Explain Weathering to this Amateur

Here's the same locomotive, shiny and new out of the box:

 

 

 

and weathered with an airbrush to make it look like it's had a hard life lugging trains:

 

 

 

Some like the new and shiny look, others like the weathered look.  It's up to you.

 

Thanks for starting this thread, I know what weathering is but really don't have a preference both of the pictures above IMHO look great. A couple of engines on my layout, because of age would look good weathered.

 

Brent

It's a personal preference. I can't bring myself to do it. I like new & shiny but still appreciate the great weathering that goes on here in the forum.

There are already MANY threads on this exact topic. Go to the search tab and type in "weathering" "weather" "weathered" and you will find many discussions. pros cons and every opinion out there

Sirt, where are you buddy ?You're the Master !!!!
Mike

I should have more weathered items, as I always prefer the look (it can mean heavily weathered like the PRR 2-10-2 above - beautifully dirty - or a "clean" streamlined NYC Hudson that is washed more often, at least originally, but still shows that it lives in the real world).

 

I cheat when I repaint a steamer - I paint it in a weathered black (flat dark gray, in actuality), so it looks weathered-ish; a few touches with highlights on certain areas can add to it without much trouble. This works pretty well, but it doesn't help when you want to weather a painted model. I dislike airbrushes; have one, have used it, but I don't like to.

 

But that's me. If you want to pursue it, get a sacrificial boxcar, gondola, etc or two and

try it. A cheap airbrush will usually do as a weathering tool, but there are also dry brushing and powder methods. All can be useful, and all can be overdone.

 

Practice.    

The purpose of weathering is to make things look more prototypical, like real locomotives. So far I am with Spence and like the nice, shiny new looking trains as they are when purchased new. Like a new car, I want to keep them looking nice and clean and polished.

 

I think maybe you have to acquire a taste for weathering, which I have not yet done. I have seen some folks post pictures here of items they have weathered that look really good, some are amazingly real looking. Seeing the work done by others is tempting and sometimes makes me want to make an attempt at weathering something, but so far not enough to go through with it. I still like the new car look. 

Information overload, some things to ponder…

 

Most folks grossly misuse the word WEATHERING.

Lightly dusting something up really doesn’t fall under the word weathered.

The word is generalized because most folks don’t understand the complete concept.

 

Weathering basically means - Faded, worn, aged, rusted, and abused by the natural elements in life or by reckless workers during the shipping process.

 

It’s all or nothing and suggested for true “O” rolling stock operators. You have to consider painting the rails, buildings, streets, vehicles and other things including adding a convincing backdrop.

So to do it right, you have to commit to everything along with applying the following information.

If you don’t operate true O, then I wouldn’t suggest attempting it.

 

Real weathered items exemplify a desired time period somewhere in its historical life.

It also helps if you had observed trains throughout life. I appreciate and enjoy steam but don’t weather or model it. Experiencing the later 1950’s, steam was gone by then replaced by diesels, so I model that. I have no hands on or personal ties to steam.

 

Different facets of weathering depend on the time frame you want the item to look in relation to the day it was made.

For example, you may have noticed my ACF cars look brand new in my photos. Since I focus on modeling 60’s & 70’s, RAILBOX would be new on the layout in the1970’s when first appearing on the roads. Nothing to see art wise there. Just a new shinny car.

Rolling stock after WWII can look quite worn out and well rusted during that later time.

 

When in doubt about rolling stock, check the car dates. I wish Atlas & Lionel O along with MTH Premier would list that in the catalogs.

Another reason certain cars look road worn was because of the base coat primer or lack of that was used.

Some RR’s or suppliers used better primer than others. Some lasted longer than others.

Some may remember the older Chrysler autos & mini vans with peeling paint showing the primer, same example on rail cars.

Looking through RR books you will start to see repeated weathering patterns for certain cars.

If rail cars operated in salt air areas, they acquired a faded bleached look. Many paint schemes were sun faded by UV and excessive heat.

On another note, the rail cars appearance is due to the industry they serve. Cement, chemical and scrap service are probably the hardest elements on railcars. News print service, not so much.

Also, if you choose to model a more modern time frame, graffiti will have to be considered in the mix.

 

It also takes an understanding of artistic applications, some historical knowledge of the item at hand and a common sense using a methodical application on how the mimicked look is achieved.

There are several different ways to do up an item.

You can learn new tricks by trial & error and also accidently stumble upon new ones too.

Rust and how it applies is another story for some other day. You have to understand where and why it appears in certain places on a car before applying it.

Full blown rust requires 5-7 colors of paint to obtain the color desired.

 

Yes, weathering is easy if you can grasp and properly follow all the concepts mentioned to obtain the final result.

Lightly dusted with an air brush to me is like saying she’s a little pregnant. It also tells me the person was intimidated by being over cautious.

 If you run everything and anything without a chosen concept, it will be tricky to provide a convincing all around layout look for a time era.

