Weathering N scale Atlas Shay Loco-need tips

[groundeffects]

Thanks Simon,

Thanks for the great tips!  I'm hoping I can start weathering the shay soon.  I'll look through my freight car collection this week to find something with a similar black finish-I may have an unweathered Atlas or Micro-trains tank car that might fit the bill.  Once I've done a sample freight car I can move on to the shay.  Hopefully when I'm done I can perhaps upload a photo or two.

Thanks again,

Jeff

 

[snjroy]

Hi Jeff. Congrats on your new purchase (I wish Atlas offered one in HO!). I am not an expert and would certainly encourage you to spend some time reading the various threads on this forum about weathering. Here is what I can share in terms of advice:

• First, study the prototype pictures. The problem with Shays is that there are practically no color picture of working models. But you will see that most of them were definitely well kept and far from being rust buckets. Matt Coleman's book on logging railroads is an excellent source for pictures and information.
• It's definitely a challenge to weather a loco that has "new" paint on it. The best you can do is to give it a lightly weathered look. Otherwise, it will probably not look realistic. Experiment on something else first, like a black tank car.
• After giving it a good wash (I use auto window washer, but some people use soap and water), I usually give the loco a coat of Dullcote (or something similar). I cover the trucks and lights with masking tape when doing this. The transparent coating will dull the shine and give "teeth" to whatever you will add next.
• When completely dry (do the sniff test), you can add a wash. At this point, I would do a black wash (15% steam black and 85% of water/alcohol mix). This will remove a bit of the sheen of the white lettering. Cover the entire model. I do this by using a brush, doing downward strokes. Try to have unequal strokes over the lettering. Do multiple coats. This step is the easy part and makes a huge difference. You can actually stop there and that will definitely kill the "toy" look of the model.
• If you continue, the next steps should be more subtle. I usually brush paint the trucks and couplers, using a mix of dark gray and charcoal. The trick is to use colors that do not contrast to much with the rest of the model.  You can also brush paint the gear line. I don't paint the cylinder casing.
• You can add more washes, such as dark grey washes that will get into the various cracks and holes of the model. Don't use a color that is too light... Again, experimenting on a black tank car will give you an idea.
• I finish the work with a few rust spots, such as on the coupler, connectors on hoses, and a little bit on the trucks. Go easy on the rust... Some people use chalks for this. I prefer to use a brush with paint. You can add water to chalks.
• Once you are done, you can seal the deal with Dullcote. Chances are, the weathering will look more subtle after that... Give yourself a few days to get used to the subtle look. It's very tempting to overdo it.

Anyway, I strongly recommend that you practice on other cars first. That model is such a cutie, it would be unfortunate if you spoiled it. Of course, if s***t happens, you can always wipe things off before it dries. You can also repaint the entire model. I find it a lot easier to repaint everything,  and weather on top of that. You can't really achieve the "baked in the sun" look of a loco without repainting it. If you repaint, you can cover your lettering with masking tape (cut in small pieces), and paint everything over. A good black wash will harmonize everything after you remove the tape over the decals. It's really difficult to create or put on decals that looks as good as the originals. But it's a great opportunity to change the RR, if it does not match your pike.

Good luck!

 

Simon

                            

[groundeffects]

Has anyone weathered a N scale Atlas Shay Loco?  I just bought one this last week.  The little engine runs pretty good as is, but I'd like to weather it too, and I want to make sure that weathering doesn't spoil it's current performance. 

Any ideas/suggestions on weathering around the rods (brush painting vs. spray painting vs. using chalks), plus general weathering of the locomotive body itself would be appreciated.  The loco does not have any windows, so I want to avoid spraying/dusting any particles around the motor armature inside the body.  I'm not sure I can mask off this area without a lot of disassembly.  Let me know-if you have any photography examples of your weatherned N scale Shay that would work too.

Much thanks,

Jeff B