Painting the sides of rails?

spray from the sides...the over spray will lightly cover the ties..this is GOOD,,,ties are only black when they come out of the gondola before installation....they soon turn a color that matches the rail..i use 50 50  floquill rust and rail brown..you could use a marker to intermittently color a few black ties for variety..good luck...the ballast will help to nutralize the colors to.  

As John stated above, I airbrush from the sides, including the center rail and the little bit of overspray looks like natural weathering on the ties. It will also change a bit once you ballast the track and the diluted glue solution sits and soaks into the ties. Dennis Brennan also uses some chalks after the track has been ballasted, to color some individual ties. I have used the chalks and a couple different colored ink washes on the ties and ballast. 

in addition....its better to install your track then move along with your airbrush ....this way everything looks uniform and the over spray will be even looking..wipe off rail head ballast and bingo.....done....the over spray will also tone down that middle rail....!

you struck a nerve. After painting, ballast the track, use a soft brush to even out the ballast. Spray all with 90% Isophyll Alcohol. Then apply 50/50 Elmer's Glue and water. The alcolol will make the glue suck in like a sponge. That's It,

Thanks for the advice. It looks like I will install the track first and then proceed with the rails, then ballasting.

Paul,

 

I find it much easier to spray the track first, preferably outdoors, before installing. I use a dark brown (Krylon Camouflage). I don't make any attempt to keep the paint off the ties.The rails and ties are both subject to the same weathering and are likely to be covered with the same grime. You can use an airbrush after track is in place, but I find the rattle can outdoors to be quicker and easier.

 

The tops of the rails wipe clean easily if done immediately after spraying, no solvents needed. After track is installed, I go back for a couple of swipes with an LGB track cleaning block for a final cleaning.

 

If you use a real rock product when you ballast (such as Dennis Brennan's), the tops of the ties will receive a light coating of dust from the ballast further enhancing their appearance.

 

There is never just one way to do things in building a layout. We all develop our own preferences as we go along. As you go along you will find what works best for you.

 

 

 

 

 

Jim

I'm with Jim. I do it the way you don't want to do it too.

 

You don't want the ties black anyway. On Atlas track I use a single edge razor blade to clean the tops of the rails.

As to color if it is in the steam era the BEST I have seen, at least from pictures, is what and how "Hot Water" colors his rails!

The above photos of my last post are examples of my track painting and layout. JP

One of the many advantages of using 50 year old Super-O track is that most of it comes already authentically rusted.  

And to add one more hint into the ever filling hint box, I use a q-tip lightly dipped into vaseline and then swipes over the top of the rails BEFORE painting.  After the paint dries, clean up of the running portion of the rails is just a swipe with a peper towel.  Russ

Thanks for the additional tips.

 

Has anyone found it necessary to first clean the Ross and Gargraves track to remove the oil the track is shipped with so that the paint adheres better? They use oil when fabricating the rails.

I clean the Gargraves rail sides with alcohol prior to painting.

Paul,

 

Pre-cleaning isn't at all necessary if you use the spray can method, or if you brush with a solvent-based paint such as original Floquil's.

 

If you use a water-base paint such as craft store acrylics, you may have to go back and touch-up some areas with a second brush over.

 

I imagine a Q-tip dipped in paint thinner or rubbing alcohol and run along the sides of the rails, would help with the acrylics. But, I haven't taken the time to do this.

 

Rail painting after installation is one of my least favorite tasks (right up there with ballasting!). That's why I've adopted the "quick and easy rattle can spray before installing" method.

 

Jim

I tried my hand at spray painting a section of track outside, I just couldn't keep the rust colored spray from going everywhere. Then I took some black and tried the over-top method to cover the rust but the black went down the sides of the rails too.

 

I am looking into airbrushes and the marker pens.

 

As to ballasting, how come you guys do that after painting the rails? Wouldn't the rust and brake dust from trains color the ballast too? What is the effect look like if you ballast and then weather rails?

 

 

Paul,

 

As I said, using a darker brown spray color (not rust) means you need not worry about it getting on the ties - also no need for a second spray. Often rails look way too rusty IMO in model photos.

 

To achieve the overall blending you suggest, there are a couple of possibilities. When you ballast, you can mix some gray or tan acrylic paint in with the diluted glue or matte medium. This will bring everything together. I first heard this suggestion from Dennis Brennan, producer of Brennan's Better Ballast.

