Track painting

[wjstix]

I don't use bendy-track so I don't have those problems, although I suppose if you painted flextrack and then bent it on a curve, there could be unpainted areas where the spikes hold the track in place. Of course, while on the workbench, you could paint the rails and then slide the rail a little one way or the other and then paint the rail again. Then the entire rail would be painted.

Key point I was making was, having lived for 40+ years across the street from a rail line, in my experience the steel rails aren't the same color as the wood ties, and the ties aren't all the same color as each other.

[doctorwayne]

Some pictures of (mostly) track...

Wayne

 

[riogrande5761]

Man of many photo's has struck.

Of course check photo's of any prototype you are following if that matters.  Mine would be Western Colorado and eastern Utah D&RGW track in the late 1970's and I have a number of color books to reference and other sources.

 

wjstix

I don't use bendy-track so I don't have those problems, although I suppose if you painted flextrack and then bent it on a curve, there could be unpainted areas where the spikes hold the track in place.  

I would guess the majority do use bendy track (queue Jason Schron of Rapido - what he named his short lived line of flex track).

Indeed, if you paint flex and bend it, you'll see shiney metal showing through.  like Onewolf did, I layed my track first and then painted it.

So logically, lay first, then paint.

 

Doughless

The only comment I'll make is that spray painting anything, whether from a can or airbrush, tends to produce a uniform look to it. 

I would feel compelled to go back through the layout and drybrush various shades ...

Of course, but it kind of goes without saying - I don't think anyone is suggesting to only mass spray and call it finished.

Rather it's a HUGE time saver over having to hand paint all the rail and ties with a brush; no thanks.  I'm all for effective time savers.  To be sure, paint first, then weather.