Most just stick with the shiny-brite toy look and realism is not how they remember the early days. I have an old Lionel collection that stays that way.

People who attempt to weather non-scale, non-detailed items like Rail King rolling stock, Williams, Indy Rail and traditional Lionel should avoid attempting the weathering route.

You will be wasting time, money and effort on non-detailed toy items.

By converting toys into something they were never intended to be along with ruining what little collector value is left in this economy as well.

 

Stock true “O” on the other hand has no collector value but pro weathered items can command around 65 to a few hundred bucks for a few hours labor depending on the buyer.

Unfortunately the weathered seekers for 2 & 3r is probably not even 2% of everyone in O making it a non-lucrative resell market for others. Simply put and as the track record shows, there’s only support for 2 or 3 successful 3r weathermen in the market place as with 2r. As history shows, weathered re-sells often don’t sell a second time around.

It’s driven by limited market.

People who appreciate one of a kind hand done art, will pay more for it and rightly so. As with 2r, there are more expensive parts and additional details applied driving up the cost.

I had to laugh when MTH announced a line of weathered items. I’m guessing there have not been many takers so far. You can get the same result using a can of spray paint.

 

So the next time you see an item “lightly dusted” with an airbrush, please don’t call it weathered, that’s just a carryover from the H.O.ers. There’s really not a lot to see.

As in some forum photos, I have a hard time seeing what was done in the first place. No artistry there folks.

You won’t grasp the hands approach by reading a book or watching a video, just do it and as they say, lean into it!

Whatever is done can always be un-done if you’re not happy with the outcome.

That would be another thing needed to learn is how to quickly mask a mistake or get out of a jam.

 

There is a difference, you’re either in or out and that’s a big decision and commitment you will have to personally make especially with the higher cost of going true “O”.

 

 

S.

SIRT,

 

You are truly a master when it comes to weathering.

 

Do you provide this service to fourm members?

 

 

Go for it but suggest you get a pro like SIRT or Harry Heike, who does the built to order weathering for both Lionel and MTH. Here are a few photo's of the weathering Harry did on two of my engines. As for value question you can forget about value to a true collector, however most operators that weather will pay a premium for professional weathered trains. But then just depreciate the train and factor in the enjoyment value you will get from operating a realistic model.

Steve

For me, weathering adds another dimension to the hobby. I like it a lot.  It's a skill that takes time to get good at and it can be tough to start on a $400.00 plus piece of canvas so I started on rolling stock trucks and cars before I got the nerve to weather engines. The more you search and read the more you'll understand and learn. I always advise to start small. Dust a few pieces of rolling stock to take the shine off and you'll move forward from there. Hardest part is getting paint in the proper colors. Give it a shot!  

Before:

Thanks everyone for getting back to me. Before I started the topic I was embracing the concept of weathering - but I wanted to know more. Now with what I know I'm definitely "in favor," of it. I thought (and it appears that rightfully so" that weathering added more realism and authenticity to locomotives and cars and that is one thing I want to strive for in the future, making the models look as pretty real and accurate, and not look like toys.

Two pieces of advice: first don't wait until you have fifty cars and fifteen engines before you decide to weather because it will be a big job to weather all that.

Second I use watery rinses of powdered tempera paints. Basically I use dark or black washes on top to represent soot falling from smoke or exhaust and tan on the bottom to represent dust kicked up as the trains roll along.  Let the dark colors from the top mix with the tan from the bottom on the sides of your cars.  They usually turn out OK.  Good luck.   Odd-d 

Regardless of what Mr SIRT says, never let the perfect interfere with the good. His editorial takes away some of my enjoyment of his work. I shall continue to stumble along doing what is apparently non-worthwhile work.

 

Oh, brother. 

A lot of good thoughts stated so far in this thread.  SIRT (Steve) did a terrific job explaining and opining on what weathering means to him.  I would place myself in that same school of thought on the subject.  The huge difference is he's one of the true masters at actually DOING it...while I'm just getting started!!  But for what it's worth...

 

I first dipped my toes in the weathering water about a year and a half to two years ago...and now I'm hooked.  So much so that when I build my first "good-sized" layout (hopefully will get started later this year), I envision weathering the entire thing...sort of along SIRT's line of thinking.  Ideally everything on my layout will look like (or as close as I can make them look like!) what I remember seeing growing up in northeastern PA.

 

I've got a long way to go to achieve the results that will really make me happy with my work; however, I've learned a tremendous amount in a relatively short period of time just by taking a "DO IT/TRY IT" approach.  What's really cool is that items I thought looked good two years ago now look crappy to me.  I guess that's the definition of making progress toward a goal!!  Here are a few photos of an item I've weathered...

 

BEFORE:

AFTER:

       
       



Beautiful job Mr Sick

The one thing I've noticed over the years. Weathering is a true art form. As with any type of art each has it's own admirers. This is just another part of this wonderful hobby.