 

Another way is to wait until ballast is totally dry, and then go back over everything with a gray wash. This also makes it look like everything (ties, rails, and ballast) has been subject to the same weathering conditions. When this is dry you can go back with weathering powders and add some more hints of rust and oil drippings if you like.

 

 

 

 

 

Jim

I started out using rust colored water-based acrylic paint just on the rails, but found that spraying solvent-based flat brown paint on the rails and ties using the rattle cans worked best for me.  I do mask the blackened center rail because I like keeping it darker than the outer rails.  Weathering it all (rails,ties and ballast) does tend to tie things together nicely. 

 

As said by others, there is no one right way to do this, it really boils down to personal preference and what you think looks good.  Bo

 

You can visit my website Bo's Trains at http://www.bostrains.com 

This is what I use....

 

 

Floquil Weathering Paint Pens
Track Colors
Rail Brown, Railroad Tie Brown, Rust
Part # FLO-3801

 

Thanks for the additional info. I am going to a hobby shop after work to check out their paints and equipment. I live in the country and am lucky there's a shop not too far away (Railyard Hobbies in Morgantown, PA).

 

Since I salvaged much of my track from last layout (much of the track still has ballast in-between the ties), I may have to paint the track after I re-apply ballast, otherwise there may not be uniformitiy. I do  have to paint the rails that will go on my bridges asap, since I won't be able to get to them after installation.

 

 

 

 

Many shades will work as indicated by the posts above................

I settled on Tamiya Acrylic Red Brown #XF-64. It was suggested by Jim Barrett of OGR initially and was one of several shades I tried. I sanded a spot clean and painted it with the Red Brown on an old A&Y mainline track railside behind the Sears Mail Order building and found what I judged the best match for my locale. It adherred to the Gagraves track/Ross turnout railsides well. However in my backward planning process I was painting many of the railsides with a brush after ballasting. Not the best process for a shakey COF.

 

Tamiya is available online and in Hobby Stores. I later had Home Depot match me an 8oz. sample jar of their Behr acrylic which can save you a lot of $$ if rust-painting a bunch of track.

[shown in the Service Yard tracks photo below--track is submerged to tie-top{ground} level and uses dark,greasy,sooty ballast]. Tortoise turnout motors mounted below--Switchstand Lanterns not yet installed.

I airbrush all mine. I tried the Floquil Paint Pens and they work great on the Gargraves rail, especially for touch ups. They don't work as well on the Ross switches because of all the spikes that hold the rail down. You can't really get the whole side covered thorougly unless you put a lot of pressure on the pen tip to get down on both sides of each of the spikes. That quickly ruins the tip of the pen.

 

If you have ever seen the Black Diamond DVD series, Rich shows you how easy it is to airbrush your track, even after the scenery was in and ballast down. You have great control with the airbrush as to where and how much paint is applied. I tried the Kamo brown spray cans after the track was laid....not an option. Spray can as Jim stated is best done outside, before the track is laid, piece by piece.

Everyone's pictures looks very good. I watched Black Diamonds Part II where Rich airbrushes his tracks. It seems he first painted them with a brush and then airbrushed the blotches out. Hopefully, that won't be necessary. Even though I have to install the track on the bridges next and it would be easier to paint the rails prior to installing on them, I think I have to wait before painting. My layout is not that big and an airbrush and compressor is a major cost at this point, and I am not sure I'd ever use it again. Theoretically, someday I could weather my trains with it, but I am not sure I'd ever do that.

For airbrushes, what do you recommend? Someone mentioned Paasche brand. Single action or double? I noticed some airbrushes have the paint bottle attached at the bottom or side vs. on-top. I would think on-top would be best for installed tracks? I am guessing the nozzle controls the width of spray?

I have a Paasch "H" airbrush.  It is single action/external mix instrument and has proven to be very reliable and easy to use.  Like a lot of other things, the more experienced you get at the airbrush the easier it becomes to achieve the desired result.  I have not (yet) weathered any locomotives or rolling stock, but frequently use it for painting projects where the rattle can just won't give me the results I want.  It's a very nice airbrush.  I use a Sears "Craftsman" portable compressor.  It has more capacity than I actually need, but it is also very reliable and it was reasonably priced when I bought it years ago.  Bo 

 

You can visit my website Bo's Trains at http://www.bostrains.com

This as done with marker. Whole area took about 5 minutes. track was already down and trains running.

