General Discussion (Model Railroader)

I'm putting together one of Walthers "Classic Kits". It already has the logos and such painted on the side. The underframe is molded in the same color as the body.

My question is should the underframe and brake reservoirs be painted black or should I leave them the same color as the body? I've tried doing some quick Google searches but it's harder to find shots of the bottom of boxcars then it seems. I'm inclined to leave it but I figured someone here would know for sure.

A few years ago, I got some custom-painted Walthers autoracks off Ebay.  The seller had painted the undersides a grimy black color.  To be honest, when mixed in with my other autoracks, it isn't that noticable.  Granted the undersides of cars should get some weathering since they'd be collecting all kinds of gunk kicked up by the wheels.

Kevin

Looshi:

I've tried doing some quick Google searches but it's harder to find shots of the bottom of boxcars then it seems.

I've always wondered why so many modelers and current manufacturers spend so much time and effort detailing the underside of their rolling stock.  I rarely, if ever, try to look at the underside of a car while it is sitting on the rails.  I guess people who photograph prototype trains don't either.  I would think the only reason to detail the underside of a train car or loco would be to model a train wreck with overturned cars.

Maybe they want the train to look more prototypical when they have a derailment.

hornblower:

I've always wondered why so many modelers and current manufacturers spend so much time and effort detailing the underside of their rolling stock.  I rarely, if ever, try to look at the underside of a car while it is sitting on the rails. 

Perhaps you don't look at your rolling stock at eye-level and don't have any tank cars or high-car-body gondolas where underbody detail (or its lack) really stands out.  For models without break gear, the simple addition of tie rods perks up the appearance of cars in my eyes.

Mark

Looshi:

My question is should the underframe and brake reservoirs be painted black or should I leave them the same color as the body? I've tried doing some quick Google searches but it's harder to find shots of the bottom of boxcars then it seems. I'm inclined to leave it but I figured someone here would know for sure.

The answer is, it depends!

Some railroads painted the undersides a different color (just as some painted the ends a different color).The vast majority of cars I've seen have the underside painted the same color as the car.

If you really want to go nuts, are the trucks painted the same color as the car? 

At least you are one step ahead of us in the early rail group, we argue whether the undersides are even painted, then we worry about the color!

 For the most part, particularly in modern times, the underframe, is the same color as the body.  However, as the underframe is exposed to far more grime, it may look black.

Nick

Thanks for the responses.I think I'm going to leave it the body color but then keep things in mind when I weather it. There was something about a bright yellow underframe that bothered me, but I think doing some serious weathering will take care of it.

I know everyone has their own little thing in this hobby, that's what makes it so great. I run my trains. and when it goes by at scale 30 M.P.H. I cant even see the bottom and before you get on me to roughly, That's my so now I have everyone hating me.I am not a rivet counter.

 I paint all of my under frames grimy black with a rust wash over them. You cant always see them but I know its there and thats what is important to me.

Dave

I model in N and my layout is well below eye level.  I don't bother with much as you can't really tell anyway.

As someone who spends alot of time under a car most are painted the same color as the car , the ones I 've seen that are not the same color are usually a primer color .

Painting the underside black may help to make it "disappear" when looked at -IF it were seen.

There are two things to consider: 1} what would the prototype do and 2} what do you prefer?

Then there is that nasty little thing about detailing modelworks: 1} DO you detail everything-even when no one will hardly ever see it; and 2} Do you NOT detail the things that are most likely not going to be noticed.

If it were me, I'd vote for black in theory. And not worry about the details no one may see.

In reality, I vote with my own boxcars to leave the undersides of my boxcars as they came, some came black, and some came the same color as the car.

I mask off the topsides and couplers of cars, remove the trucks, and give the bottom sides a coat of gray auto primer with a rattle can.  Sometimes dark gray (which is close to black) and sometime light gray.  It kills the plastic gloss on unpainted undercarriages, and makes the visible weights (like Athearn) less visible.  It helps the overall appearance of the cars, even though I don't pick them up and examine the underside.

   If, after the overall coat of primer, one wanted to go farther, one could paint the air tank either black or boxcar red, and  pick out some other details in a contrasting color.

  While I am at it, I always spray paint the trucks in red auto primer to cover the black glossy plastic, and paint the wheel faces grimey black.  

Medina1128:

Maybe they want the train to look more prototypical when they have a derailment.

 Then you need to leave the truck screws out

                   --Randy