- prototype weathering (faded paint on side panels, soot on solvent-based enamel paints I used to duplicate the weather- vertical side ribs) takes place over a long period, while other ing pattern shown in fig. 1. It also lists the dilution formula weathering (ballast dust on the underbody and accumulated Soot/exhaust: darkest in the soot on the roof) occurs faster and should be applied over it. middle, fading to light I spray one color at a time on all the cars that I’m painting, along the edges then switch to the next color and repeat the process. When using a fine tip, it’s essential to keep your airbrush as clean as possible so that it doesn’t clog or spray globs of paint. While painting, I wear disposable latex gloves (available at any drug store) to protect my hands. I start by applying light streaks to the sides of the car- body, as shown in fig. 2, using a quick vertical stroke from top to bottom with my airbrush. If I am painting a rib-sided car, I spray only the panels (between the ribs) and keep the streak parallel to the ribs on either side. See fig. 3. I recom- Light streaks mend practicing this technique on an index card or an old Dark streaks car shell until you are comfortable with it. Next, I paint thin, Roadbed dirt/dust dark streaks on the ribs with a very narrow spray, again Rust Roadbed dirt/dust: moving quickly from top to bottom. Figure 4 shows these streaks above rail and vertical streaks on the Pennsy boxcar on the left. Fig. 1 WEATHERING PATTERNS on end sills and coupler When the weathering on the carbody is finished, I paint the underbody and trucks with a color that matches the bal- last dust and dirt from the car’s home region as shown in fig. 5. Using the same color, I also paint streaks halfway up the car’s ends above each rail. See fig. 6. These are caused by roadbed dust kicked up by the next car in a train. Control coat and soot Next, I spray a control coat – Grimy Black diluted 50 percent with thinner – over the entire carbody. This makes a car’s lettering look dull and mutes the weathering, avoiding stark contrasts in color. The more control coat you apply the older the car will look. In fig. 4, I sprayed several passes of control coat on the car to the left; it looks like it has not seen any new paint in many years. The car on the right has only one light pass of control coat and looks like it was painted only a few months ago. Finally, I spray the roof with a dusting of soot and/or diesel exhaust, with the heaviest coating along the center line and lightest along the edges. If you model the steam era, spray Engine Black to simulate soot – especially if your lay- out has hills or mountains. The amount of soot on car roofs Fig. 2 SMOOTH SIDES. For smooth-sided cars like this boxcar, John will be heavy because steam engines work hard on grades starts the weathering process by painting light streaks on the sides to throwing up lots of cinders. simulate where dirt and grime have washed off of the roof. Diesel exhaust is thinner, and car roofs require only a dusting of Oily Black. Optional weathering details Once a freight car has been weathered using the quick and dirty process, you can either put it in service “as is,” or add some more weathering to make it unique. • Rust: Stirrup steps, lower ladder rungs, door stops, truck springs, brake shoes, coupler faces, and end poling pockets usually display rusty spots. I hand-paint rust on these parts using a no. 5/0 brush (see fig. 7) as the last step in the weath- ering process. • Dust: Cars from dry climates such as the Southwest often pick up a heavy coating of dust, which settles into every nook and cranny of the carbody. I spray Floquil Dust on these cars after the basic weathering is complete, but before spraying soot on the roof. I hold my airbrush above the roofline and spray down onto the sides and ends at a narrow angle, pro- ducing the dusty car in fig. 8. • Galvanized roofs: During the transition era many boxcar roofs displayed patches of galvanized steel showing where Fig. 3 RIBBED SIDES. When spraying light streaks on rib-sided the paint had started to peel away. I add these spots of bare cars such as this hopper, John aims the spray between the side metal after all of the car’s weathering is complete except for posts. Starting at one end, he uses a quick top-to-bottom motion to the roof soot. Using a no. 1 brush and Polly Scale Undercoat spray each car panel individually. Light Gray, I paint irregularly shaped blotches on the roof Fig. 4 RIBS AND RIVETS. The Pennsylvania boxcar (left) has TABLE 1 – Paint colors used light streaks on its panels and dark streaks along its rivet lines. The Pennsy car also has a liberal coating of control coat (Grimy for freight car weathering Black diluted 50 percent) to make it look older than the Baltimore & Ohio car (right). Weathering pattern: Light Weathering pattern: Roof streaks on side panels soot (steam era) Polly Scale (water-based Polly Scale: Engine Black acrylic): Erie-Lackawanna Floquil: Engine Black Gray Floquil (enamel thinned with Weathering pattern: Roof organic solvents): Grime soot (diesel era) Polly Scale: Oily Black Weathering pattern: Dark Floquil: No match, use streaks on ribs/rivets Oily Black Polly Scale: Grimy Black Floquil: Grimy Black Weathering pattern: Dilution (for fine tip airbrush) Weathering pattern: Trucks Polly Scale: 20-25 percent and underbody distilled water Polly Scale: see table 2 Floquil: 15-20 percent Floquil: see table 2 Dio-Sol

Weathering pattern: End Weathering pattern: Control streaks coat Polly Scale: see table 2 Polly Scale: Grimy Black, Floquil: see table 2 thinned 50 percent with distilled water Weathering pattern: Rust Floquil: Grimy Black, Fig. 5 ROAD DUST. John sprays Earth on the underframe, trucks, Polly Scale: Rust thinned 50 percent with and lower portion of the bodies of his cars to simulate dust and dirt Floquil: Rust Dio-Sol kicked up from the roadbed. He changes colors on cars that operate in different regions of North America as shown in table 2. Fig. 6 END STREAKS. Earth streaks over each rail on the ends of a Fig. 7 RUST. John paints Rust onto any parts of the car that would car are caused by dirt sprayed up from the wheels of the next car in receive a lot of wear. He added rust to the steps, ladder rungs, a train. Match the color used on the trucks and underframe. coupler faces, and truck parts of this boxcar with a 5/0 brush.

