Before & after

[slsf1]

I recently found a good deal on an Atlas 50' PD boxcar and bought it.  I hadn't done any weathering in quite a while.  I was feeling froggy, and decided to fire up the airbrush and have a go at it.  Sorry...my photography skills may be lacking.

[Motley]

Very well done, looks good to me. Maybe a little on the light side though as far as weathering.

[shayfan84325]

I think it looks great.  It is easy to over-do weathering and end up running a really delapidated looking railroad; yours looks like a car that has some miles on it, but is still in good shape.

[Hamltnblue]

Looks pretty good.  What do the wheels look like now?  They happened to be in the shadow in the after pics.

[slsf1]

I airbrushed the faces of the wheels using Floquil roof brown with the thought they would have an older rust color to them.  I took two of the photos outside using natural lighting, but unfortunately I also got some shadows.

[Dave-the-Train]

Very nice... but what's your technique?  The pretty much dulled down all over look is the sort of thing I was asking about the other week...

Nice to see a lightly weathered car... probably harder to do well than a really messy car.

[IVRW]

You have mastered the most important law of weathering: Dont over do it. GREAT JOB!

[Allegheny2-6-6-6]

 Nicely done very subtle not over done

[slsf1]

Dave the train:  I started out by dry brushing the roof with Floquil roof brown, rail brown, and rust colors to make the rust patches.  The trucks I spray first with a coat of stuff I got at the auto parts store that makes paint adhere better to that slippery plastic.  I then air brushed the trucks and wheel faces with roof brown.  Sometimes I use grimy black on the car trucks. 

 

The car I oversprayed with a thin mixture (1 to 10) of Floquil grimy black.  Then I oversprayed parts of the body with Floquil grime.  After the weathering had cured for a couple of days I gave it a couple of coats of Dullcote.  Let it cure another couple of days and it's done.  Hope that answers your question.

 

With weathering and scenery:  Sometimes less is more.

[Forty Niner]

Looks very nice, the best part is you can have 90% of your freight car fleet weathered like this and it would look very realistic, over weathering which is done so much just makes it look like the "Scrapyard Central" to me. Nothing wrong with the occassional "heavely" weathered freight car but as so often happens many times it becomes over done

This looks "used", not "abused"................bravo!!!

Mark

[Dave-the-Train]

slsf1

Hope that answers your question.

   

slsf1

stuff I got at the auto parts store that makes paint adhere better to that slippery plastic.

What's that called please?

Thanks

[slsf1]

Dave the Train:  The stuff I use is called Bulldog Adhesion Promoter.  It is manufactured by Klean Strip who also sells lacquer thinner, mineral spirits, etc.  It comes in a 12 oz. spray can.  I got mine at O'Reilly Automotive Supply.  Your local auto parts supplier should have it or something similar.  Auto body guys use it to help get paint to stick to plastic parts on cars is what I'm told.  It sprays on clear, and then after curing I airbrush the trucks or other plastic parts the color I want.  Model railroad car trucks are the most infuriating thing there is to paint for me because that slippery plastic just won't hold paint well.  The adhesion promoter seems to help.  Give it a try...might make your life easier.  Cheers!

[SteamFreak]

 Very nice work. I agree that the subtle muting of the colors is more effective, and more difficult to achieve in part because it's so tempting to go heavier. This way the car looks like it's just seen some sun fading and exposure to the elements, instead of looking like it was buried and dug up.