I think I have finally have a direction for my layout that I have been starting and tearing up over and over. If I stay with it, I would like to repaint the 2 motorized and 1 dummy engine I have to be all the same with a rail name/colors for the rail. It would be a fictional road. I dont have the things to be able to paint them and its something I would not do enough to warrent spending the money on. So, Is there someone who we could take it to and get the job done? Any ideas?
Thanks.
There are many custom painters. Some run ads in MR. A Goggle search should find several. Be sure to check their references. If you have a local hobby shop, start there. If they don’t have a painter, they probably know someone near by. Normally custom painting can be pretty pricy. You may want to consider buying factory painted locos and altering the paint yourself. Pennsy freight engines were black and with a little care you can remove the lettering from most models. Add some decal stripping, have custom decals made, and you have locos for your railroad.
You can do a very good looking paint job with just a rattlecan. $3.95 for Krylon or Rustoleum. Invent your road’s color scheme, do a few full size paintings on paper to see if you like it.
Spray on the light color first, then mask off with painter’s tape, and spray the darker color. Burnish down the edges of the masking tape very firmly to prevent the paint from sneaking underneath the tape. Practice on a junker to get your hand in.
Custom painting can be very pricy!
I agree with David about using rattle cans. Testors also has a bunch of spray paint that you could look at. 3M Scotch Blue Delicate Painters Masking Tape #2080 does a terrific job on my locomotives. I mainly use an airbrush but on occasion I use Testors Flat Black Spray and it works very good.
Check out my blog, this link is to a post about painting an E7 shell.
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/2014/11/november-9-2014-airbrushing-my-cary-e7a.html
Your local hobby shop should stock lettering decals for a custom road name.
Good Luck
Hello all,
On my fictitious pike the colors are black with safety orange. The herald is also safety orange with balck or white lettering.
It’s a simple enough paint scheme using any satin black and Krylon Gloss Pumpkin Orange (#52411) rattle cans.
Follow the suggestions in the other post on painting.
Because the large areas of the locomotive will be painted black I don’t use a primer. When I do need to use a primer on very detailed models I prefer to use a flat gray paint over an automotive primer.
The regular paint is thinner and won’t mask the fine details. It can be applied sparingly in many thin coats. The automotive primer is much thicker and trying to apply multiple light coats can sometimes produce spotty results.
When it comes to rolling stock the B.S.&P. color is boxcar red. For this I do use either Krylon Ruddy Brown Primer (#51317) or Red Oxide Primer (#51317); different name same product number.
You said that you didn’t have a place to paint. One of the members of this forum said he did his painting near the trash dumpsters in his apartment building. You could also use a large plastic storage box or cardboard box to contain the overspray in a similar area.
I do my painting on our deck and spread an old bed sheet over the railing to catch any overspray. I use a 4"x4" as a solid base and attach block of blue foam with T-pins, then put the models to be painted on the foam blocks.
The only caveat of painting outdoors is bugs and other critters. One member of the forum had to deal rogue squirls when he painted outdoors.
Hope this helps.
The local hobby shop I had is finishing a closing sale and the last day should be any day now.
Not to say that the cars painted with the rattle cans look ok, I would probably go out and get an airbrush and pratice. Even with the hobby shop closing I probably could do it for others.
for the engines I was thinkingof a navy blue with a heartbeat sign(lign) down the side of each of them. It would actually be 4 engines. 2 powered and 2 non powered. One set would be called white lightnin and the other blue ridge express.
Custom painting can get really pricey, fast.
I would do the main color myself, and get the “heartbeat line” as a custom decal, mush cheaper.
Rattle cans work, but can lay a thick coat if not careful.
Harborfreight, if around you, has a very decent, cheap, airbrush set. Quick practice, and you will be good to go. Again, it can lay a thick coat if not careful though… If you have never done painting this way, practice on cheap junk cars first.
If insisting on the custom painting, if you are in my area I know a couple modeler’s who do just that… But shipping to them might be a pain as well…
Your choice though. If you would like some contact info, PM me.
I second Rick! I use a Harbor Freight airbrush for 99% of my painting and a Paasche for the 1% super detail work. The Harbor Freight airbrushes are China knockoffs but work great for $10.
I don’t use a Harbor Freight compressor but I’ve never heard anything bad about them.
The 10’ Harbor Freight airbrush hose for $8 is the best hose I’ve found.
Mel
Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951
My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogs
Hijack a paint scheme from a fallen flag railroad and simply remove the lettering or remove the road name from your current locomotives.
On SSRy new SW1500 you can see NS “ghost” lettering under the black paint. SSRy simply had painted over the NS lettering… SCR sister road “Lake Port Terminal” has a GP7 in SP’s “Black Widow” scheme.
Use Tamiya spray cans from your LHS. It is designed for models, and has a finer spray than Krylon etc., which are made for painting large items, like patio furniture. Tamiya is similar to using an airbrush.
Real railways diesel paint schemes were done by the diesel builders. Often the designs were similar. Base your scheme on a typical say GM scheme, maybe a demonstrator one.