Fig. 8 SOUTHWESTERN DUST. To create distinctive weathering on Fig. 9 GALVANIZED ROOF. Using a no. 1 brush, John painted a car from the Southwest, John sprays Dust down the sides at a patches of Undercoat Light Gray on the roof of this boxcar to simulate narrow angle from a point above the roof. The paint, like real dust, paint peeling off a galvanized steel roof. He then sprays Engine Black settles on all the upper surfaces of the car’s details – ribs, ladders, over the roof (shown on the right-hand end of the car) to represent even the wood grain – and really makes them stand out. locomotive soot. panels. I put larger blotches in the middle and only a few tiny ones, using the end of the brush’s bristles, on the end TABLE 2 – Dirt color mixes panels as shown in fig. 9. for different regions Advantages My quick and dirty weathering process consists of a few Region: Northeast Region: Mountain states simple steps that allow you to weather freight cars in a mini- Polly Scale: Earth Polly Scale: 3 parts Earth, mum amount of time with an airbrush and readily available Floquil: Earth 2 parts MOW Gray paints. Rolling stock weathered using this process will look Floquil: 3 parts Earth, great on your pike “as is,” or you can easily add some of the Region: Southeast 2 parts Grime optional techniques to make individual cars really stand out. 1 Polly Scale: 3 parts Earth, 1 part Oxide Red Region: Desert southwest John Pryke is a frequent contributor to the pages of MODEL Floquil: 3 parts Earth, Polly Scale: Dust RAILROADER. “Quick and dirty freight car weathering” is a 1 part Boxcar Red Floquil: Dust follow-up to his article “Realistic weathering for steam loco- motives,” featured in the August 2002 issue. John models the Region: Midwest Region: Northwest New Haven in HO scale. Polly Scale: 3 parts Earth, Polly Scale: Dirt 1 part Mud Floquil: 3 parts Earth, More on our Web site Floquil: 3 parts Earth, 1 part Roof Brown To see a video clip of weathered freight cars in action on John’s HO 1 part Mud scale New Haven layout, go to www.modelrailroader.com. TABLE 3 – Additional weathering for specific cars

Caboose Detail: Streaks on sides Polly Scale: Erie-Lackawanna Gray (light coat) Floquil: Grime (light coat) Note: Most cabooses display little weath- ering except for soot on the roof and dust on the trucks and underframe.

Chemical tank car Detail: Dome Polly Scale: Erie-Lackawanna Gray Floquil: Grime Detail: Streaks on tank Polly Scale: Concrete Petroleum tank car Polly Scale: Erie-Lackawanna Gray Floquil: Concrete Detail: Dome Floquil: Grime Detail: Side posts Polly Scale: Engine Black Detail: Drip marks under dome Polly Scale: Concrete Floquil: Engine Black Polly Scale: 3 parts Milwaukee Rd. Gray, Floquil: Concrete Detail: Streaks on tank 1 part Depot Buff Detail: Bottom of hoppers Polly Scale: Engine Black Floquil: Dust Polly Scale: Concrete Floquil: Engine Black Note: On chemical tank cars, I spray Floquil: Concrete Detail: Drip marks under dome Grime on the dome and tank and then Detail: Coating on trucks Polly Scale: Oily Black paint drip marks of Dust or very light Polly Scale: 1 part Concrete, 1 part Earth Floquil: Oily Black gray with a 5/0 brush. Floquil: 1 part Concrete, 1 part Earth Note: I use a 5/0 brush to add Oily Black Note: I paint drip marks on the side pan- drips around the filler hatch, down the Coal hopper els by spraying through a narrow V- sides of the dome, and a short way down 1 Detail: Top ⁄4 of carbody shaped stencil, made from an index the tank. Polly Scale: Engine Black card. When the stencil is removed a neat Floquil: Engine Black drip mark remains. Refrigerator car Detail: Hopper doors Detail: Streaks on sides Polly Scale: Engine Black Car Type: Gondola Polly Scale: Erie-Lackawanna Gray Floquil: Engine Black Detail: Panels (light coat) Detail: Panels Polly Scale: Erie-Lackawanna Gray Floquil: Grime (light coat) Polly Scale: Erie-Lackawanna Gray Floquil: Grime Detail: Door hinge pins (light coat) Detail: Ribs Polly Scale: Rust Floquil: Grime (light coat) Polly Scale: Rust over Grimy Black Floquil: Rust Detail: Side posts Floquil: Rust over Grimy Black Detail: Drips under ice hatches Polly Scale: Grimy Black Detail: Interior of car (use stencil) Floquil: Grimy Black Polly Scale: Rust Polly Scale: Rust (light coat) Note: I spray Control Coat liberally over Floquil: Rust Floquil: Rust (light coat) these cars to simulate the coal dust. Note: If the car is used for carrying other Note: I paint Rail Brown on the ice hatch materials such as pipe loads, spray the hinges and handles, as well as on the Covered cement hopper ribs Grimy Black and only lightly dust door hinges. On steel reefers, I spray a Detail: Drips and streaks on car side the interior with Rust. few, very light rust drips through a sten- (use stencil) cil onto the sides just under the hatches. SPECIAL SECTION Weathering your diesels

