I think the guys over at the Weathering Shop tend to use burnt umber and burnt sienna artist oils for that. For streaks, you can use a brush. For spots and patches of rust, tear up a cosmetic sponge and dab small amounts on. You'd probably want to knock most of the paint off by dabbing it on a scrap of cardboard first, sort of like dry brushing.
http://www.theweatheringshop.com/
After clicking Enter, click Artists, select an artist and then click Models to see a gallery of various models.
Steve S
I have heard of a new technique using salt and layering paint. I know there are a couple vids out there but n ot sure how good they are in terms of using that technique.
Shane
A pessimist sees a dark tunnel
An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel
A realist sees a frieght train
An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space
Henry:
One addition to what Steve described re using artists oils. Paint thinner can be used to creat the rust streak that is caused by rain running down the sides of the cars below the rust spot. Once the rust 'spot' has dried mostly, use a small amount of thinner to 'draw' the rust streak down the side. Less is more or you will just wash the rust spot off.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Besides burnt umber and sienna, you might also want to get brown or rust brown artist paints (they are in tubes). I squeeze some of them together and use a toothpick to blend them. Then I use a brush to paint them on from top to bottom with mineral spirits or paint thinner to give a faded look.
You also can just use the toothpick to put a circle with the color blend on the rolling stock.
Here's a video showing the salt technique. The gauze method that they show looks interesting. I've never seen that one before.
Hi, Henry,
I have not used these but there are rust decals available. Some modelers that are unsure of their artistic ability say they are a good solution.
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/230537.aspx
This is one provider, there may be others,
http://www.weatheringsolutions.com/
Good Luck, Ed
Thanks for posting that video, never seen the gauze or salt methods before.