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@Dave_C posted:

Tom, Great work on the NYC caboose. I usually replace the marker lamps with lighted ones. As much for looks as function. It looks like yours still has the factory lamps. Amazing what a little paint does for them. Something I never considered. It really brings them into scale. Well Done.

@Dave_C

Thanks for your contribution to todays edition. Also. where do you get your lighted marker lamps? I have been looking for such a source for years. Thanks for any information and leads.

@Maxandy posted:

I'm still practicing. These are a few of my practice boards. I really like this aspect of the hobby and I want to get better at it. My goal is to get good enough to build a large factory/industrial area.

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@Maxandy

These photos show some phenomenal weathering skills!!! Please share some of your methods of achieving the different results in the above photos. You are already well on your way to your goal mentioned above if not there now. BRAVO, sir!!!!!!

Randy, lately I’ve been buying them on eBay. You might find them also at Trainz. They are made by Tomar. Adlake marker lamps. They are available with LED’s or 1.5v bulbs. Check your prototype as there are a couple variations of the lens colors available.

962C0703-43B8-4463-BC91-0A4C6E7BE88D

  On this particular project. I find a piece of plastic square stock and sand it till it fills the factory hole. Glue it in place.  With the right size bit. It’s pretty much a press fit.

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@RandyH

Randy - You are very kind to say that. I'm thrilled that I can start to give back to the board in some small way since all I have bneen able to do to date is take tips and techniques from everyone here. Okay here it goes:

I purchased a variety of balsa and basswood to play with. I think I improved when I slowed myself down and just enjoyed the practice. If something did not work out I just started over and put that new knowledge in the bank.

Billboard:

I tried to copy a picture of an old tyme billboard I found on that net.

1. Find a 1950s add that looked good to me and print it out on regular ink jet printer. Took a few tries and paper to get the exact size I wanted.

2. Lightly sand the paper on the back unti I started to see very small holes in the paper.

3. Prep the backboard(basswood) prime and brace. The backboard was slightly larger than the picture to allow for a boarder to go around it

4. Use other sections of basswood for support on the back and the walkway in front. For the walkway, I wanted to show the planks all marked up from the workman who had to go up there and past on the advertisment. To do that I first stained the walkway with "Medium Cherry Brown" from VETERO. Then after a few coats of that, I painted over it with Avocodo Green and Black Acrylic Paints mixed together and some drops of water.

5. Once the walkway was dry, I used an exacto knife and scraped away some of the paint to make it look like it was worn out from workman walking back and forth over it.

6. The rest of the structure was weathered with a very light dusting of brown and black chalk. I also slightly dusted(chalk) the advertisement itself.

7 I found the lights for the billboard on ebay searching for "O scale lighting"

Lehigh Valley Anthracite:

1. I followed the procedure as outlined by "Jason Jenson Trains" on youtube. He is a really good artist working in HO scale.      https://youtu.be/eiER-5bD_cM?si=MS1c1raGWJmohAFM.    I also watch Norms Trains for ideas and techniques.

Coke Sign on Old Building



1. Purchased some sheets of o scale clapboard and roughed up the raw board with bristle brush and lifed a few boards off the piece by taking a razor and sliding it uner the clapboard and lifting the raxor up to force up the clapboard.

2. I did not prime the wood. I used bracing and it seemed to prevent warping. I also wanted to play with "Crackle Medium" from folkArt. I put down a think coat toward the bottom since that area would be in contact with the ground and start to rot the wood. After the Crackle medium was dry, I put down a watered down version of "Antique White from folkArt running the brush always along the c;apboard.

3. When that dried I started to lay down coats of "Swamp Rot" from VETERO on the bottom.

4. Dusted everything with a light coating of black pastels and rubbed it with my fingers. And that was it.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

@Krieglok posted:

Just a NYC wood caboose I dry brushed years ago…

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Tom

Thanks Patrick! It is an MTH caboose that I practiced some weathering upon, early in my O scale career…lol.

@dave c. I wasn’t thinking detail improvement at the time. I definitely would now. I didn’t care for the existing markers when I used the caboose to practice on. I would like to install a single pair of Adlake markers like the Tomar type you recommended.



Tom

@Maxandy

Thank you VERY much for your GREAT post with your detailed descriptions of how you achieved your weathering and aging effects!!!

You included products that were new to me and will possibly solve several effects that I have always wanted to accomplish, one of which is crackling old paint. I did google searches on Vetero and Crackle Medium. They are both now included on my "Scenery Sources" spreadsheet. Also, I love your idea of lightly sanding small holes in the back of paper signs to simulated years of aging.

I have compiled a MS Word document combining your photos and your tips and techniques into one document. You and your posts are worth their weight in GOLD!!!

WW 9-25-2024

Fall has fallen 3 days ago. The weather is getting cooler. Christmas, 2024 is approaching rapidly. Not that I have any qualifications to do so (but that has never stopped me in the past) I, as the self-appointed Grand Poohbah of this thread, officially declare that the holiday train season is opened. So, if you have not done so already, start working in earnest on your train layouts.

