track weathering

[Tony Fairbrother]

Anyone out there advise me on best weathering pen or paint for rusty track ,please?

[B.Meldon]

We have used Humbrol "rust" on the rails, sleepers and ballast for over 30 years now.

You can just paint it on and wipe the rail head clean. Care is needed around the moving parts of the points, I usualy do this in two stages with the point one way, allowing the paint to dry then changing the point and painting the bits you missed.
I do all this before I add any green scatter and other scenery to the layout.

This is what it looks like on Pitztalbahn:





I used to use Humbrol enamel but I will probably use acrylic next time.

Now I am not saying this is the only way to go or that it is wrong to separately paint the rail, sleepers and ballast and in fact doing so can look very good indeed. However if you look at real track that has been down for any length of time the rails, sleepers and ballast all tend to become one uniform rust colour.
In a model having no ballast at all looks bad, but providing there is ballast in place and it is not overly bright in colour no one really notices it!
Just think of any layout that you may have seen and try to recall what colour the ballast, sleepers and rail were without looking at a photo and you will see what I am on about.

Painting it all one colour is quick and very effective, it is also easy to hide any modification to the track. If you want to add more detail later that can be done as well.

Brian Meldon

[Hobby]

I work on the railways and see them daily and in all different weathers... There's no one colour that covers all scenarios. Brian's is valid enough, though personally I think that the model "rust" colour is too light. I ballast and them spray the whole lot with "track colour" spray can, a sort of dark brown colour which I feel represent more what I see.

However I have plenty of photos where the ballast is new and the track nearly black in colour!

There's no right or wrong, get hold of a decent colour photo of the line you are modelling, or, even better, go out and look at the real thing!

Google image search showing everything from light brown rust to nearly black!

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=rail&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiUm6DP1sPQAhWmKMAKHXQuD4MQ_AUICigD&biw=1440&bih=770#tbm=isch&q=rail+track

[Tony Fairbrother]

thanks chaps , time for me to do some practice , I think

Regards , Tony

[Tony Fairbrother]

We have used Humbrol "rust" on the rails, sleepers and ballast for over 30 years now.

You can just paint it on and wipe the rail head clean. Care is needed around the moving parts of the points, I usualy do this in two stages with the point one way, allowing the paint to dry then changing the point and painting the bits you missed.
I do all this before I add any green scatter and other scenery to the layout.

This is what it looks like on Pitztalbahn:





I used to use Humbrol enamel but I will probably use acrylic next time.

Now I am not saying this is the only way to go or that it is wrong to separately paint the rail, sleepers and ballast and in fact doing so can look very good indeed. However if you look at real track that has been down for any length of time the rails, sleepers and ballast all tend to become one uniform rust colour.
In a model having no ballast at all looks bad, but providing there is ballast in place and it is not overly bright in colour no one really notices it!
Just think of any layout that you may have seen and try to recall what colour the ballast, sleepers and rail were without looking at a photo and you will see what I am on about.

Painting it all one colour is quick and very effective, it is also easy to hide any modification to the track. If you want to add more detail later that can be done as well.

Brian Meldon

Do you mean Humbrol RC 402 acrylic, Brian? A local model shop recommends it

[B.Meldon]

We have used Humbrol "rust" on the rails, sleepers and ballast for over 30 years now.

I used to use Humbrol enamel but I will probably use acrylic next time.

Brian Meldon

Do you mean Humbrol RC 402 acrylic, Brian? A local model shop recommends it

Sorry I have no idea!

I have always used enamel. I will have to find the pot but I think it is enamel 113??

The trick is to always make sure it is matt! Do a test every time, it dry

[Andrew Emery]

I think you may find the acrylics will tend to peel off the sides of the rails after a while, like a thin film of plastic wrap.

Andrew

[Allscales]

I've got Woodland Scenics Rusty rail pen lying around somewhere, I must have a go with it sometime!

Anyone used one of them before?

[Tony Fairbrother]

I've got Woodland Scenics Rusty rail pen lying around somewhere, I must have a go with it sometime!

Anyone used one of them before?

ive just bought one , it goes on easily on "bare " rail and looks very good and the rail still threads back onto sleepers easily, but difficult to apply on sleepered rail and of course points

[Allscales]

Thanks for that!

As my hand is not too steady, I'll keep that in mind...

No doubt I'll have to line up some mates to do the pointwork (in return for beers)!