Weathering Wednesday - 2/5/2025 Edition

January, 2025 has now passed. So, the first Weathering Wednesday of February is upon us, Weathering Wednesday February 5, 2025 Edition. I and the rest of this topic’s followers are eagerly looking forward to seeing your artistry and learning from your techniques as you share with us your newly, or past weathering projects, more weathered engines, rolling stock, scenery and structures.

But first, here are the forum ground rules:

• Have fun and enjoy!
• Post only photos that you have taken.  
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Since we are having interior work done on our house, including a modification to our workroom door, I will start us off today by post a retrospective look at some of our past weathering projects.

Now it is your turn to show us your weathering artistry as well as how you achieved yours results.

(The model is HO scale.)

An "in process" look at KC&G F7A #321 as I weather the screens. Once done with the screens, it will be time to pull the protective tape, and start weathering the rest of the engine.

I haven't decided to what level to weather this one. It will come to me as it unfolds. LOL!

However, when finished its cosmetics will reinforce my proto/free lance theme: A struggling bankrupt/reorganizing rail line in 1964 that's a under new management and is trying their best to make a go of it.

For reference, here's one of my EMD F's that's completed and in service...

Andre

@laming posted:

(The model is HO scale.)

An "in process" look at KC&G F7A #321 as I weather the screens. Once done with the screens, it will be time to pull the protective tape, and start weathering the rest of the engine.

I haven't decided to what level to weather this one. It will come to me as it unfolds. LOL!

However, when finished its cosmetics will reinforce my proto/free lance theme: A struggling bankrupt/reorganizing rail line in 1964 that's a under new management and is trying their best to make a go of it

Great idea Andre. 

Never thought about trying to tape off that area. Thanks.

Can't wait to see how far you intend to go with the weathering sir.    So far ......Nice.

@Dallas Joseph posted:

Great idea Andre. 

Never thought about trying to tape off that area. Thanks.

Can't wait to see how far you intend to go with the weathering sir.    So far ......Nice.

Thanks Joseph.

I forgot to mention that I start the above screen darkening process by applying washes of India ink/91% alcohol mix to the screens. When the washes are dry, I then use a square cut, medium bristle brush, to work powdered pastel chalks into the grooves of the screens. Once done with that I'll seal it with a light spray of dull coat. At that point the tape can be pulled and I can continue with weathering the rest of the shell.

The way I do it, weathering is a lengthy process, but it's the only way that I can produce the "layers" of weathering that I like.

I may have shown this model here before, can't remember, but it illustrates the various layers of weathering features of which I refer. With this model, that includes residual effects of a "cornering" incident in Riverfront Yard that resulted in the loss of the side cover, and left scars on the hand rails, louvers, cab side, and visor:

(Note: All of the above damage I've seen personally on prototypes and have pics thereof that I used to guide my modeling.)

Andre

Not my weathering, but a nicely weathered PC GG1.

Here is a 1952 Cadilac I weathered for my 1971 era.

@laming posted:

(The model is HO scale.)

An "in process" look at KC&G F7A #321 as I weather the screens. Once done with the screens, it will be time to pull the protective tape, and start weathering the rest of the engine.

I haven't decided to what level to weather this one. It will come to me as it unfolds. LOL!

However, when finished its cosmetics will reinforce my proto/free lance theme: A struggling bankrupt/reorganizing rail line in 1964 that's a under new management and is trying their best to make a go of it.

For reference, here's one of my EMD F's that's completed and in service...

Andre

WOW!!  Beautiful job Andre!  Thanks for posting these pics!

@laming posted:

Thanks Joseph.

I forgot to mention that I start the above screen darkening process by applying washes of India ink/91% alcohol mix to the screens. When the washes are dry, I then use a square cut, medium bristle brush, to work powdered pastel chalks into the grooves of the screens. Once done with that I'll seal it with a light spray of dull coat. At that point the tape can be pulled and I can continue with weathering the rest of the shell.

The way I do it, weathering is a lengthy process, but it's the only way that I can produce the "layers" of weathering that I like.

I may have shown this model here before, can't remember, but it illustrates the various layers of weathering features of which I refer. With this model, that includes residual effects of a "cornering" incident in Riverfront Yard that resulted in the loss of the side cover, and left scars on the hand rails, louvers, cab side, and visor:

(Note: All of the above damage I've seen personally on prototypes and have pics thereof that I used to guide my modeling.)

Andre

Andre thanks so much for posting your process for weathering!  Much appreciated and your work is an inspiration.  I agree, weathering is a lengthy process.  It takes time to do finely detailed weathering.    To weather well is actually an art form in itself.   Your work shows that you are a master of the this art form IMHO!  

I may have posted this shot before (with age, you can meet new friends every day.....)

Anyway, Lionel USRA 2-6-6-2 (my favorite articulated). Lately I have begun using a bit of rust on my steamer weatherings. Most steam photos are B&W, and we modelers have tended to miss the rust brown/red-ish colors that steamers could show during normal use between shoppings. This was not typically rusted-through steel, except maybe toward the end of steam, when locos were going to be scrapped when their flue time ran out - but surface rust in industrial weather.