It’s simple to weather your locomotives so Filth? Yes. Rust? Yes. Faded paint? Absolutely. they look more like prototype diesels, as Terry did with these F units. Read on as he shows And those are just the start of the fun. you why real diesels weather the way they do and how you can duplicate those effects. By Terry Thompson Model photos by Jim Forbes, prototype photos by Carl Swanson

kay, let’s have a show of hands. look better if I weathered it – and that executed weathering can add so much How many of you weather your I’d enjoy it more. Now weathering a realism that many viewers will think Ostructures, and maybe even some new diesel is one of my favorite parts of you’ve added extra detail to a model rolling stock, but leave your diesels as the hobby. that’s actually out-of-the-box. squeaky clean as the day they left the As with all rail equipment, diesels In the August 2002 and February factory? I thought so! What are you have a variety of moving parts, static 2003 issues of MODEL RAILROADER, waiting for? parts, parts that get hot, parts that get John Pryke showed the simple tech- I’ll confess that at one time I was wet, parts that are subject to the wind, niques he uses to weather steam loco- reluctant to weather locomotives. and parts that are touched – often motives and freight cars. In this article, “What if I want to sell it?” I thought. roughly. Weathering model diesels, I’ll show how you can use a few of Then I decided that while I wasn’t sure however, is different from weathering John’s techniques plus a few that might whether I would sell any given locomo- freight cars or steam locomotives. It’s be new to you to make your diesels tive, I was sure that my power would no harder, though. Even better, well- more realistic. Let’s get started. 1 Sideframes brush it on the inner areas. Once I love painting sideframes you’re satisfied with the results, mix because I am firmly convinced that a slightly lighter blend and paint time spent on them has a greater the pieces farthest from the rails payoff than on any other area. The (and closest to the viewer). This first step is to remove any flash or “painting for depth” parting lines and add increases the apparent detail parts. Next, relief of the part. I use Wheels can be weathered to different decide what your an airbrush for this step extents to match the rust, grease, and base color will be. and often spray from oxidation they exhibit on a real loco- Most railroads use below with the darker motive. The wheel on the left is either black or silver. color and from above unpainted, the wheel in the center is I don’t recommend with the lighter color. painted to simulate a new wheel, and using either flat Once the paints the one on the right has been weath- black or straight sil- are thoroughly dry, ered with a rust color. ver for your base brush on a wash of because you want burnt umber oil paint to be able to mix thinned with accent colors that Turpenoid. Make are both lighter and sure the sideframe darker than your is laying flat so that base color. Give the wash will settle yourself some lati- into the low spots. tude by starting Sideframe steps (top to bottom): dark The Turpenoid with a color that’s gray, highlights added, shadows won’t remove dried The brand-new wheels and trucks on either slightly added, overall grime added. acrylic paint, but it this SD70M shine in the sunlight, but lighter (if you’re can soften or even they’re already collecting rust and using black) or darker (for silver) remove enamels – this is why it’s dirt. You can improve even a “new” than the pure color. important to use acrylics for your locomotive by painting wheels with a Apply the base color to start. base colors. I don’t usually dry- few specks of dirt. Though the particular brand of brush (see below) sideframes, but paint isn’t terribly important, I pre- it’s another option if done judi- Wheels fer an acrylic paint. Next, mix a ciously. That means don’t use Let’s start with the wheels. slightly darker blend and spray or white, which is just too obvious. Because they are not painted, they could conceivably be gray on a brand-new locomotive, but they rust almost immediately. As time passes the wheels darken from additional oxidation and a combination of dirt, brake dust, and grease. First, I clean any oil from the faces of the wheels using a cot- ton swab dipped in Windex. Mix an oxide red (I use one of several different Polly Scale and Tamiya Rust spots and paint chips can really Note the many distinct colors on the side- colors; which color isn’t terribly draw attention to the details of your side- frames of this GP9. Carefully airbrushing important) and black of the same frames. Use colors representative of the dirt and grime or brushing chalk onto your brand, then brush that mix onto area where your locomotive works. model will give it this realistic look. the faces of the wheels. Don’t worry if you get some on the Accenting the sideframes Some locomotives have grease near treads – Windex will take it off if Add interest to your trucks with their axle bearings. Most trucks will you don’t let it dry too long. Just accents. You will sometimes see a have a light-to-heavy coating of moisten a paper towel, lay it on bit of silver on the brake cylinder dust and grime from the area where some track, and run the locomo- piston rod. When brake shoes are the locomotive works. Hint: this tive over that. changed, the paint is often chipped color should also be one of the col- I also paint couplers with an from bolts or other nearby surfaces, ors you use when painting your oxide red blend, but always with which means small rust spots track. I usually airbrush this from an airbrush so that I don’t gum appear. I just brush tiny spots of slightly above the truck using a very up the moving parts. Spray so rust-colored paint onto the places thin mix of the color. Chalks work the paint is nearly dry when it where I want an accent. well also, and they’re especially hits the coupler – this gives you a The lower surfaces of a truck good if you want to highlight par- realistic rough finish. will often develop a layer of crud. ticular spots. SCALE COLOR Bearing plates ome modelers adjust their paint Many diesels have shiny bear- Scolors according to a theory called ing plates on the sides of gear- “scale color.” Here’s the short ver- boxes (“Accenting the sideframes,” sion: because air is not totally trans- page 67), which are at the center parent, objects appear lighter in of the truck. These plates are dis- color the farther away from them we tracting if left unpainted. are. The smaller the scale of a Degrease them with a swab model, the “farther away” we are dipped in either Windex or a mix from it visually. Thus N is farther of dish soap and water. I don’t use away than O or G in scale even at lacquer thinner here for two rea- the same actual distance. sons – it will rinse all the oil from Great theory, but what does it the axle bearings, and it can dam- mean? Simply that it doesn’t hurt to age some plastics. Dry the plates, lighten all your colors a bit, espe- then brush or spray them (with cially in the smaller scales, or if your an airbrush – a rattle can will get layout room is somewhat dark. – T.T. paint everywhere) flat black.

