I seek enlightenment
I am doing some rust "additions" to my rolling stock (one so far) and my rail. I am using testors rust paint, and I was wondering if that is a good color for the rails. Anybody else use testors for track?
I'm beginning to realize that Windows 10 and sound decoders have a lot in common. There are so many things you have to change in order to get them to work the way you want.
Testor's "rust" is one of my favorite weathering paints. But I always use it as a wash and often in conjunction with flat black.
A "wash" percentages of paint to thinner can range quite a bit. I've rarely mixed up a batch of wash, usually dipping a brush in thinner, then touching the rust and/or black and applying it to the rail web or trucks or what have you.
Keep in mind, a thinner wash is best to start with. As Emiral would comment, you can always add, but you can't take away.
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
If you look at actual track the sides and web of the rail are "dark", and somewhat brownish but not rusty red; rather with elements of a much darker brownish red. (The very top of shiny rail becomes reddish in a rainstorm, until the next train comes through.)
I think most weathered rail looks too "rusty" red compared to the prototype. The old Floquil grimy black - which actually had some green in it -- was almost close if just a hint of brown/dark red was added.
Dave Nelson
I think I might try the wash idea on rolling stock, as well as painting a thin layer of brown over the rails painted with testors rust to hopefully make it look more prototypical
My current "coupler rust" (which should be pretty close to "rail rust") is half Testor's flat dark brown, half rust.
It's not quite what I want, though it's just fine. I might add just a bit of green to kill the color a bit. But it's still just fine, as is, for me now.
Ed
I use Apple Barrel (craft paint) Flat Black and Nutmeg (which is a light brown) for this. The Nutmeg is applied once the black has dried. It gets darker as it dries, with dark base coat under it.
Alternatively, Rustoleum Camaflage brown in a rattlecan is a pretty fast way of painting flex track, or individual rails.
For rolling stock, PanPastels or powdered pastels, with a coat of the dullcote over the top works pretty well.
For quick and dirty rail coloring, I sprayed with a with a Rustoleum similar to rail tie brown.
For more detailed weather, which I intend to do, look at photos on railpictures.net. If fact I will show you a few.
Look at the red rusty rails and the color of the coupler and the pilot plow behind the MU hoses.
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/653906/
Now look at the rail color here.
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/654028/
Different than the first pic and different than the coupler knuckle.
What I am saying is multiple colors are more realistic than just one. But just one is far better than nothing at all.
Testor makes some paint pens, one in rust. It has a tip like a magic marker and it bounces over the little bits from the ties that hold the rails, leaving bare spots on the rail. I do not recommend it.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
I have been using Floquil Rail Brown mixed with Floquil Grimy Black on the mains and mostly straight Rail brown on sidings and spurs, all painted with an airbrush. I still have quite a few of those Floquil colors left. I have a habit of always buying more than one for many things and I'm glad I did:
All photos may be clicked on, for a larger view.
Take Care!
Frank