 

Paint rails before ballasting. It can be painted after ballasting with an airbrush or a steady hand, as you seen Rich Batista do it.

 

I use an equal mix of rail brown, and RR Tie brown from Floquil. Eliminates that greenish color of rail brown.

 

No need to mask ties off.

 

Track was airbrushed with Floquil as stated above, ties were NOT masked off. Ballast will come later after scenery. I don't know about tracks where you live, but mainline tracks are NOT a bright rust color. Unused sidings, or old industry tracks...maybe.

Heavily traveled tracks are dirty, grimy, brown, or black. 

 

 

This site- Don's Airbrush Tips- provides reviews and comments on most of those available.

The Badger 155 Anthem is the old reliable. It's versatile, easy to clean, adjust, and parts are cheap. It's at the low side of weight. If you think about gravity(cup on top) versus siphon (cup or bottle on bottom) think about how you would see the target object. Do you like to look over or hold the brush higher and look under?

You don't need to spend a lot of money on an airbrush for good results.

I weather my 0-27 with the Krylon Camo paints. I first fill in the gaps with the 3R Plastics product. For short money, 3-M makes a blue fine line striping tape for the auto and sign industry. Better than making because it is flexible vinyl. Conforms to just about any shape and goes on fast. I use the 1/4" and run it down the top of the rail and then using two fingers press it to the sides. Make very clean lines. I make up three foot sections and have been known to spray inside on a large piece of card board. Light strokes work best. No wind. And it forces you to perfect your technique. Then pull tape as soon as I tape another section. I am sure that 3/16" or 1/8" would be perfect for Ross or Gargraves track. And you are not cleaning later with solvents for oils or scrubbing latex and having it run. And I only tried the Vaseline once. Total mess with tubular. Fred

I use a Badger double-action air brush with an acrylic rail-brown color produced by Joe's Model Trains. He also sells a miniature roller with a feed tube that screws onto the paint bottle, but like the problem with markers on Ross tracks, the foam roller got destroyed in short order by the Ross spikes. I have all Ross trackage. 

 

I first used alcohol to clean the rails, but quickly found that it was a waste of time and just went at it. I sprayed the track before ballasting, and am going back and doing a light overcoat after ballasting to simulate the rust that drains down from the rails to the ties and the ballast. Don't overdo it here.

 

As I've described in depth in my build thread in this same forum, I had trouble initially with the air brush clogging. I was using alcohol to thin the paint, but Joe suggested using warm water. I also substituted the 1 oz. paint bottle with the feedtube on the bottom with a 2 oz. bottle with the same length feedtube which now was almost a 1/4" off the bottom. The tube was picking up some thicker paint that was settling out. Once I started feeding from off the bottom, the problem was solved. I was able to air brush continuously without clogs.

 

When you go back to do the weathering shot, you'll quickly find out which ballast was correctly glued and which wasn't. Experience is a great teacher.

 

"Good judgement is the result from experience that usually are the result of bad judgement."

 

Here's the color of real rail on the Norfolk Southern main line running through Louisville. They're not rust colored, they're brown.

 

 

 

 

Notice the continuation of the color onto the ties and in the ballast below them. The outside of the railhead is brown also since the flanges don't touch them, but the insides are polished. This track gets several trains per hour. Ballast rocks are about 3" in size which equates to about 1/16" in O'scale.

 

Here's what my track is looking like.

 

 

Went out photographing rails around the area.

These are three types in one place: a siding, a "passing track", and main lines in Portland.

The second photo is the Portland and Western "main line" to Astoria from Portland, which sees two-three unit oil trains a week, and 8-10 local trains a day.

 

Good luck trying to get a realistic looking grass growing up between the ties. I'd be glad to get the grass next to the track looking reasonable. Great pics!

A couple more of the P&W track and roadbed ... rust on ties, etc.

Now that Floquil rail paints are no longer available, has anyone figured out good substitutes to use for airbrushing the sides of the rails?

You can still get the Floquil paints so far, the inventory has not been exhausted YET! I bought some last weekend from a hobby shop and the other 2 I go to, still had plenty as well. Buy it while you can find it though.... I don't want to run out after only half the track has been painted