Notice the dirt specks, rust marks, and steel details added to the pilots. The grime-covered m.u. hoses on the bottom locomotive fit right in! Pilots Ah, the pilot. So little space, so many opportunities. You’ll see stone chips, dents, and hoses that not only add color but also add their own chips in the paint. There’s also the dirt that came from any units that were ahead of your diesel, and the effects of rainwater and wind – what a beautiful thing! Most pilots start out body color. Add grime using your air- Frames and tanks Note how the fuel tank on this SD40 has brush or chalks, and add stone Not every locomotive has a visi- been heavily colored with grime, dust, chips using rust-colored paint. I ble frame, but on those that do, and spilled fuel. will occasionally add the tiniest weather the frame with the same bit of silver in a chip, but don’t colors you used on the truck side- overdo it. If your locomotive has frames. I don’t spend nearly as multiple-unit hoses, they should much time on this step. All I nor- be a grimy black, with steel or mally do is airbrush the frame with rust-colored ends. If you’re feel- the basic frame color then dust it ing sporty, put some thick, dirt- with the grime color. colored paint in your airbrush, The fuel (and water) tank, how- crank up the air pressure, and ever, is a very different matter. add some specks. On some air- Tanks are large and highly visible Fuel tanks can be weathered and given brushes, notably Iwata and canvases for you to weather. Once extra dimension by carefully adding a Tamiya brushes, you can also again, start with the basic frame lighter color to the top of the tank and a create this effect by removing the color, then add a bit of lightened darker one to the bottom. Vertical streaks cap and nozzle from the brush frame color along the upward- in line with the wheels will give the ends before you spray. facing surfaces and darkened frame of the tank a realistic grime-blasted look. I don’t add plows, but you can color on the downward-facing. The accent a plow with some rust- ends of real fuel and water tanks ber, you’re not seeing the actual colored paint. Rubbing a little are literally blasted by grime, how- fuel, but rather the dirt that stuck silver Rub-n-Buff or SNJ metal ever, so make sure to put some ver- there while the surface was wet.) If powder along the very bottom tical streaks of grime there, roughly your locomotive also carries water, can give it a just-used shine (look in line with the wheels. Fuel will it should be cleaner under that fill at a bulldozer blade to see what I inevitably get spilled on the tank, so cap. And if the air reservoirs are mean); for a slightly less stark brush a streak of lighter (on a black visible over or behind the tank, effect use a cotton swab to rub tank) or darker (on a silver tank) weather them as you did the tank – some graphite powder on the paint under the fuel filler. (Remem- lighter above, darker below. lower part of the plow. Fade the lettering on your locomotives by spraying with a slightly lighter version of the The heavier rust spots on the kickplates base color. Vary the fading by how much paint you apply. The Santa Fe F3s have a light and pilot and the more pronounced “bow overspray of a heavily thinned dark blue. The Baltimore & Ohio GP30 has a heavier coat wave” give the B&O F unit a more weath- of the same color. The New York Central Geep and B&O Fs have oversprays of black. ered appearance than the Santa Fe unit.

Body sides and ends than a wash. Spray some of it on a subtle. On cab units (streamlined Several factors determine the piece of styrene to make sure you’ll diesels) in particular, make the weathering of the sides of the loco- be able to lay down color without grime heaviest along the bottom motive. The same road grime that having droplets of paint visible. I edge of the body. clings to the trucks, pilot, and frame often add a drop or two of Liquitex In HO or larger scales, it’s even also covers the sides, though less flow enhancer to the mix to make possible to fade individual panels heavily, and the ends suffer the sure it covers evenly. Once you’re (or doors) by airbrushing the lighter occasional rock hit. In addition, the satisfied, spray a few light coats of color into the center of the panel sun’s ultraviolet radiation causes the paint onto the locomotive, and leaving the edges in the original paint to fade. So does the rain and including the lettering. If you have (darker) color. If you go this far, you any cleaners the railroad might use the right mix, you’ll lighten the body can follow up by drybrushing the on the unit, and the minute particles color and (almost magically!) make model (with a brush that has had of dirt that pass over the locomotive the lettering look faded. Sometimes virtually all of the paint already will blast the paint off over a long it helps to keep a new body nearby rubbed off onto a card) with the period of time. for comparison. lighter color. Doing this highlights Depending on the locomotive, I Once you’ve faded the paint to the raised areas, like the joints sometimes fade the paint and the your satisfaction, add a light layer of between panels on an F unit, mak- lettering. This sounds a lot harder grime with chalks or paint. This is ing the shadowed areas more visi- than it is, as long as you have an air- another point at which to keep the ble. As an alternative, you can fade brush. Find or mix a paint that’s word “judicious” in mind. I’ve seen the model then highlight panels and slightly lighter (just slightly, though) models over the years that were doors by airbrushing a darker color than the body color, and make an excessively weathered with Floquil around the outer edges of the panels airbrush mix that’s thinner than you Grimy Black, Dust, or both, and and doors. (If you’re good enough to would spray if you were painting the that’s what they look like – a model do this in N or Z scale, please send a unit, but heavier (more viscous) covered in paint. Remember, be photo of your work!) Roof – fading and exhaust Roof – fans A locomotive’s roof (page 71) The fans on a model diesel are will fade more severely than its very visible. On some diesels, I’ll sides, so make sure to fade the airbrush the tops black and then paint there. Diesel exhaust is a drybrush with body color to bluish black, and while it most bring back the grill detail, and on often blows opposite to the direc- others I’ll leave the fans body col- tion of the locomotive’s travel, ored and use a wash to increase most power will eventually have the apparent depth. a bit of it on nearly every part of Some model railroaders like the roof. Simulate it with a flat to highlight fan blades with silver black, with a bit of very dark or steel so that they’re especially blue added if you like. On a black visible. I can’t get too excited locomotive, it’s doubly important about that, though, because an to fade the paint, because other- operating locomotive would have By cranking up the air pressure in wise you won’t be able to see the its fans running, making the your airbrush, you can add dirt specks exhaust residue! blades a blur. to the pilot of your diesel. Adding rust, steel, and dirt to your steps and walkways is just as easy using an air- brush or brush. Real soil will give your locomotive a more textured look. Footboards, steps, walkways, and doors These areas attract not only road grime but also whatever the crew members might track onto them. They also get scuffed and chipped, which means that you’ll see bare metal and then rust. Add grime with your airbrush or chalks, then accent with rust, steel, and dirt. For a nice tex- tured effect, sprinkle just a bit of real soil over wet dirt-colored paint. On steps, the outer and center parts of the tread are the most likely areas to have the paint worn off and the areas most likely to remain free of rust. Kick plates and doors get similar This C&NW GP15-1 has an especially weather-beaten appearance because of its use in treatment, and handrails will drag-freight operations around heavy industries. likewise have chips, wear, and areas polished smooth. Special effects locomotive in passenger or inter- Senior editor Carl Swanson noted modal service. And don’t forget to that how a locomotive weathers is consider a locomotive’s age – a GP9 especially dependent on three fac- would likely look considerably dif- SOURCES tors: geography, service, and age. ferent by the 1970s than it did in the For example, the trucks and frames ’50s. (If you’re really getting specific, Tamiya SNJ of locomotives that serve in moun- consider whether the period you’re Paints and air- Powdered metal tainous territory will often have a modeling is toward the beginning or brushes P.O. Box 292713 dusty appearance from the sand that end of a particular paint scheme’s www.tamiya.com Sacramento, CA they use to get traction, but their time frame.) 95829 bodies are often blackened from I admit that I sometimes get a lit- Iwata being in smoky tunnels (Southern tle carried away with weathering, Airbrushes Polly Scale Pacific fans know what I mean!). but if you look at the prototype (and www.iwata- Acrylic paints in Locomotives that work in iron ore you don’t even have to look very medea.com railroad and country (or in steel mills) will often closely), you’ll see that locomotives military colors have a reddish appearance. are dirty pieces of machinery. There Rub-n-Buff Locomotives in heavy service, like is a point in weathering beyond Metal paste Turpenoid drag freight operation or pusher ser- which you can overdo it, but with available at Paint thinner avail- vice, will often have a more weather- practice you’ll develop an eye for craft stores able at craft stores beaten appearance than a what looks right. Roof – heat The roof is also where heat affects a locomotive’s paint most severely. The exhaust stack(s) will have no paint on their sides – paint them rust, with black at the very top and a transition to body color at the bottom. The dynamic brake grids will often lose their paint in the same way. A light coating of rust, or even shades of rust with some heat discoloration (bluish color) in the center, will accent them. If your locomotive has a steam generator, don’t forget to show the effects of heat in that area also. Even if you didn’t overspray your locomotive with body color to fade the lettering, a coat of a lightened version of the body color will help imitate the fading that comes from the sun’s rays. On darker locomo- tives it also allows the exhaust stains to be visible. On my NYC diesels, I always lighten the roofs, even if the Notice the different levels of weathering on the roofs of these three locomotives. The B&O locomotive is otherwise quite clean. F7 (top) was weathered extensively, with fading, exhaust, and heat damage evident on If you really want to see the details, both the roof and fans. The B&O GP30 wears a slightly less weather-beaten look, while the drybrush with an even lighter color. ATSF F3 has black only around the fan and stacks.

