Painting Tunnel Portals

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I have a couple of the Woodland Scenics ‘wooden’ tunnel portals, I think they’re made of a material like light weight hydrocal. How would you go about painting these? I’m thinking I should spray paint them with a gray primer color and then… hmmmm… paint each ‘timber’ separately using maybe a gray-ish brown water based paint.

How did you do yours, if you have them?

Got pictures?

Thanks!

Jarrell

2

Hi Jarrell: I think I painted mine roof brown, originally, but then painted it gray, with an ink/alcohol wash. DJ.

3

I vote for no primer and a very dillute grey/black wash. Apply as many coats as requires to get the color you want.

4

Thanks Grampy for the picture, that’s just about the look I’m after. I like your ‘granite’ looking rocks too, what colors/technique did you use for them. I think this is one of your best pictures!

Jarrell

5

Thanks for the reply, Dave. I have two of them that I"m about to do so I may try your method on one of them.

Jarrell

6

Jarrell, I’ll have to scout around for a photo of mine, but I just mixed some Burnt Umber and black and slopped on a heavy wash, maybe in two goes…it has been five years and I can’t recall how I did it exactly. Once it was in place, I used a dry brush black to create the sooty smear above the apex of the portal, and a bit down the inside faces since some smoke would be deposited there as well as the engine exits the portal and smoke billows all around the smokebox and boiler.

Crandell

Edit - I took this one just now. It’s hand-held with the new camera, Jarrell. [:D]

7

Thanks, Jarrell. Well, I sprayed the white castings with India ink/alcohol mix. Let it dry. Then a thin wash of earth color and before it dried, another spray of ink/alcohol. Repeat, if necessary, till I got the color I wanted. Finally, dry brush with light gray paint. DJ.

8

Grampy, it’s hard to notice the tunnel portal with all the details and great work you’ve done on your layout, in general. Do you have a link for more photos of your “empire”?

9

Thanks Crandell and all for your replies! Marlon, you’re right… Grampys photos have always been an inspiration to me, making me try a little harder.

Jarrell

10

Thanks Medina: I’ll try to give you the link to Photobucket. DJ.

http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm237/GrampysTrains/

11

Jarrell:

I did something similar to Crandell with my timber portals, only used a flat reddish-brown primer to start with. Then I went over it with Raw Umber and black at the apex to simulate all that nasty Utah coal-smoke coming from my articulateds, LOL!

I’m lousy with a close-up camera, so this is just about the only shot I have of the portal, to the right of the photo. As you can see, I still have to put in a tunnel lining (it’s open to access from the bottom).

Tom [:D]