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paint the track and turnouts

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  • Member since
    February 2010
  • 160 posts
paint the track and turnouts
Posted by banjobenne1 on Tuesday, July 16, 2024 2:20 PM

So my track and turnouts are spiked to the cork roadbed. What is the best way to paint the track a flat brown color? Shoud I use oil base paint? How do I mask the turnout points? Thank you. 

  • Member since
    February 2008
  • 2,360 posts
Posted by kasskaboose on Tuesday, July 16, 2024 4:32 PM

Perhaps use a cheap 1/2" craft brush and wipe off any paint which gest on the track.  I've not done it since my ME track is pre-weathered.  Shold you need to paint track, it makes sense to test it fully.  This is a similar approach to gluing the track and adding ballast.

A great (and long) discussion about painting track is found here:https://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/11831

  • Member since
    November 2013
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Posted by snjroy on Tuesday, July 16, 2024 8:41 PM

I use a small brush and apply a mix of craft paints. Yes, be careful with the turnouts.

Simon

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: west coast
  • 7,656 posts
Posted by rrebell on Wednesday, July 17, 2024 8:23 AM

Best way is to tape off any parts of the turnout that move and rattle can everything else with a solvent based paint, wiping the rail as you go. Then when dry you go back and touch up area that you remove the tape from with a small brush from a decanted bottle of the spraypaint (you can spray into a bottle but add little paint thinner first, it is trial and error to get the right mix and you don't need a whole lot). Last reclean all rails your regular way, I use a brightboy after painting but then switch.

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Posted by riogrande5761 on Wednesday, July 17, 2024 11:45 AM

rrebell

Best way is to tape off any parts of the turnout that move and rattle can everything else with a solvent based paint, wiping the rail as you go. Then when dry you go back and touch up area that you remove the tape from with a small brush from a decanted bottle of the spraypaint (you can spray into a bottle but add little paint thinner first, it is trial and error to get the right mix and you don't need a whole lot). Last reclean all rails your regular way, I use a brightboy after painting but then switch. 

 

That's what I did, tape off the points and spray with Rustoleum Camo Brown which is a nice flat coating.  I have no patience to use a brush or my track would never get done.  I plan to touch up the turnouts after removing the tape.

Once spray painted, I follow Rob Spanglers advice and drag a loose utility knife blade backward over the railhead.  It removes the dried paint well.  

Here I masked around the track and sprayed:

Here is an area where the rail head has been scraped and cleaned.

 

 

 

Rio Grande.  The Action Road  - Focus 1977-1983

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: west coast
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Posted by rrebell on Thursday, July 18, 2024 6:33 AM

For any masking around the cork I used typing paper and painters tape.

  • Member since
    August 2006
  • From: Nashville, TN area
  • 713 posts
Posted by hardcoalcase on Thursday, July 18, 2024 9:45 PM

I've done the track painting with an air brush, spray cans and with a half inch craft brush.  Once you figure in the setup and clean-up time of airbrushing, and the masking and unmasking time for spray cans, I find that using the brush is the better choice.

I use acrylic craft paint, easy to use and to cleanup.  For turnouts, I place a thin strip of cardboard between the points and the stock rail, and go easy with the paint around any joints (with rivets or rail joiners) in the point rails.

Jim

  • Member since
    June 2007
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Posted by riogrande5761 on Friday, July 19, 2024 6:47 AM

I too used painters tape to mask.

Rio Grande.  The Action Road  - Focus 1977-1983

  • Member since
    March 2011
  • From: Westford MA
  • 509 posts
Posted by Tophias on Tuesday, August 13, 2024 9:16 AM

I second rebell's and Rico grande's method. Be sure to mask turnout properly. There's no removing paint if it gets in.

Regards, Chris 

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