TIPS FOR HAPPY AIRBRUSHING

• Never shake paint – always stir. Shak- • If you think you bent your airbrush’s when spraying acrylics – a few drops ing leaves paint around the top of the needle, check it by pulling it across a per jar of weathering mix is plenty. jar, where it dries into clumps. Those towel while rotating the needle. Do not • Lower your air pressure when spraying clumps are the best way to clog an check it by running it back into the thinned mixes of solvent based paints airbrush. Using a screen on your brush – that just ensures that you’ll to avoid spidering. You can spray from pickup tube can help, as can straining ruin the tip or your airbrush as well. surprisingly close to a model with low your paint before spraying. • If you own needle and tip sets in mul- pressure, well-thinned paint, and an • Stir thoroughly. It takes longer than tiple sizes, keep the sets separate. airbrush with a small aperture (I use you would think to remix a bottle of They all look very similar, but they an Iwata brush with an .18mm tip for paint that has settled, especially if a don’t all work together. really fussy work). Removing the cap large percentage of its pigment is clay • If you can afford to, it’s a good idea to (or installing a crown cap, if available) (common on tans, grays, and browns). have separate airbrushes for solvent- can let you get even closer because • If using a single-action brush, close it based paints and acrylic paints. The the blowback can dissipate more eas- (run the needle forward or twist the tip two paint types don’t mix well, and ily, but be careful – once the cap is closed) if it will sit for more than 20 sometimes paint left in an airbrush can off, your needle has no protection. seconds. Thinned paint dries quickly. form clots when exposed to a solvent. • Most manufacturers have a recom- • Drain your water trap each time you • When you reassemble a double-action mended airbrush mix, but consider spray. It can’t work if it’s full. brush, the action should be crisp. If that a starting point only. Different • Make sure your thinner is clean. Dirt the needle sticks in the nozzle or the colors (even different bottles of paint) or lint (been doing the old tip the can action seems mushy, there’s still paint will behave differently. Mix, then test, onto the towel trick?) can clog your in the nozzle. Clean it again. then adjust if necessary before you brush, or at least appear in your paint. • If you get bubbles in your color cup or start painting your model. • Lubricate your airbrush according to feed jar, you have an air leak, proba- • Test your mix on a similar substrate – the instructions, and don’t abuse it by bly where the tip joins the nozzle. if the model is styrene, test on over-tightening the threads. Check your brush’s instructions to see styrene, and so on. - T.T. • Some parts, including washers, gas- whether you can repair it. kets, needles and tips, will wear out. • Weathering mixes are much thinner More on our Web site Paint is abrasive (due to the pigment than regular airbrush mixes, so their Before you start your next airbrushing – many contain titanium dioxide), and pigments settle faster. Remember to project, read tips on how to clean sin- solvents are harsh chemicals. Keep stir every few minutes. gle-action, double-action, and hybrid spares so you can keep modeling. • Flow enhancer can help substantially airbrushes at www.modelrailroader.com SPECIAL SECTION Weathering your structures

