Weathering black locomotives

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I’ve got a Proto2000 S2 that was originally painted in the black Ann Arbor scheme. I’ve removed the Ann Arbor reporting marks in order to have it represent a private owned industrial locomotive.

I’d like to weather it rather heavily since it represents an 40 year old locomotive regulated to industrial service.

Are there any good tips on weathering black locomotives? I want heavy weathering but not gaudy…

2

all I can suggest is that you use light chalks or paint for the weathering… maybe some light rust colors and some light browns for the dirt accumulation. Just be careful because these light colors show up very well on black… so use them sparingly.

3

GD,
I recently just did some airbrushing on a black steamer. I have found that dark greys worked great. If you want “weathered” but not “abused” look, try it. If all esle fails the dark grays will be mild and can work from there. I woudl have to second the pastel thing. Nice thing you have alot of control. If it is too heavy, easy to mild down, or take it off.

Good luck…
John Kanicsar…

P.S. Hey, this is my 100 post!

Good luck

4

I recently weathered my On30 Climax using Bragdon weathering chalks for the first time, and I’ve been really pleased with the results:

(If you click on the photo, you can see a larger version)

I have a set of four chalks in one box - Soot, Light, Medium and Dark Rust. These chalks have a fine adhesive built in, and rubbing the chalk sets it, sealing it to the model. While a little bit can come off with handling, it isn’t as severe as plain chalks. They do not require to be coated with Dullcoat, which usually diminishes the dulling effect of chalks.

I rubbed most of the black areas on the model with Soot, which took the sheen off and gave it a flat dark gray look. Then I used mostly the darker Rust colors to represent road dust and dirt here and there. The frame and trucks were rubbed with the dark rust to lighten them up, being in the shadows.

This chalk kit was one of the best $10.00 I have spent in the hobby!

Bob Boudreau

5

I agree on the Bragdon chalks! Based on recommendations here I got the ‘sampler’ kit that has all 12 colors in it, and I’ve been having a field day weathering some cars and locos. Much better (and easier) than regular pastels. Definitely worth the investment, and a little goes a long way.