Ok, I have a crap load of open hoppers flats & bulkend flats that need some "touching up"
Opinions & or suggestions would be appreciated.I haven't touched the sides of any of the flats, just trying to get the decks looking "used".
Thanks
Gordon
Brought to you by the letters C.P.R. as well as D&H!
K1a - all the way
They all look more then good enough to me.
Ken G Price My N-Scale Layout
Digitrax Super Empire Builder Radio System. South Valley Texas Railroad. SVTRR
N-Scale out west. 1996-1998 or so! UP, SP, Missouri Pacific, C&NW.
Preety good. maybe just a wash of black paint would finish them off.
"Mess with the best, die like the rest" -U.S. Marine Corp
MINRail (Minessota Rail Transportaion Corp.) - "If they got rid of the weeds what would hold the rails down?"
And yes I am 17.
Gordon: The bulkheads need weathering too, not just the decks.
The Ferroequinologist layoutconcepts@yahoo.com eBay store: Backshop Train & China Store Facebook: Model Trains, Train Sets, Buildings & Layout Concepts
Gordon, the coal car looks pretty good but in the picture the weathering looks green.
On the decks of the flat beds, I ran into the same thing, they look painted. I ran into the same thing on the ones I did.
Try taking fine sandpaper 600 girt and sand the deck some to lighten up the weathering. While the colors are random, they are pretty separated, sanding may help blend one color to the next.
Ken
I hate Rust
They all look good to me.
I think you could enhance the deck of the Soo flat car by drybrushing the deck a little more to blend the brown in a bit more in places.
I've had some success with dipping a brush in 91% alcohol (if you're using water-based paints) and dabbing it on a paper towel. The remaining wetness on the brush should allow the paint to soften and be moved around the deck some the more (light) strokes you apply. But if you have too much alcohol on the brush you could remove the paint.
If you used oil-based paints use mineral spirits.
If you choose do the bulkhead or sides of the car with this method, I always use vertical strokes to represent streaking grime.
- Douglas
Looks good to me!
I like the weathering on the hopper, and that on the flatcar decks isn't bad, either. One thing to remember when weathering flatcar decks and wood-floored gondolas is that these areas take a beating. I've seen flatcars where some boards were crushed, split, rotten, or even missing, while the next five look almost new (and probably were). Blocking is often nailed or bolted to the decks, and stabilising rods welded to the stake pockets. That's not to say they should all look that way, but it's certainly not uncommon.
Here's the only proto photo that I could find of a flatcar deck - this one may be nailable steel floor - and it's in pretty good shape. Note the boards lining the inside face of the bulkhead and the centreline to assist in loading:
I lowered a few Athearn blue box 50' flats, then added bulkhead ends from Walthers 52'6" GSC flatcars, along with wooden decks (3"x8"and 3"x10" stripwood).
The decks were distressed using a razor saw, X-Acto #11 and #17 blades, and the tip of a small screwdriver, then stained with washes of thinned Floquil, applied with a brush. The plastic bulkheads got the stain treatment only, as they get less wear and tear.
While you didn't show a gondola, it may help to know that even ones which are supposed to be empty often aren't:
Wayne
Note that most if not all of those flat cars could represent prototypes with nailable steel floors and not wood. The decks don't weather like wood. Try finding some prototype photos on a site like George Elwood's Fallen Flags http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/. Locating good pictures of flat car decks can be tough, and many still have evidence of wood dunnage attached which blocks the view of the actual deck.
Also note that flat car decks are subject to all kinds of abuse resulting in scrapes, gouges and such which can be carved into the model as part of the weathering process.
Rob Spangler