Steve Harris built this American Model Adding that realistic run-down feeling to Builders’ Baltimore & Ohio depot kit straight from the box, but aged the model using a structures in any scale number of weathering techniques. Follow along as he explains how to make structures look as though they have withstood the By Steve Harris • Photos by the author ravages of time.

t doesn’t take much railfanning to used many different colors to achieve lowing are some of the methods I’ve realize that most prototype struc- what at a distance appears to be a solid used to mimic the effects of age and the Itures and rolling stock show the color. This same principle holds true in elements on my own models. With effects of sun, wind, rain, snow, and real life. Almost nothing in the real some practice and careful observation years of use or neglect. In fact, some world is only one color, but instead a of real structures, you should be able lineside buildings and pieces of railroad combination of distinct separate hues to give your models a greater touch of equipment have more bare wood or when observed closely. Even shadows realism too. 1 rusted steel on them than their original add their own color to the surface. paint and primer. You can easily learn The blend of color that makes up Steve Harris lives with his wife in Val- several tricks that will allow you to what we see in the real world, particu- ley Center, Calif., a suburb of San Diego. achieve the weathered look of the pro- larly on structures that have suffered He models the Rio Grande Southern in totype on your own models. the effects of nature, can be reproduced HOn3 and built his layout in an office The key is to develop an eye for in our modeled world using various trailer. Steve’s modeling work has also color. Look closely at any piece of land- commercially available art and office been featured in the Narrow Gauge & scape art, and you’ll see that the artist supplies and easy-to-make stains. Fol- Short Line Gazette. your model. When you have the color where you want it, fix it in place by applying a light coat of Testor’s Dullcote. Because the Dull- cote tends to make the coat of weathering less apparent, you may need to apply more pastel powder and Dullcote. I make my weathering powders by rubbing colored pastel sticks on a piece of drywall sanding screen Powdered pastels mounted on two wood blocks as I like to use powdered pastels and shown in the photo. I place a sheet pigments to get a soft-edged color of paper under the mesh to catch application that looks to me more the powder (a fold down the middle natural than if painted with a brush will help you dump it). Sometimes I or airbrush. To cover a broad area, grind up several colors and mix simply brush the pastel powder on them to get the shade I want. I save the model. For more control in a these mixtures in a plastic parts box small area, or to scrub the powder for future use. into the surface, use a Microbrush I also use Bragdon Enterprises disposable applicator. A little pastel weathering powders (pre-ground) powder goes a long way, so be sure which seem to affix themselves to to practice before you apply it to surfaces a little better. Using alcohol-based stains Isopropyl alcohol is a good medium for making your own stains by adding India ink or shoe dye for pigments. I use alcohol instead of water because it pene- trates well, dries fast, and is less likely to warp wood. Isopropyl alcohol is also inexpensive and available at any drugstore. Get the highest percent alcohol you can find, as it contains less water. I use leftover film cans to mix and store my dyes and stains, labeling the cans to show the for- mula I used. Start by filling the film can nearly full with alcohol, Pastel pencils then use an eyedropper to add Pastel pencils allow you to ink or shoe dye. As the brew quickly and precisely apply color to darkens, test it on a piece of areas that are too small for pow- scrap material and add drops of dered pastels. These are great for ink or dye as necessary. A com- coloring individual boards on parison of shoe dye and ink stain plank, scribed, or clapboard siding on scribed wood siding is shown as well as door and window trim. in the top photo. For a weathered wood-siding Alcohol and India ink stain look, I use several different colors, applied to wood gives it a weath- being careful not to overlap the ered gray look as if it had been edges of the boards. I use two or out in the sun for many years. I three shades of gray, a couple of use it for things like station plat- browns, and sometimes a little the alcohol-and-dye technique, then forms and loading docks. black. I blend the colors by rubbing weathered the wood with the pastel Alcohol and shoe dye gives them with a blending stump, which pencils. I used a white pencil to add wood a darker, creosoted appear- looks like a crayon made from the remnants of paint in the pro- ance. It works well on things like rolled up paper, though a piece of tected area under the eaves, then ties, trestles, and timber cribbing, thick cardstock cut to a sharp point blended the color into the unpainted as seen in the second photo. Any works just as well. To get an even- area with a blending stump. shoe dye will work, as long as it more-blended look or to bleed the I also use pastel pencils on my does not produce a shiny finish. I colors, rub it with a little alcohol. wood-sided rolling stock to tone use a mixture of half brown and On the building at right, I first down the white lettering, as shown half black dye. stained the individual boards using on the boxcar above. Drybrushing Artists often lighten the tips of objects to simulate the reflection of the sun. I accomplish the same effect on my models by using the drybrushing technique. Drybrushing is just what it sounds like. For a broad area like a roof, use a wide, flat brush and Scratching back much and expose the white styrene. wipe off most of the paint on a Use this technique on styrene sid- I used the scratch-back technique piece of cardstock or paper towel ing to simulate wood or to make a on my model of the Ophir depot. until the paint is streaky. Then painted wall look worn. First spray First I sprayed the styrene walls lightly whisk it over the area you the model with two or more coats with a mixture of Floquil Roof want to highlight. of the undercoat paint. Then after Brown and white and let the first For example, on the Rico sta- each coat has dried thoroughly, coat dry completely. Next, I sprayed tion roof above, I first stained the lightly “scratch back” through the the walls with Floquil Depot Buff. roof with shoe dye and let it dry. painted surface with a scratch brush Then, using a folded piece of fine Then, I drybrushed thinned (a fine wire brush) or fine sandpaper sandpaper, I lightly scratched the white paint on the roof to high- to expose the undercoat. Be careful, buff coat back to the first coat to get light just the tips of the shingles. because it’s easy to scratch too the look of worn paint.

