Weathering Track, Colours/Paint To Use.

[BATMAN]

I am about to dive in and paint a couple of hundred more feet of track. What I have done in the past I am reasonably happy with, especially the rails. However I think I could do better on the colour of the ties. Searching the forums and finding one or two photo's on many different threads is a frustrating way to compare colours at best. So if you could post a photo and short discription of colour(s) and brand/type of paint and method of application used, this colour challenged modeler would really appreciate it.

I am hoping it will make a good reference thread, heavy on photo's and easy to find in the future.

Thanks all.

[wp8thsub]

Lately I've been using Rustoleum's brown camouflage spray paint for a base layer for everything.

With no additional weathering it looks like this after ballast.

For secondary tracks I apply additional weathering, usually dry-brushed craft paints like Americana "Driftwood" and/or some generic tan.  The industry spur above received a lot of the tan color to reflect old ties and infreqeuent maintenance.

This branchline track was dry-brushed with Driftwood over a base coat of Floquil "Railroad Tie Brown."  Using  Rustoleum paint the end result shouldn't be much different.

These yard tracks received less of the tan.   They also got some weathering powders/chalk dust for rust and spilled lading, which were applied after ballasting.  Additional weathering applied after ballast included lubrication and fuel oil dripping along the engine service tracks and the thoroughfare track shown here at the crossing and just behind the road (dry-brushed acrylic black).  Other heavily travelled tracks in this yard received similar treatment.  Weathering applied last stains ballast as well as the ties.

Dry-brushing sometimes results in stray paint on the rails and spikes.  If this is noticeable, I re-paint the affected areas with a small brush and the base color again.  Note that I'm modeling the semi-arid interior western US in the diesel era, and brightly colored rust isn't very common compared to other eras and climates.

[dstarr]

I brush painted the rails with Floquil Rust.  Didn't do anything to the ties.  Then I ballasted.  Notice the turnout doesn't have painted rails.  Can't remember if I changed out the turnout after painting, or decided that paint might mess up the turnout. 

[jrbernier]

  Our club used the spray cans of Rustoleum Camoflage Brown, as did Rob Spangler.  The only issue was the terrible 'smell' of the paint.  It took three sessions to paint all of the track.  Two guys masked off the points/switch stands, then taped newspapers to the backdrop in the area we were going to paint.  Another did the actual painting, and a forth came behind and rubbed off the top of the rails with a lacquer thinner soaked rag.  About two hours of work was all we could stand of the paint/lacquer thinner smell till the next week.

  My own layout has Floquil Weathered Black on the ties/rail.  I sprayed that track with an air brush.  The new layout is going to get Railroad Tie Brown using acrylic paint like the old Polly S or the new Micro-Mark version.

  One suggestion - Do NOT hand paint the switch points or even the rail joiners.  You will have electrical conductivity issues forever!

Jim

[singletrack100]

Hi! I don't want to hijack the thread, but for steam era would one blacken up the outer ballast, from grease and oils and such from the side rods and journal boxes and such?

Happy RR'ing!

Duane

[gmcrail]

singletrack100

Hi! I don't want to hijack the thread, but for steam era would one blacken up the outer ballast, from grease and oils and such from the side rods and journal boxes and such?

Happy RR'ing!

Duane

 

I can reply to both you Batman and answer your questions in the same post...

 

Batman, I airbrush my track with Floquil Roof Brown or whatever name if any they've give to that color in the latest slap in the face Testor's has given Train folks . I spray it befpre I lay the track. then go back after laying with a Paint pen in the same color to clean up the gaps that open up when the flex-track is flexed.

Duane, you're correct, but for Transition-era and later layouts, you need to also  streak up the center of the track to emulate the dripings from the gearing on the traction motors... Also note that for the "modern" era (that era where friction bearing trucks were outlawed in interstate commerce), you would only need to streak between the rails...