In light of this proclamation, I hope that you all have had time to spend in your work rooms and weathered more of your engines, rolling stock, buildings, scenery. Because it is time to post your results here on Weathering Wednesday’s 9-25-2024 Edition. I and the rest of the of this topic’s followers are eagerly looking forward to seeing your artistry and learn from your techniques.

But first, here are the forum ground rules:

  • Have fun and enjoy!
  • Post only photos that you have taken.  
  • If you post a photo taken by someone else or a copyrighted photo, be sure you have expressed written permission from the photo's owner to post their photo.  
  • Any individual who posts copyrighted material is subject to legal liability. Furthermore, that individual will be banned from the OGR Forum.  
  • Please consult the OGR Forum TOS (Terms of Service) for further information regarding copyrights.

Ms. Zora Maya Keith is again in the Great Northeastern Railway’s (GNR) back-shop spotlight. She has finished weathering a Plasticville switch tower that she so masterfully painted in Pennsylvania Railroad colors. In honor of her GREAT painting and weathering work, the GNR is naming the tower “Zora Tower” or “Z Tower”. Photos of the finished product are below.

Finished Z Tower FrontFinished Z Tower stair sideFinished Z Tower backFinished Z Tower non-stair side

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

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  • WW 9-25-2024
  • Finished Z Tower Front
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Here is a short B&O MOW train I weathered back in 2020.   I think? ... I may have shown this train before.  Sorry if it's a repeat.   The junk load is my own doing.  I wanted something that looked unique, so I scrounged around my junk pile, which exists as a scene on my layout, and came up with the contents shown in the gondola.

The locomotive, gondola, and work caboose were all weathered using pastel chalks and dullcote. The locomotive and work caboose also got a lite spray of grimy black here and there.  

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WW 9-25-2024

Fall has fallen 3 days ago. The weather is getting cooler. Christmas, 2024 is approaching rapidly. Not that I have any qualifications to do so (but that has never stopped me in the past) I, as the self-appointed Grand Poohbah of this thread, officially declare that the holiday train season is opened. So, if you have not done so already, start working in earnest on your train layouts.

In light of this proclamation, I hope that you all have had time to spend in your work rooms and weathered more of your engines, rolling stock, buildings, scenery. Because it is time to post your results here on Weathering Wednesday’s 9-25-2024 Edition. I and the rest of the of this topic’s followers are eagerly looking forward to seeing your artistry and learn from your techniques.

But first, here are the forum ground rules:

  • Have fun and enjoy!
  • Post only photos that you have taken.  
  • If you post a photo taken by someone else or a copyrighted photo, be sure you have expressed written permission from the photo's owner to post their photo.  
  • Any individual who posts copyrighted material is subject to legal liability. Furthermore, that individual will be banned from the OGR Forum.  
  • Please consult the OGR Forum TOS (Terms of Service) for further information regarding copyrights.

Ms. Zora Maya Keith is again in the Great Northeastern Railway’s (GNR) back-shop spotlight. She has finished weathering a Plasticville switch tower that she so masterfully painted in Pennsylvania Railroad colors. In honor of her GREAT painting and weathering work, the GNR is naming the tower “Zora Tower” or “Z Tower”. Photos of the finished product are below.

Finished Z Tower FrontFinished Z Tower stair sideFinished Z Tower backFinished Z Tower non-stair side

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

Randy, Zora tower looks great. I asked my Son Keith (a train engineer) about people’s names on towers. The most significant one is Harold that controls the rails between Penn Station and Sunnyside yard. He said that they name them after the person that designed the interlocking. So I put Keith on this tower because I wasn’t going to put my own name on there.
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Staying on course. Here is a tower that I painted. The only weathering so far is a patched roof. I got the idea while visiting in Kingston NY. There’s an estuary off the Hudson River and there’s a dock with a harbor master. Here is my version using a P’ville building.
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WW 10-2-2024

Fall is in the air. The York train meet is imminent. Christmas, 2024 is approaching rapidly. Your trains need attention. So, if you have not done so already, start working in earnest on your train layouts.

I hope that you all have had time to spend in your work rooms and weathered more of your engines, rolling stock, buildings, scenery. Because, it is time to post your results here on Weathering Wednesday’s 10-2-2024 Edition, the first in the month of October. I and the rest of the of this topic’s followers are eagerly looking forward to seeing your artistry and learn from your techniques.

But first, here are the forum ground rules:

  • Have fun and enjoy!
  • Post only photos that you have taken.  
  • If you post a photo taken by someone else or a copyrighted photo, be sure you have expressed written permission from the photo's owner to post their photo.  
  • Any individual who posts copyrighted material is subject to legal liability. Furthermore, that individual will be banned from the OGR Forum.  
  • Please consult the OGR Forum TOS (Terms of Service) for further information regarding copyrights.

