Quickest way to weather track / paint rails?

[drt7uk]

Hi folks,

 

I'd like to my track look more realistic, but I have about 36m (approx 6mx2.5m, x2) of track so want to find the quickest/most efficient way to do so.

 

I've got a woodland scenics pen to paint the rails, and might cut the nib thinner so it's easier to apply precisely.

 

Or would it be better just to use a paintbrush and some acrylic or enamel paint?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

David 

[brossard]

I recently painted my 0 gauge track.  My method entailed an initial shot of red oxide primer - very quick.  You might want to apply a light coat of oil to the railhead prior to the painting.  I used a cotton bud.  This prevents the paint from adhering where you don't want it.  You can easily scrape it off after the painting.

 

Next I used an airbrush to apply Railroad Tie Brown but any suitable brown will do I reckon.  The primer is really too red so that needs toning down.

 

Finally I used the airbrush again to apply a coat of enamel black wash (Tamiya Panel Liner).

 

I like how the track looks, but of course this sort of thing is pretty subjective.

 

 

I look forward to hearing about other methods, I'm sure my track can use improvement.

 

John

Edited August 29, 2022 by brossard

[young37215]

Airbrush or spray can are both much quicker and easier than hand painting. Personally I use enamel paint because I have read that it lasts longer than acrylic. All of my track gets a coat of Railmatch sleeper grime, before ballasting wherever possible, and some areas then get a different colour depending on what they are supposed to represent. On one a occasion when I had no sleeper grime I used Railmatch frame dirt instead and can't tell the difference. The improvment from 'out of the box' to just a single layer of sleeper grime is considerable. I also found this approach to be a good way to learn how my airbrush works and to build up confidence with it, it is hard to get it wrong when spraying a single colour onto track. 

 

Two pictures show the difference painting rails can make, they were taken two days apart. On this occassion I ballasted first because I wanted to create a dirty, tired look. The railhead cleans up easily once it has dried with a Peco or similar track rubber, others clean the wet paint from the track using a cloth or similar. A quick blast with a vacum to collect the discarded paint and job is complete.

 

 

Edited August 30, 2022 by young37215

[PMP]

Fastest way, and with good results is with car acrylic spray paints or Tamiya or similar.

https://albionyard.com/2022/03/29/transformation-tuesday-paint/
 

For painting rails I use a Rigger brush as that loads paint well, and has the controllability required too.

[Pete the Elaner]

The method you choose depends on the effect you want. Airbrushing will give a very uniform finish, which is ok for heavily weathered track but if you look at the prototype, it is often weathered less heavily than this so painting the rails by hand before switching to the airbrush may give you the effect you want.

How precise do you need to be when rust painting the rails? The rust colour from rails washes down to the rail fixings & even onto the sleepers.

If you choose to paint the rail by hand, wipe the top surface with an old rag immediately. It is much easier than scrubbing off hardened paint.

[dpgibbons]

I've found it quicker to spray everything rail colour (Tamiya Nato Brown) first. I then colour the sleepers using dark weathering powders which gives a nice colour variation.

[brossard]

37 minutes ago, dpgibbons said:

I've found it quicker to spray everything rail colour (Tamiya Nato Brown) first. I then colour the sleepers using dark weathering powders which gives a nice colour variation.

 

Good call on the weathering powders.  I must give that a go.  Do you apply powders before or after ballasting?  I would be concerned that the dilute glue will wash the powder off.

 

John

Edited September 1, 2022 by brossard

[dpgibbons]

Weathering powders applied before ballasting, so resistance to water is untested. But the Tamiya powders I use are quite sticky.   

[wombatofludham]

I used Posca paint pens to weather the sides of the rails, which get into the rail web nicely.  For the trackbed I used neat poster paint pigment which is much cheaper than modelling weathering powders.  As I wasn't going to be handling the track, I didn't bother fixing the pigment and left it loose on the trackbed, but when I use ladies' eye mascara as weathering on my stock (again much cheaper than Tamiya powders which I used to use) I use artist's pastel fixative to fix it in place, cheaper than weathering fixative, which should fix your paint pigment in place if you want to fix it.

You can get multiple shades of brown and black from pigment suppliers on Tatbay for not a lot of money. Just brush it on gently with a soft-ish brush, assuming your ballast is well fixed (incidentally I mixed black, brown and light grey ballast with wallpaper paste and once laid gently dribbled water with a tiny drop of washing up liquid to activate the paste.  It fixes the ballast but doesn't set like concrete unlike PVA, so if you ever want to relay the track, you won't need a Kango drill to take it up).  Using a variety of browns, with black where engines drip oil such as at stations and signals, will give a nice variation.  Finally, for that extra touch, a dribble of white acrylic paint will simulate toilet detritus, although obviously not in the station.

[dpgibbons]

Thanks. Is it mascara or eyeshadow you use?

[wombatofludham]

I bought "Technics" brand eyeshadow from ebay.  Comes in all sorts of colours, I find the darker browns work well on light coloured liveries, whilst the paler shades work well on dark backgrounds.  The creamy whites work well to give a faded look, or lime staining, and darker "goth" shades do well for sooting and oily staining.  Being eyeshadow, it can be smudged and mixed to give subtle effects.

