I have a lot of basic “fleet” boxcars - just simple molded plastic with a sliding door, roof walk and a brake wheel attached. All the other detail is molded on - ladders, grabs, brake lines, etc. I’d like to touch up some of these cars by painting some of the details, but should I? And, what color would be appropriate? Or, would the prototype line typically paint the whole thing the same color?
If you are trying to portray the cars as being real, then yes, I would paint them. I would paint each car slightly different colors, or start with a base coat of one color and airbrush on staining and soot that would be there naturally. I would chainge the basecoat if for no other reason than to keep the cars from looking like they just came out of the box. As for painting the details, it depends upon which details you are painting. Using the airbrush gives you the option of tinting the colors by spraying with a transparent color to shade the colors beneath it. Unlike using a standard hairy brush, you don’t lose the detail of the original surface because you are laying down super thin, fine layers of color, and the fact that you can tint the colors to your needs makes them a dream to work with.
I paint the entire car with a flat latex of whatever color I want the car to be. I then touch up the details with another color, usually a mineral red or gray tone. Once this is dry, I airbush the car with a coat of alcohol and black leather dye. this runs down the sides and dries, looking like staining and grime from the elements.
Generally, yes, appliances you mentioned would be the same color as the rest of the car. Some roads painted their roofs or ends/roofs a black ‘car cement’, with running boards on roofs and brake gear/ladders/grabs on ends also painted black.
For some variety, you could paint some details a different shade, representing parts that had been installed to replace damaged equipment.
One drawback to painting details a different color is that attention is drawn to them, emphasizing the oversized appearance of steps, brake wheels, and especially molded-on grabs, ladders, and thick running boards. Weathering efforts mentioned by others tend to minimize that effect by blending the colors.
During the summer I kept my eye out for “weekend” sales of the internet train dealers and bought about 300 freight cars, box, reefers, tanks, hoppers, etc. While most of them are molded , or painted in appropriate colors they will need a little work.
The underbodies will all get a grimy black to kill the plastic shine. The roofs will get a misting of sooty black, a little darker on the roof walks. The ends will get a a shot of dust as will the lower car sides.
Then a coat of Dulcote over all except the underbody to get rid of all of the plastic shine.
Don 't forget the trucks. I use the Micro Mark truck tuner and while the wheels are off I check them for gauge and then spray them rust or rail brown and do the side frames as well. More Dulcoat, reassemble, tighten one screw down almost tight and the other loose.
Check the coupler height and on the track they go.
With all that work, there is no time or need to touch up the molded on ladders, grabs, etc. From normal viewing distance they are hardly noticeable anyway.
A couple of ideas, just for grins, to try on a single car:
- Paint just the extreme outer edge of each grab iron brown, with possibly a little touch of silver where hands (in rough work gloves) would have worn the paint off.
- Put a little dab of white paint on the tack board to simulate the forms that get tacked up there.
- Paint traces of spilled lading below the door - on the lower rail, if there is one. (Oops! Dropped a can of Baby Blue paint!)
If it looks good, you might want to try something similar on a few more.
Many years ago, Linn Westcott visited and photographed a layout by a very good artist (F. Lee Jacques, “The Great North Road.”) From a distance, the rolling stock looked well detailed. Close-up examination revealed that there was very little three-dimensional detailing. It was all done with paint.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Generally, the entire car is the same color. Any brake gear on the underside will be rust/brown/black depending on the geographic area.
Occationally, the brake wheel will be a different color. Sometimes, the roofs and brake platforms are unpainted, galvanized steel.
Nick