instructions, and wear proper eye TIPS FOR BETTER RESULTS and skin protection. First, cut sections of metal cor- • Whenever possible, use a photo of rugated material into the sizes the prototype you are modeling as you’re going to use on your struc- your guide. It is much easier to ture. Pour a little etchant into a catch details held in photographs of plastic container, then drop a panel the real thing than trying to work into the etchant. After a few sec- from memory. onds, the panel will begun to bub- • Before using any weathering tech- ble indicating that the etchant is nique, test it on a piece of scrap starting to work. After a few more material. This will give you a pre- seconds, lift out the panel with a view of the final look and help pair of tweezers, rinse it thor- avoid nasty surprises. Also, with a oughly in cold water to stop the little experimentation, you may etching process, and lay it out even find a better approach. to dry on a paper towel. The result- • Plan ahead and weather your ing panels are fragile, so handle model as early in the building them carefully. stage as possible. Though some In addition to eating away some techniques can be applied to the of the metal, the etchant also con- finished model, many, such as veniently discolors them with a scratched or peeling paint, must be blotchy weathered look. If you had done before assembly. It’s also Etched corrugated roofing a different color in mind, spray easier to work on a wall when it’s After many years of exposure to paint or dust them with pastels. flat on your workbench. the elements, corrugated metal sid- I used this technique on some of • Doors and windows show the ing and roofing begins to rust, leav- the panels on my model of the effects of the weather too, so ing jagged, decayed edges. Dipping Ophir tram house. Before assem- remember to make your trim pieces model panels in etchant can pro- bling the structure, I painted the appear as tired as your walls. duce this same look. Because of its panels, including the etched ones, • Be prepared to do it again. Mis- harmful effects, make sure you use different shades of Floquil brown. I takes will happen and sometimes etchant in a well-ventilated area, then used pastel powders to give the only way to master a technique according to the manufacturer’s them the final rusty touch. is to be willing to try again. – S. H. WEATHERING A BALTIMORE & OHIO DEPOT

Exposed roof sections Shingles highlighted weathered with alcohol with drybrushing and ink stain

Walls treated with alcohol and ink stain base then Random individual Correction film paint drybrushed with thinned boards and trim colored Paper signs weathered with I use correction film to simulate paint colors with pastel pencils brown shoe dye stain peeling paint. To start, I stain the siding with the color I want to show through the peeled paint. I uilding the American Model then place correction film over BBuilders’ Baltimore & Ohio depot kit Glazing the surface and burnish it with a shown on the cover in its dilapidated dusted burnishing tool or ball-point pen condition presented an enjoyable with pastel just like when using a dry trans- weathering challenge. I treated it as if powder fer. The technique transfers some, the depot hadn’t seen any paint or to look but not all, of the white material other maintenance for many years. That dirty to the wall, leaving lots of places gave me the opportunity to employ a where the “paint” has peeled number of my favorite techniques. away. If you want more of a peel- I started with the walls. Time and ing effect, use a scratch brush to weather fade paint and turn exposed expose more of the undercoat. wood a silver gray. Before removing the missing entire panes, some have a few sides from their material sheets, I shards remaining, others are simply stained them with a base coat of alco- cracked. After installing the glazing, I hol and ink. The stain accentuated dusted it with powdered pastels to BILL OF MATERIALS the seams between the boards and make the glass look dirty. gave the walls the correct weathered- I wanted some of the bare sub-roof Bragdon Enterprises gray look. to show through the shingles, so in sev- FF60 rust and soot weathering powders Next, I made a custom paint mix for eral places I scribed the roof panels to the station using 10 parts Floquil represent planking and then gave them Ko-Rec-Type Reefer White, 1 part Reefer Yellow, 10 a wash of ink stain. 1ES correction film parts Depot Buff, and 2 parts thinner. The slate roof material comes in (Always start with the lightest color and precut strips with peel-and-stick back- Micromark slowly add the others to it.) The result ing. I sprayed it with Floquil Southern 82466 scratch brush was a thin, faded version of the original Pacific Lark Dark Gray, then lightly air- buff color. (Before adding most of the brushed over that coat with Reefer Gray Pastel pencils white and the thinner, I painted the and SP Lettering Light Gray. Unfortu- Bruynzeel pastel pencils underside of the overhanging roof, nately, the solvent in the paint caused http://www.marcopaper.com/bruynze which would still be closer to the origi- the adhesive to come off the shingles. elpastel.htm nal color as it had not been exposed As a result, I had to glue the strips on to weather.) one at a time. A water-based paint Pastel pencils can be purchased in I drybrushed the paint over the gray would work better. sets or as open stock. walls, keeping in mind that each board I painted the trim Roof Brown. After would have weathered in a manner gluing the trim in place, I weathered it Pastel sticks slightly different from its neighbor. with a gray pastel pencil. Alphacolor With thinned paint I could build up the I made the depot signs on my com- www.currys.com/drymedia/prod- final color in successive coats, provid- puter, printing them in color on glossy info2.asp?SubcatID=640&catID=3 ing variety. Finally, I used three differ- paper and then fading the lettering ent colors of gray pastel pencils lightly with a wash of white acrylic paint. I Soft square pastel sticks come in a drawn over individual boards. also lightly weathered the signs with a variety of sets including grays and I made the broken windows by cut- wash of thinned shoe dye stain. Once I earth tones. ting clear styrene with a no. 11 hobby- had glued them in place, the depot was knife blade and a little patience. My complete – another model made to look Radio Shack goal was to make each window a little as though it had been ravaged by the 276-1535 PCB etchant different from the others – some are effects of nature and time. – S. H. Painting and weathering track

