Track weathering and which paint

[Guest ShildonShunter]

Hi I'm planning on weathering my track and sleepers can I use acrylic paints to produce the right affects.

[MarcD]

Firstly I give the rail a quick coat of light rust with the air brush . Once that has dried I use my grott mix. (black, brown, weathered wood, yellow and greys mixed up with the cleanings from when I'm cleaning brushes. I then spray it over everything track, rail and ballast. If I have used wood sleepers I stain them before I lay the track.

 

Marc

[AdeMoore]

Not my idea but Rays on Camel Quay suede Plastikote spayed on and rails wiped off while still wet, http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/67862-camel-quay-a-north-cornwall-inspired-layout-in-4mm/

“The track for the carriage siding was sprayed with Plasticote Suede, glued down using full strength PVA, sprinkled with ballast while still wet, weighted and left to dry overnight.”

 

 

Another option..

[Jeff Smith]

Hi I'm planning on weathering my track and sleepers can I use acrylic paints to produce the right affects.

The answer is yes. Modern acrylics are good at adhearing to plastic sleepers, n/steel rail and ballast. You did not mention what type of track but presumably plastic based per Peco or Hornby. The amount of weathering will depend on whether the track you are representing is old or recently relaid. For old track the ballast, rail sides, chairs/clips and sleepers will tend to be all the same brownish/grey colour so fairly easy to do by spraying or drenching. New track may require careful brush painting but beware of using bright rust colour as steel rail never looks like this, more a subdued brown/grey.

[Karhedron]

The easiest solution I found was to give the track an all-over blast with Railmatch "Sleeper Grime" from an aerosol (or airbrush if you prefer). This gives an immediate improvement by covering the shiny plastic sleepers and hiding the overscale height of the rails. Unless the track is freshly laid, both rails and sleepers tend to be coated in the same mix of brake dust, oil, soot/diesel fumes and so become the same colour anyway. Once this is done, you can look at applying more specific effects like heavier, darker weathering where locos tend to be parked.

 

You can see the effect in N gauge here.

 

[Mike Storey]

Not my idea but Rays on Camel Quay suede Plastikote spayed on and rails wiped off while still wet, http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/67862-camel-quay-a-north-cornwall-inspired-layout-in-4mm/

“The track for the carriage siding was sprayed with Plasticote Suede, glued down using full strength PVA, sprinkled with ballast while still wet, weighted and left to dry overnight.”

 

95A426B6-3CE7-4DE1-AF46-5D2EB41E9187.jpeg

 

Another option..

 

It was the "go to" for weathering, especially concrete effects, but it has become much more difficult to source lately. They have discontinued some colours apparently, including Tan, which was widely used by modellers. There is an alternative at B&Q (and maybe elsewhere) called Rustoleum Natural Effects "limestone", which has had good reports.

[richard.h]

Hi I'm planning on weathering my track and sleepers can I use acrylic paints to produce the right affects.

I have always used acrylic paints, they are easy to work with and quick drying and don't have any adverse effects on the track.

Personally I like the Railmatch range, sleeper grime, rusty red etc but I am sure the are other choices just as good.

[aardvark]

If you haven't already, you might like to take a peek at the thread Games Workshop paints on track.

 

I've yet to try it myself (working up courage), but one of the attractions is that they have a free phone app which allows you to pick a colour from an image to reproduce, then the app provides three close approximations with instructions on how to reproduce them.

[Cantabrigian]

I see lot of votes for Railmatch sleeper grime and Roof dirt, but I can’t get those in Canada. Anyone know the equivalents in Vallejo paints, or another brand available on this side of the pond?  Cheers

[Jeff Smith]

There are sets of weathering paints available from Micro-Mark https://www.micromark.com/hobby-supplies/weathering

 

Also Badger paints are brushable as well as for airbrushes http://www.art-paints.com/Paints/Airbrush/Badger/ModelFlex-Railroad/Badger-ModelFlex-Railroad.html

 

Finally the Testors Acryl range which has plenty of earthy weathering colours.

[Kiwi]

On 20/08/2019 at 07:44, Cantabrigian said:

I see lot of votes for Railmatch sleeper grime and Roof dirt, but I can’t get those in Canada. Anyone know the equivalents in Vallejo paints, or another brand available on this side of the pond?  Cheers

I cant give you direct equivalents, but Vallejo certainly do a number of “rust” colors and sets. In particular setS called “rust and chipping effects” and “rust stain and streaking”.

I've used one paint, called simply “rust”, from their ModelAir acrylics range. Perfect for airbrushing track IMHO. 

[rob D2]

On 19/08/2019 at 20:44, Cantabrigian said:

I see lot of votes for Railmatch sleeper grime and Roof dirt, but I can’t get those in Canada. Anyone know the equivalents in Vallejo paints, or another brand available on this side of the pond?  Cheers

Sleeper grime is good for rail sides and sleepers, if you spray the whole lot it looks a bit like a muddy field.

 

im trying it just for those bits and not for the ballast this time 

[Cantabrigian]

Thank you for all the input.  Just received my Vallejo “brown leather” acrylic and airbrushed a sample of track .  Looks like an acceptable base colour for general weathered look. Will need some other colours to break up the monotone.  May use pan pastels . Time to experiment. Cheers

[RobinofLoxley]

Folks I don't know if bumping this topic will get anyone's attention, but as I'm doing a complete rebuild now I have a once only opportunity to 'Weather' the trackwork. Weathering generally isnt something that appeals to me that much but I will be looking at it for a long time....maybe I have to bit the bullet.

 

The layout is a loft layout with terminus to terminus and continuous run elements, time 1960-all steam operating. So the main trackwork would see quite high usage levels. There will be the usual range of sidings, headshunts, etc. So its likely that the sidings trackwork would look different to the main running lines, has anyone represented that?

 

I have never done any aerosol work so I would be more comfortable with brushing but there's so much track that aerosol work would I suppose be much faster?

 

Finally, I wondered if anyone has a recommendation for a colour to paint on areas of turnouts that are black from the manufacturer, such as guard rails, and in my case some of the frog area, (IM re-using older points in some places), i.e nickel silver rail colour. Has anyone done this?

 

Thanks in advance

[AdeMoore]

Have a look at Robs March 8th post there.

Mike Buick on Oak Road does a great job too https://www.facebook.com/mike.buick.16/videos/10157585985589685

hope those links help.

cheers

Ade