Those of us with "old-school hi-rail" layouts that mix realistic scenery with pre- or postwar accessories face a special dilemma. It doesn't seem right to properly weather or otherwise modify scarce old items, and anyway, they have their own personality. But making them blend in with the rest of the layout without doing so can be a trick. I tend to follow the rule that anything that can be undone is fair game. So, I often submerge clunky bakelite bases below grade,add lights and glass to empty windows, build wooden shells around toy-looking superstructures, etc. I've experimented a little bit with weathering plastic and painted surfaces using chalk, under the assumption that I could just wash it off. Hard to do well, though. I also try to design my scratchbuilt structures to kind of "split the difference" between the toy look and realistic aspects of the layout.
I'd love to hear the experiences of others doing this style of layout.
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