I am looking at all these great phots and videos of layouts and noticing that alot of the track actually looks like track it’s not all shinny and clean. How or what do I use to make mine look like that? It’s something so simple but adds so much realizim I think
I’m a cheap sort of modeler, so I paint mine. I use a small brush. I use Floquil or Poll’s Roof Brown. I only paint the sides of the rails that you can see. After the paint dries, use a bright-boy and clean the paint from the tops of the rails, and and the inside edge of the rail head. Don’t paint the points on the turnouts where the rails contact one another.
The other way you can do it is order your track pre weathered. That costs more, and I don’t know if you can get pre-wethered turnouts.
I used the same markers. the tip is: use the rail rust firs and the rust after the first one dried.
the reason is you make different tones, and the first one make the second one darker.
my 2 cents.
I use paint pens that you can buy at craft shops or in the craft dept of hardware shops.
The colout I use is called clay. The pen does about 25ft of track and there’s no messy clean up required, just a check that you haven’t smugged the rail tops. Oh yea I only do the visible parts of the rails and keep well clear of the switching rails at turnouts.
cheers
I start with rustoleum primer after coating the railheads with some light oil.
Spray then wipe off the tops. Don’t worry about the ties, the paint actually helps. After the paint dries, spot paint the ties grey, dark (creosote) and some black to represent grease drips. Leave some ties brown. I prefer to not overweather the ties. My railroad has a good maintenance plan. Still there are still a few ties in need of replacement.
Cheap easy and even fun.
Oh yes, (as mentioned above) don’t paint switch points! Mask them off.
Karl
Maybe this is a really stupid question but being new I’m not sure I understand why you should paint switch points?
I figure it’s just a typo on your part. You shouldn’t paint them. Unless you use power routing through the switch machine contacts to those point rail, they are powered by contact against the stock rail. Any dirt, paint or oil can affect the contact.
Yes that was a typo on my part. So if I’m understanding right you don’t want to paint any part of a rail that needs to make contact with another rail…Might explain why some of my switch points dont work so great. I’ll have to do some work on those to get the contact better.
Thanks
I use a rattle can of flat camoflage brown.I spray the track and roadbed( before ballasting) and wipe off the top of the rails before the paint dries,about 3’ at a time. Then a quick touch-up with a brite boy.My subroadbed is foam so I paint that a tan color first so the spray paint won’t eat the foam.Then ballast and a line of oily black down the middle.I fell it helps hide the size of c100 rail,too.:
Terry
In an article I read (can’t remember which publication it was ) the author made a mix using PolyS.He used 1/2oz rust and 1/4oz tarnished black and brushed that on the rails.The end result looked really nice.Bob
[#ditto] Rustoleum and Krylon make some good flat brown spray can paints. Follow up with some brushed on grime and rust colors. Chalks work good for weathering the ballast around the track.