jcopilot Thanks for the link, Batman, lots of interesting photos, not the least of which was the restroom. Now that was crude! You say you use weathering powders - Pan Pastels? Which colors? Jeff
Thanks for the link, Batman, lots of interesting photos, not the least of which was the restroom. Now that was crude!
You say you use weathering powders - Pan Pastels? Which colors?
Jeff
Hi Jeff
I really like weathering powders and currently have AIM powders on hand. As far as colours go the more colours you use the better it will look. Greasy black, shades of dirt and rust. If you mess up a bit wipe some off and apply a different colour over the old to change it up a bit. Of course, you can do that just to get different shades anyway.
You can simulate cracks in the concrete by first putting scratches in the plastic, the powders will then bring the cracks out.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
jcopilotI like the mottled look of your roundhouse floor. What did you use?
Hi Jeff,
I started with Polly Scale 'concrete' as a base (any concrete colour will work) and then I painted the warning stripes along the pits in gloss yellow. To add the mottled look I used a very thin wash of flat black (likely locomotive black but I can't remember exactly). I used isopropyl alcohol to thin the paint. Before the wash dried I used straight isopropyl alcohol to thin and distribute the wash where necessary. Use the straight alcohol sparingly. If you flood the floor the pigment in the wash will congeal into tiny black dots and you will have to clean the floor and start over.
The floors of the pits were done with a thicker flat black wash. I used pieces from a metal freight car roof walk to simulate the drains in the pits. The sides of the pits were painted in white and then a thin black wash was applied over that. They don't show in the photograph.
I believe that the floor weathering should reflect not just the age of the roundhouse, but also the maintenance level. My floor was designed to mimic relatively low maintenance in an older facility.
Have fun!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Hi Dave,
I like the mottled look of your roundhouse floor. What did you use?
I based my roundhouse floor on a picture of an active roundhouse, but I can't find that picture. Sorry. However, here is what I ended up with. It is probably a bit overdone for a well maintained roundhouse, but it would be easy to tone down the effect by using lighter washes:
I also weathered the turntable pit using photos from the same series. Again, it might be a bit overdone depending on how well the pit is maintained:
The black spots are intended to mimic water intrusion. Puddles would certainly be common in a pit.
Here's a look at part of the floor at the East Broad Top's roundhouse...
I have only one roundhouse on my layout, and even though it's very close to the edge of the layout and at eye-level, I have no intention of weathering the floor, adding tools and other details, and no HO scale figures, either...
If some of the doors are open, you may see a locomotive, but otherwise, the interior isn't visible, even through the windows...
Wayne
Here is a page of mostly B&W pics. You will have to use your imagination and add the colour. I have been in this RH back in the 70s and while the floor was free of clutter it was not free of grease and grime after 80 years.
http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/photos/drake_street/roundhouse.htm
My weapon of choice is weathering powders. I scratched the surface before the powders to make cracks.
Here is the look after.
I also used powders on the TT.
The floors in the Roundhouses at the North Carolna Transportation Museum and Age Of Steam Roundhouse are spotless, as would be expected.
I would have loved to get a look inside the real working roundhouse at the Durango And Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, but visitors were not allowed anywhere near it.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Mine looks pretty much like Mel's.
RH_fini1 by Edmund, on Flickr
I used light gray primer and a little Rustoleum Camoflage Khaki rattle can and Pan Pastels over that when dry.
RH_fini0 by Edmund, on Flickr
With boiler washouts, tender work and a lot of condensed water from steam on the floors there was quite a bit of residue from rusty water, too.
Roundhouse1 by Edmund, on Flickr
Good Luck, Ed
As a teen I hung out at the El Paso Southern Pacific yard, roundhouse. They kept a pretty clean facility, there was substantial grease near and around the pits but in general the rest of the floor was relatively clean. The entire interior and floor was painted grey. Even the windows were clean.I finished my roundhouse as close as I could from my teen memories. Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California Turned 84 in July, aging is definitely not for wimps.
Does anyone have or know where to find color photos of steam-era roundhouse floors? I need to weather my Walthers roundhouse (6 stalls) and would like an example to follow.
Thanks,