Hey guys. I am currently painting my ties on my HO layout with Floquil RR Tie Brown. I need a good color to paint my track bumpers. Any suggestions. For the record I am not sure if I am going to paint the rails or not.
Track bumpers as in the end of the track stops? yellow or black.
All the ones I’ve seen are a reddish primer color. Like the girders on a steel building. I think it’s a special zinc primer. I’ve never seen the rails painted the same color.
Here’s one from the Norfork Southern Yard in Gainesville, GA.
Ray
I weathered mine with a touch of rust powder.
I spray painted mine yellow, but I have yet to weather them.
Rust and dirt are good colors. I have yet to see a pristine bumper. The wheel stop type used on sidings are usually red…and rust and dirt.
Tilden
i think Polyscale or Floquil’s “Utility Orange” would work really well to emulate that prototype picture. i forget exactly who makes it, but i really like it. its a bit bright, but brush on a little Sierra Scale Models black weathering powder, and voila, a friggin sick lookin’ bumper!
I’ve seen examples that are some shade of red or safety yellow. However, it might also depend upon which prototype you are modeling - see if there the RRs historical society can help. As an example I model the C&O in the 1950s and for the Hayes-type wheel stops I’m using they tended to be a safety yellow color.
Charles
I use the plastic Walthers ones. These come in the package as a semi-gloss, dark gray. I assemble them and then paint them flat black. Once that’s dry, I add rust coloration with paint or weathering powders. I use Instant Rust for more severe weathering. I’ve put a diagonal yellow/black striped pattern on the flat pad of a couple of them for “visibility.”