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
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:
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
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