[doctorwayne]

I brush-painted my rails, mostly with brown PollyScale paint - Roof Brown, perhaps Rail Brown, too, and Oily Black in a few places.  I also brush-painted the points and all rail joiners, but since the rail joiners are all soldered, no electrical issues whatsoever.  My layout is mostly an around-the-room type, but I also painted the normally unseen side of all rails, too - with a digital camera, it's easy to place it right on the layout and take pictures of scenes which you'd otherwise never be able to see.  I haven't found it necessary to paint the ties, but I suppose it would be worthwhile if you're modelling a somewhat run-down line. 

A camera-on-the-layout view:

Some more brown rails:

...and even more:

The rails here got the Oily Black....

It's a bit more noticeable here, but once the rail has been painted, it more or less disappears, at least as far as catching your eye is concerned:

 

Unless you choose a really unusual colour, pretty-well anything will work.  I like browns, dark greys and blacks for my locale, while in some areas rust might be more common.  Another often overlooked choice is light greys and tans - more suitable perhaps to drier areas, but if you go out and look at the track in the area you're trying to model, you may be surprised.

Here's an example where painting the ties would be required:

A different locale:

...and another:

 

...and another:

...and the same area as the photo above, but at a different date:

Wayne

[HObbyguy]

I just began painting rails a few weeks ago, following Wayne's lead using a fine brush and acrylic paint.  First time for me and learning as I go.  I looked at a lot of pics before starting and noticed that the ballast and ties up against the rails often take on the same color as the rail.  So I am painting after the ballast is down and trying not to be too neat with it.  Brush painting is a bit tedious but not as difficult as I thought it would be.

Varying the colors a bit seems to add realism.  Polyscale is no longer available locally so the rusty rail here is painted with Model Master Earth Red.  And the mainline rails here are painted with a combination of MM Panzer shades with very long German names :)

I haven't yet tackled oil stains and the like and need to do that to break up the pristine look of the ballast.  Thinking of trying the airbrush for this. I am eager to complete the ground cover, bushes and trees but holding off until satisfied with the way the track looks.

[rgengineoiler]

I use Krylon Camo Brown Ultra Flat.  Smell only lasted a day and I ventilated well each time.  I am a believer in this method.  I buy it at Ace Hardware where I live.  I read about it in one of the scenery how too books, I don't remember which one.  It dries in 15 to 30 minutes to the touch depending on where you live and cures in 24 hours.  I have tried other things also but for me this has been the best one and fast to complete.  The Krylon also gives you a nice fine spray mist and I am N Scale so I appreciate that fact.  I spray about 3 to 4 feet at a time and then wipe the rail with a cloth right away.  Finish with a bright boy the next day to fine clean.    Doug

[wp8thsub]

doctorwayne

I haven't found it necessary to paint the ties, but I suppose it would be worthwhile if you're modelling a somewhat run-down line.

One major reason I paint the ties is to eliminate plastic sheen, which may not disappear after ballast glue dries.  Also, even well used track on class ones can have a good deal of color variation.

This is the UP (former WP) main at the summit of Low Hill in Utah.  Note the variety in tie colors.

Here's the UP (former SP) main west of Ogden, UT.  Rust from the rails and tie plates has discolored the ties and ballast as well.

[doctorwayne]

HObbyguy

I just began painting rails a few weeks ago, following Wayne's lead using a fine brush and acrylic paint......