I will kick off this week’s edition with Ms. Zora Maya Keith’s wonderful weathering job on this Industrial Rail Shell tank car. Photos of the finished product are below.

0702231101 [4)Tank Shell 1Tank Shell

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

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A weathering job, not by me…

This is a Weaver brass Lackawanna 4-8-4 and a Weaver DL&W caboose…It was weathered by the previous owner.IMG_8755

Critique the weathering for me. I think it needs a slight bit of “toning down” Maybe by airbrushing some weathered black over the grime?





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The caboose is a bit better. A light amount of road dust looks good on this car…

Tom

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WW 10-9-2024

May I have your attention please. Now boarding on track number one, the Weathering Wednesday Express. Please take your seats in your work rooms and weather more of your engines, rolling stock, buildings, scenery and have your posts ready because, it is time to post your results here on Weathering Wednesday’s 10-9-2024 Edition. I and the rest of the of this topic’s followers are eagerly looking forward to seeing your artistry and learn from your techniques.

But first, here are the forum ground rules:

  • Have fun and enjoy!
  • Post only photos that you have taken.  
  • If you post a photo taken by someone else or a copyrighted photo, be sure you have expressed written permission from the photo's owner to post their photo.  
  • Any individual who posts copyrighted material is subject to legal liability. Furthermore, that individual will be banned from the OGR Forum.  
  • Please consult the OGR Forum TOS (Terms of Service) for further information regarding copyrights.

It has been a busy week for all here at the Great Northeastern Railway that left little time for weathering. So, I will start with a retrospective look at previously projects by me, Chris and Zora.

0524231353_HDR249 in Mt Carroll YardREA Freight HouseFinished Z Tower FrontTank Shell 1

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

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  • 249 in Mt Carroll Yard
  • REA Freight House
  • Finished Z Tower Front
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I bought a cheap makeup airbrush, just to try one out. They are for sale on Amazon. They are airbrushes with an attached air pump that fits into the palm of your hand.

I wanted to see if it was good for small weathering projects at my work table, instead of going to another part of the house and using my main airbrush and compressor.

The results were okay. I haven’t airbrush weathered anything recently, so my lack of refinement shows. I used a cheapie Weaver hopper car as my Guinea pig. Here are the results…

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Tom

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@Krieglok posted:

I bought a cheap makeup airbrush, just to try one out. They are for sale on Amazon. They are airbrushes with an attached air pump that fits into the palm of your hand.

I wanted to see if it was good for small weathering projects at my work table, instead of going to another part of the house and using my main airbrush and compressor.

The results were okay. I haven’t airbrush weathered anything recently, so my lack of refinement shows. I used a cheapie Weaver hopper car as my Guinea pig. Here are the results…

IMG_9487


IMG_9489

IMG_9488

Tom

@Krieglok

Tom:

That is a GREAT job! If you are out of practice, it certainly does show from that photo.

WW 10-16-2024

This is the week of our long-awaited 2024 Fall York meet. Many of us are preparing to make our semi-annual pilgrimage to the great mecca of train shows. I am sure schedules are busy but, hopefully not too busy in the past week to weather more of your engines, rolling stock, buildings, scenery and post your results here on Weathering Wednesday’s 10-16-2024 Edition. I and the rest of the of this topic’s followers are eagerly looking forward to seeing your artistry and learn from your techniques.

But first, here are the forum ground rules:

  • Have fun and enjoy!
  • Post only photos that you have taken.  
  • If you post a photo taken by someone else or a copyrighted photo, be sure you have expressed written permission from the photo's owner to post their photo.  
  • Any individual who posts copyrighted material is subject to legal liability. Furthermore, that individual will be banned from the OGR Forum.  
  • Please consult the OGR Forum TOS (Terms of Service) for further information regarding copyrights.

My son, Chris, that King of the hopper cars, got some Great Northeastern Railway shop time and did a fabulous job of weathering this Lionel, MPC era hopper.

B and O Yellow Hoppe 1rB and O Yellow Hopper Mt Carroll

Now it is your turn to show us your weathering artistry as well as how you achieved yours results and then go to York, have a GREAT time and come home with exciting new things for your layout.

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Randy - thanks for keeping this thread going!!  

Here are some boxcars I weathered back in 2018.   I believe I've shown these cars before individually, however here they are shown in context with their natural surroundings.   Weathering really brings scenes to life IMHO.  I do like shiny new looking rolling stock and locomotives ( especially around holiday time ) , however,  I've grown to deeply appreciate weathered pieces as well.  I now can put together entire freight trains of weathered rolling stock and locomotives.   Only a few of my steam locomotives are weathered and none of my diesels or electrics are weathered ... yet

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To my eye it's the weathered boxcars that really make this scene pop!   If the boxcars were shiny new looking, this scene would not be as convincing .. probably alluding to a "toy"  train layout instead ... not that there's anything wrong with a toy look.   I just prefer as much realism as I possibly am able to create.  IMG_7593

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Last edited by trumpettrain

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