I am so excited about the results of this box car that I could not help but post them. As I always say, my cars are no where near as good as cars by Mellow-Mike, MrKluke, or Aggro himself, but I’m still a rookie at this weathering game! So here is my latest: A rusty, rusty, rusty Railbox. Bonus points to the first person who guesses whom it is(Or WAS!)patched for. That is when I will post the “before” picture.
It started off as a Roundhouse RailBox, minding its own business. Then I took it into the weathering “chamber” as I call it, and gave it a light alcohol wash. This really faded the lettering down good, so then I went to the rust. Well, actually, it first received a few washes of grimy black and rust, but then it was off to the rusting! I first gave it two coats of rust, the exact Polly Scale color. I used napkins and paper towels to dab the paint, giving it a textured rust look. Then I retired for about two hours upstairs, letting it dry thoroughly, while watching tons of college football.
Next process was a couple more light washes of rust. I though I was finished, as shown here:
Here’s a roof shot, for good measure.
Then today came along. I showed the car to one of my friends, also a railroading guru, and he suggested scrubbing a little Arm & Hammer on there, as I had mentioned I thought it was a little heavy. This was before I decided to turn it into a non-rolling tool car for my siding, based on cars sitting in the local yard. Anyway, I did the Arm & Hammer treatment, which worked well, so I then decided that it needed more and more rust. Well, I got to the “chamber”(I need to put a trademark on this![:D]), and mixed up a
Might I add: NO powders were used in this. I haven’t completed my order with Walthers that includes the AIM Weathering Powders[:D]. Also, that roof shot is the unfinished product.
As I said, whenever someone guesses the ex-patch, I will include the “before” photo.
I think that’s the most fabulously rusted model I’ve ever seen! Except for the Marx tinplate boxar that I found at a junkyard…but that was real rust a la Mother Nature! [:p]
No offense man, but thats really really really really overdone, even the prototype wouldnt let it rust that far, you cant even see the reporting marks. It doesnt even look like rust, its just a thick coat of brown paint.
Hate to break it to ya but If a cars reporting marks are not visable and clear to a point they are washed off around the reporting marks, by the switch crew, how are they supposed to spot the car if its just a giant box covered in some thick brown paint? I’ve seen some dirty railboxes but none that you couldnt see the RM’s on.
I know that, but if you read this: “This was before I decided to turn it into a non-rolling tool car for my siding, based on cars sitting in the local yard.”
A: I based it off prototypes!
B: I understand about that, but it is going to sit around a siding on my layout, serving as a tool car for the MOW crews. There were 4 of these in my yard up until a month ago, when they scrapped 3 of them. I model 2000, they’ve been there, in all their rusty spledor, since '98.
C: Switch crew? If they don’t move, how can they be switched?
I think its cool. I saw a old UP or SP ( couldnt read it) box car sitting next to the siding near green valley in AZ. It looked real nostalgic, I wished I grabbed a pic. Yours will have to suffice till i get a cam.
I’d take some alcohol and a bunch of Q-tips and start wiping it down. Sometimes cleaning up a mistake creates a better looking model. You may be surprised with the results.
Another trick is to wet a broad brush with Microsol (blue) and draw it down the sides, you just might be surprised.