The brush which I use is a fairly stiff one, and certainly not fine.  It's probably 1/4" wide, and chisel-tipped.  The stiff bristles allow the user to easily work the paint around the moulded-on spike heads, while the shape allows fairly good control with paint placement, although there's really no need to be fussy, as on the prototype, the rust and dirt runs off the rails and onto the ties, tie plates, and ballast.  The larger brush also holds more paint, so there's less time wasted re-filling the brush.
I usually paint 12' or 15' of track at a time, then, with a rag stretched over my fingertips, wipe the railtops clean.  The paint, while already dry, isn't yet hardened, and comes off easily.  Brush painting has several advantages, among them the ability to easily do whatever you're able to accomplish in the time available (even five minutes), with a very quick clean-up - rinse the brush and cap the bottle.  I might do 50'or 60' of track at a time, or one turnout, and another time perhaps 5 or 10 turnouts.  There's no overspray (anything which doesn't land where intended is usually dry once it lands, and that becomes dust, to be "enjoyed" for years to come), and no worry about getting paint on lineside scenery or structures, and no masking required.  Turnouts take a little longer than plain track, of course, but there's nothing at all complicated about doing them.  I'd guess, too, that brush-painting the back sides of the rails is a lot easier than spraying, as you can usually see what you're doing without worry about being in range of the spray pattern.
I have about 200' of main line in-service, not counting passing- or double-track, nor, of course, industrial tracks.  Painting it didn't take all that long - I didn't keep track of the time because I found it to be a very relaxing task, and it's certainly one which gives enormous "bang-for-your-buck" - the only other model railroading activity which comes close, in my opinion, is ballasting.

wp8thsub

One major reason I paint the ties is to eliminate plastic sheen, which may not disappear after ballast glue dries. Also, even well used track on class ones can have a good deal of color variation.....

You're certainly correct, Rob, and your track looks great.  However, I ballasted after the rails were painted, and didn't have an issue with shiny ties.  While I don't have the rusty run-off on the ballast, it is on the tieplates and the portions of the ties near the rail and I'm satisfied with the appearance.  As I mentioned, once the trains are running, the track becomes less noticeable, and adding scenery and structures only furthers that effect.  Your blending of scenery to the backdrop, by the way, is very nicely done.

When I build the second level of the layout, I'm thinking of using the Central Valley tie strips, and may experiment with colouring the ties, especially on sidings.

Wayne

[wjstix]

I use a brush to 'paint' the rails with Neo-Lube (from Micro-Mark catalogue) which dries to a flat dark gray. I clean the top and insides of the head of the rails with a bright boy. I leave about half the ties black, and randomly color the rest with brown (just regular "brown" paint) or 'railroad tie brown', which actually comes out like a medium dark gray.

[hornblower]

I airbrush my track using Americana brand "Burnt Umber" craft paint.  After ballasting, my results are very similar to those of Rob Spangler.  

[BATMAN]

Thanks for all the great replies and pic's.

I have been experimenting a bit and the burnt umber leaves a good impression and I dabbed a little of the "slate" and "rusty brown" colours that I got from Joe's model trains.

Like painting mountains I feel the more colours one uses the better it looks. A base done with the airbrush and then some intermitent rolling with the rusty rails painter and dry brushing is giving a nice look.

[BRAKIE]

I think that might depend on the type of track you are modeling..

My observations while railfaning.

I have notice some main lines are a grayish weather black or a light brownish color .

Urban industrial branch lines rails seems to be a weather grayish black while some are rusty.

I notice the track serving a single industry like a stone quarry is completely rusty with a very thin silver streak on the rail head.

For me I prefer the grayish weather black.

[BATMAN]

BRAKIE

I have notice some main lines are a grayish weather black

You're right, I think that the slate colour from Joe's Model Trains Nails the colour.

[NSlover92]

Pollyscale and Floquil are no longer availabe at all because Testors has discountinued both of them. In the March 2014 MR on pg 54 there is a article on the other paints that are still being made. I always used Pollyscale Roof Brown but I haven't had to paint track for my layout since but I am in the process of revamping a curved double tracked section  on my layout so I am not sure what I am going to use yet till I experiment a little. Mike

[selector]

In this diorama imaged in the outdoors, the rails are painted by hand using a small artist's brush with clipped bristles to render them stiffer.  The paint is Tamiya "Red Brown."

[trainnut1250]

Rattle cans here - hand painted last layout rails - too tedious for this time around

 

 

 

 

 

Technique is the same for all three examples: Spray flat black first, overspray lightly with brown.

Guy