 

[darrel]

Spraying the track is definitely the quickest. However be careful spraying near points. They are best hand painted. 

I learned this the hard way on my box file layout. It knackered the points.

[ISW]

2 hours ago, darrel said:

Spraying the track is definitely the quickest. However be careful spraying near points. They are best hand painted. 

I learned this the hard way on my box file layout. It knackered the points.

I just put a thin roll of bluetac (or similar, mire was white!) between the stock and tongue rails (both sides) before spraying. Didn't have any problems with turnout operation afterwards.

 

Ian

[RobinofLoxley]

In the past a wheel applicator has been mentioned for rolling paint onto the sides of the rails. Anyone know anything about these?

[The Johnster]

On 30/08/2022 at 07:14, young37215 said:

Personally I use enamel paint because I have read that it lasts longer than acrylic.

 

I'm sure it probably does, but some of my track has been in continuous use for over 5 years, painted with my acrylic 'mucky mix', and is lasting well enough so far.  The colour has faded a little but this is no bad thing.  As the layout is in the living part of my home, odours and fumes have to be considered, and I find acrylics more than adequate for most of my needs.  I used a wide brush and slapped it on, having masked the closure rail areas of turnouts, then wiped the rail top surfaces before it dried.  Better, if you can, to do this before the track is laid, but very much a first world problem if you don't!

[Metr0Land]

2 hours ago, RobinofLoxley said:

In the past a wheel applicator has been mentioned for rolling paint onto the sides of the rails. Anyone know anything about these?

https://www.osbornsmodels.com/350-103db-joes--rusty-rails-painer-starter-kit-dk-brown-20740-p.asp

 

 

I used it on my 1st layout.  It was quite messy but did the job quickly.  For my latest layout I sprayed the track with Tamiya TS1 red-brown spray (wiping the railheads quickly before it dried) and before actual tracklaying.

rev a Tamiya Spray 800px by Sarah S1ddons, on Flickr

Edited September 3, 2022 by Metr0Land

[RobinofLoxley]

4 hours ago, Metr0Land said:

https://www.osbornsmodels.com/350-103db-joes--rusty-rails-painer-starter-kit-dk-brown-20740-p.asp

 

 

I used it on my 1st layout.  It was quite messy but did the job quickly.  For my latest layout I sprayed the track with Tamiya TS1 red-brown spray (wiping the railheads quickly before it dried) and before actual tracklaying.

rev a Tamiya Spray 800px by Sarah S1ddons, on Flickr

Can I ask if you bought that item from the supplier recently? (the wheel etc)

Edited September 3, 2022 by RobinofLoxley

[Metr0Land]

38 minutes ago, RobinofLoxley said:

Can I ask if you bought that item from the supplier recently? (the wheel etc)

 

No I bought it over a decade ago for my previous layout with track in situ, from a shop near Slough that's since closed.

Edited September 3, 2022 by Metr0Land

[drt7uk]

Thanks very much for these kind suggestions, will give it some thought. Since I have that woodland scenics pen I may as well use it till it runs out then switch to acrylic. I like the suggestion of using an airbrush but I don't have access to one unfortunately.

[brossard]

2 hours ago, drt7uk said:

I like the suggestion of using an airbrush but I don't have access to one unfortunately.

 

I used this to paint my track:

 

https://www.neatandhandy.com/products/premium-airbrush-for-hobbies-crafts?currency=CAD

 

I find it useful and tend to go for it rather than my all singing and all dancing Paasche.  The nice thing is that it can be held conveniently in the hand, the bottle holds a lot of paint and there is no spillage.

 

John

[letterspider]

As well as the advice above on points. I used Halfords Matt Camouflage brown after first pass with Grey Primer. Both these paints dry very fast.

Then remove the dried paint from the rail top with a razor. You have to make sure the inside edge of the top of the rail is skimmed as well, as that is also vital for electrical contact.

It is a very quick process.

The sleepers and trackside all look a uniform colour, which is what I see on the prototype for old track.  You can add pilspots etc at signals later.

With ballast I use some stuff from IKEA plants department. It has the correct fineness. Invest in a ballast spreader, its easier and quicker  or 3D printer one.

Pva glue water 5:1 ratio with detergent, dribbled with a syringe.

I don't know if the images are still on my East Tottenham layout blog

 

Edited September 4, 2022 by letterspider

[SteveyDee68]

On 04/09/2022 at 15:14, letterspider said:

As well as the advice above on points. I used Halfords Matt Camouflage brown after first pass with Grey Primer. Both these paints dry very fast.

 

I’m not claiming this is original or even amazingly realistic, but I use Halfords spray paints as follows:

 

1) Mask delicate bits of points!

2) Overall spray of grey primer

3) Red oxide primer from the sides (towards rails, inside and outside)

4) Camouflage brown Matt sprayed from directly above (sleepers) and then wafted around sleeper ends (to cover any red oxide overspill)

5) Scrape paint off top rails with a coffee stirrer, then clean off with Magic Track Cleaner*

 

Pretty quick, but smelly - I do my track outside before laying!

 

Considering it is such a quick method, I really have no excuse as to why it has taken me so long to paint all my trackwork for Blackford Sidings!

 

HOURS OF FUN!

 

 

* Other brands are available