PHOTOS BY JEFF WILSON ften we pay so much attention to Painting track after it’s laid lets you With a few simple techniques and some painting and weathering locomo- get it working properly, with all feeder paint, you can turn shiny nickel-silver track Otives and freight cars that we for- wires and gaps in place, before paint- into a near replica of the real thing. get the track they run on is worthy of ing. If you do this, paint the track similar attention. before adding scenery. Should you have easily remove the paint. Figure 2 shows Today’s ready-to-use track generally to paint track in a scenicked area, use how to apply the oil with a cloth. It has fine detail, including close-to-scale masking tape and paper to protect the doesn’t take much – just wrap a corner tie plates and spike heads, accurate rail scenery from overspray. of a rag around a fingertip and rub the profile, and wood grain molded into the A disadvantage of painting track in cloth along the railhead, taking care not plastic ties. However, the bright nickel- place is that it can be awkward to get to get oil on the ties or sides of the rails. silver rail and shiny plastic ties detract an airbrush into tight areas. Using Turnouts require special care to from the appearance. A little time and solvent-based paint or spray cans is also avoid gumming up the moving parts paint can easily take care of this. a hazard in an enclosed room. with paint. Before painting, mask along You can take painting track to as high Track appearance is important, but the points and throw bar as shown in a degree of detail as you want. Simply not as vital as locomotive electrical con- fig. 3. Brush-paint these areas later. painting the ties and rail a uniform tact. For good contact it’s important to You’ll also have to clean paint from shade of flat brown is an improvement. ensure that you can easily remove paint the rail before soldering feeder wires You can go on to paint and weather the from the railheads. and from the rail ends before adding rail, individual ties, and even spikes and One way to do this is by applying a rail joiners. tie plates. light coat of oil to the railheads before Consider the colors you want to use. painting. Once the rail is painted a Wood ties on a heavily used main line Preparation Bright Boy or similar track cleaner will are replaced often, thus are usually black You can paint track before or after it’s installed on a layout. The advantages of prepainting track are that you can do it in a spray booth or outdoors without worrying about paint fumes or getting stray paint on your layout or scenery. One disadvantage of prepainting flextrack is that the plastic spike heads mask the rail, and as you bend the track some of the spikes move, revealing shiny areas that were shielded from the Fig. 1 SPIKE MASKS. When prepainting flex- Fig. 2 OILING RAILHEAD. Applying a light paint. See fig. 1. Simply touch up these track the spikes sometimes move, revealing coat of oil with a piece of soft cloth makes it areas with a brush. unpainted rail. Touch these up with a brush. easier to remove the paint later. Fig. 3 TURNOUTS. You can airbrush turnouts Fig. 4 COMPARISON. Simply painting flex- Fig. 8 TIES. Give individual ties washes of as you do flextrack, but mask the points and track a uniform shade of brown is an im- black, gray, grimy black, and brown. The throw bar and paint these areas by hand. provement compared to unpainted flextrack. grayer a tie is, generally the older it is.

Fig. 5 PAINTING RAILS. Keep angle of air- brush low to direct paint onto the rails, not theFig. ties. 5 PAINTING RAILS

Keep angle of airbrush low to keep paint on rails, not ties ILLUSTRATION BY RICK JOHNSON Fig. 9 OILY STREAK. Drag a brush of Oily Black paint down the middle of the track to simulate grease and oil drippings. Weathering You can stop at this point and have nice-looking track, but for a truly out- standing appearance you’ll need to break out a fine brush and highlight the details. Paint individual ties with washes of Fig. 6 TRACK AND ROADBED. Painting the Fig. 7 PAINTING ROADBED. Give the roadbed grays, browns, and blacks for a varied roadbed, rails, and ties greatly improved the a wash of Grimy Black or any medium gray to appearance. See fig. 8. These highlights appearance of this Life-Like True-Track. black color to cover the plastic appearance. should be subtle on mainline track, with more variations on lightly used track. I or dark brown and are uniformly The next step is to highlight the rails keep four mixes handy: black, grimy spaced. Spurs and lightly traveled with streaks of lighter colors. An air- black, gray, and Railroad Tie Brown. Go branch lines often have older ties that brush is handy for finer control, but ahead and dip your brush in more than have weathered to medium or light you can use spray cans if you’re careful. one mix to create varied effects. gray, with much more variation in color Aim directly from the sides, just hitting Well-used track often has a blackish and spacing. the outside of the rail nearest you streak down the middle created by Rail can be found in many shades of and the inside of the far rail. You can grease and oil dripping from locomotives dark brown and dark rust while spurs, also do this step with a brush, but it will and cars. Re-create this effect with Polly sidings, and branch lines sometimes take a bit of time. See fig. 5. Don’t Scale Oily Black paint as fig. 9 shows. have a brighter rust color. worry if a little paint gets on the ties. If you really want to take your track to another level, get out a fine-point Painting Combination track and roadbed brush and some rust-colored paint and Start by painting the ties and rail a As fig. 6 shows, painting greatly highlight the tie plates and spike heads. dark brown color. If you have an air- improves the appearance of combina- Although this often isn’t practical for an brush you can use any flat dark brown, tion track and roadbed. Start by sepa- entire layout, it adds fine detail to fore- such as Polly Scale Railroad Tie Brown, rating the track and roadbed if possible, ground scenes. Roof Brown, or Rail Brown, or mix- then paint the track in the normal way. When you’re finished, use an abra- tures of all. Figure 7 shows how I gave the sive track cleaner to gently polish the Spray cans also do the job in short roadbed a wash of Polly Scale Grimy railheads, and you’re ready for trains. order. For the samples shown here I Black (one part paint, ten parts Polly S None of these techniques are diffi- used Krylon spray paints including nos. Airbrush Thinner). You can use other cult, and a bit of time and paint are all 8142 Brown, 8147 Medium Brown, and colors as well. Once they’re dry, press it takes to turn ordinary track into a 1317 Ruddy Brown Primer. the pieces back together. worthy stage for your detailed locomo- Cover the ties and rails from all If you’re working with track that tives and cars. 1 angles, making sure the paint coats the can’t be separated, brush-paint the rails, sides of the rails. Figure 4 shows a strip give the roadbed a wash, and paint the Jeff Wilson is a former associate editor of flextrack after painting. ties individually. for MODEL RAILROADER.