Does anyone have a good recipe for painting rails a realistic color?
Also what is a good method of painting the rails?
Do you mask off the tops of rails or just clean them off later? What would you clean them off with?
this is for HO scale.
Thanks
I used cans of cheap flat brown and black spray paint from the local Ace Hardware store. As for the tops of the rails, some guys use 3 in 1 oil wiped on the rail tops before painting, but I just sprayed a small section at a time, and then wiped with a cloth around my finger. The only parts I used tape on were the turnout points, because if paint gets in there, it’s a pain to get out. I brush painted those afterwards. I used a Bright Boy track bar as a final cleaner.
By the way, my layout is in N Scale, and it is small enough to take outside to paint. Some guys paint their track before laying it. Others use water based paints like Polly Scale in an airbrush so they can spray indoors.
Hope this helps.
John
I’m into HO scale also. I use Krylon primer in spray cans. I use brown first and then lightly spray black over this. If I’m doing track sections for a yard or industry I put a slightly heavier coat of black on to simulate oil. The brown primer actually looks closer to a rust color than brown. To prep the track sections I use a Q-Tip lightly dipped in oil. 3 in 1 will work. I press the Q-Tip against the container I pour the oil in to remove excess oil. I then run the Q-Tip down the rail tops back and forth and lightly coat the top of the rail. I paint outside because Krylon has a very strong odor. I take short lengths of wire clothes hanger bent in an “S” shape and hang the track sections on my wife’s clothes line and then spray the sections. Once the paint dries I lay the sections on a flat surface and use dry Q-Tips to remove the paint from the tops of the rail. 90% of the time all paint slides right off. On areas where I didn’t put enought oil I just use a bright boy to remove the paint. I always use a bright boy on all sections of track before laying. Don’t forget to remove the paint from the ends of the rail where you use rail joiners. I use a Dremel tool with a wire wheel for this area. If you use a Dremel with a wire wheel you MUST use safety glasses. I’ve had pieces of wire fly off and hit me in the face.
I’m in HO with Code 83 track. I like the better control I get out of brush painting the track. I use Polly Scale water-based paints to avoid the fumes. My layout is in an upstairs bedroom with little ventilation. I mix rail brown, rust and dirt-color paints and then dilute the whole mess 2/3’s paint, 1/3 water. Brushing goes quickly on the ties and the sides of the rail. It then go back with the same brush with diluted Polly Scale rust over the now-kind-of-dark-brown sides on the rails. The result is a believably rusty rail side. Finally, I go back with Polly Scale cement paint and highlight every third, fourth or fifth tie to create a random pattern. The final result makes most visitors think I’ve used code 70 rail. To clean the rail tops, I stop every 5 feet of track and clean the tops with a rag with Polly Scale cleaner/thinner. It cleans the rails very well.