Track colour (sleepers)

[Chris Turnbull]

Over time sleepers tend to assume the same colour as the ballast as shown by this photograph taken at Carnforth in 1968.

 

 

Note that even the freshly-laid running lines have a layer of grime over the sleepers whilst the sidings are almost pure dark brown. 

 

More modern track tends to be a bit cleaner than that of yesteryear.  This is PECO 7mm track on my layout of Cromer, a layout set in the 2000s.  

 

 

I gave this a light spray of a mixture of Humbrol khaki and matt black.  I wouldn't get too hung up on the exact shade as there is no such thing in real life.  Matt black should be easy to find and any shade of brown will do.  Mix them together and try the shade out on some scrap track and ballast -or a siding that can be easily resprayed or painted.  Heavily trafficked areas will be far dirtier, for example where locomotives stand at the platform end.

 

I suggest you check out photographs of your chosen era and play around with mixing paint to a shade that satisfies you.

   

Chris Turnbull

Edited July 1, 2021 by Chris Turnbull
Typo

[Trog]

If you model modern image and want to be really keen about track colour note that perhaps 15 years ago now Network Rail stopped buying Normal grade rail and standardised on Wear Resistant grade A rail. This contains a little more manganese I think and rusts slightly differently. Where over time Normal grade rail tends to a quite grey brown colour, the Wear Resistant grade A rail keeps a more new rail looking orange hue.

[bluestag]

13 hours ago, Chris Turnbull said:

Over time sleepers tend to assume the same colour as the ballast as shown by this photograph taken at Carnforth in 1968.

 

 

Note that even the freshly-laid running lines have a layer of grime over the sleepers whilst the sidings are almost pure dark brown. 

 

More modern track tends to be a bit cleaner than that of yesteryear.  This is PECO 7mm track on my layout of Cromer, a layout set in the 2000s.  

 

 

I gave this a light spray of a mixture of Humbrol khaki and matt black.  I wouldn't get too hung up on the exact shade as there is no such thing in real life.  Matt black should be easy to find and any shade of brown will do.  Mix them together and try the shade out on some scrap track and ballast -or a siding that can be easily resprayed or painted.  Heavily trafficked areas will be far dirtier, for example where locomotives stand at the platform end.

 

I suggest you check out photographs of your chosen era and play around with mixing paint to a shade that satisfies you.

   

Chris Turnbull

Chris,

 

That is a nice job of cleaning up the PECO track.    I model 1900, so color photos are thin on the ground.

[bluestag]

13 hours ago, Trog said:

If you model modern image and want to be really keen about track colour note that perhaps 15 years ago now Network Rail stopped buying Normal grade rail and standardised on Wear Resistant grade A rail. This contains a little more manganese I think and rusts slightly differently. Where over time Normal grade rail tends to a quite grey brown colour, the Wear Resistant grade A rail keeps a more new rail looking orange hue.

I'm modeling the LNWR in 1900.

[Trog]

15 minutes ago, bluestag said:

I'm modeling the LNWR in 1900.

No problem you just need to remember to repaint the rails with a more orange shade of paint in say 110 years time.  :-)

[Chris Turnbull]

On 01/07/2021 at 21:01, bluestag said:

That is a nice job of cleaning up the PECO track.    I model 1900, so color photos are thin on the ground.

 

Thank you.  It is important to wipe the rails with a rag dampened with white spirit immediately after spraying.  If you leave it to dry you will make a lot of work for yourself.

 

I can see your problem regarding 1900 type track but, on the other hand, no one can say you are wrong.  I don't suppose the look of weathered track changed much in the previous 60 years anyway.  Don't forget that sidings were often ballasted with ash and clinker from the local locomotive shed, not pukka granite which cost money!

 

Chris Turnbull    

[Nick Holliday]

On 01/07/2021 at 21:01, bluestag said:

Chris,

 

That is a nice job of cleaning up the PECO track.    I model 1900, so colour photos are thin on the ground.

Try this one, a proper colour photo taken around 1905 at Eastbourne.

https://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/results.asp?image=10692723&itemw=4&itemf=0001&itemstep=1&itemx=1

I hope the link works across the Atlantic.

[bluestag]

On 05/07/2021 at 22:36, Chris Turnbull said:

 

Thank you.  It is important to wipe the rails with a rag dampened with white spirit immediately after spraying.  If you leave it to dry you will make a lot of work for yourself.

 

I can see your problem regarding 1900 type track but, on the other hand, no one can say you are wrong.  I don't suppose the look of weathered track changed much in the previous 60 years anyway.  Don't forget that sidings were often ballasted with ash and clinker from the local locomotive shed, not pukka granite which cost money!

 

Chris Turnbull    

Yes, cleaning the rails while the paint is wet is ESSENTIAL.    In my first test I allowed the rag to drag along the sleepers at some points.   Rather ruined the effect.

[RobinofLoxley]

Im interested in this topic as I'm researching the same thing but for a 1950's-early 60's steam based layout.

 

Thinking about colours in earlier eras, when did ordinary train services begin to have toilets? They discharged direct onto the track, before then track and sleepers probably looked somewhat cleaner. While there would have been a lot of loco grime in standing and shunting locations, open track might well have kept its creosoted look and the ballast its own original colour. By 1960 everything literally will have been covered in **** but the acid in No 1's would have done quite a lot of 'weathering' to timber. The same material would contribute a fair bit to rail corrosion too.

 

Im thinking of painting the sleepers with sleeper grime then after ballasting, spraying sleeper grime from a can, then adding soot and stuff in areas where locos would stand going more or less black but very matt. So track and ballast have the same colour scheme

[bluestag]

On 12/07/2021 at 03:48, RobinofLoxley said:

Im interested in this topic as I'm researching the same thing but for a 1950's-early 60's steam based layout.

 

Thinking about colours in earlier eras, when did ordinary train services begin to have toilets? They discharged direct onto the track, before then track and sleepers probably looked somewhat cleaner. While there would have been a lot of loco grime in standing and shunting locations, open track might well have kept its creosoted look and the ballast its own original colour. By 1960 everything literally will have been covered in **** but the acid in No 1's would have done quite a lot of 'weathering' to timber. The same material would contribute a fair bit to rail corrosion too.

 

Im thinking of painting the sleepers with sleeper grime then after ballasting, spraying sleeper grime from a can, then adding soot and stuff in areas where locos would stand going more or less black but very matt. So track and ballast have the same colour scheme

I don't REALLY think the toilets were doing so much to the track.    But there is a strong argument that the sleepers are dusted by ground up ballast, thus a fairly uniform color.

 

I have yet to even commit to ballasting, much less have bought any.    So I'm a bit adrift at this point.

 

I really should be focusing on making the layout run.    The artistic stuff can come later.    It's just that new Peco track is so glossy, and some of the old stuff that I'm using is going white in a radically prototypical way.