Headed your way, the Federal Forums Regulation Department has detected and is closely monitoring a 10 on the Richter Scale, 7 on the Mohs Scale, 1000 on the Fish Scale and 250 on your bathroom scale, mammoth OGR Forum event. It may be dangerous! OGR Forum members are advised to stay indoors, take shelter in your work rooms and weather your engines, rolling stock, buildings, scenery and post your results here on Weathering Wednesday, 8-14-2024 Edition! I and the rest of the of this topic’s followers are eagerly looking forward to seeing your see 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.

To begin this week’s festivities, my son, Chris, Executive Director and member of the Great Northeastern Railway’s (GNR) Grime and Schmutz Division, has been hard at work again with yet another addition to the GNR's fleet of freight cars. It involved a complete repainting in GNR freight light green, decaling, and weathering of the latest GNR coal hopper, an MPC era Lionel, O-27 hopper car. The before and after photos are below.

Before:

After:

After the photos were taken, number 249 was assigned to Mt. Carroll Yard and will be added to a freight train on this coming Switcher Saturday.

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

Some dry brushed weathered cars…

Tom

On my way to Canyon, TX I pass by one of the PGC elevators in Plainview, TX a couple of times each month.  Unfortunately, I do not see these cars anymore...just BNSF three bay covered hoppers.  There is an ancient SD unit there used as a car mover.  These are all Atlas cars.  I have not bought the Lionel version...yet.

Here's some photos of a dump truck I weathered back in 2018.  If it were today, I'd have spent more time on weathering for more detail.  However at the time this much weathering created the scenic effect of my intention.  

I also weathered the accompanying backhoe using a Floquil earth brown to show mud on the tires of both the dump truck and the backhoe.  

As another week passes, I hope you were in your work rooms weathering your engines, rolling stock, buildings and scenery. Because it is time to post your results here on Weathering Wednesday’s 8-21-2024 Edition! I and the rest of the of this eminent topic’s followers are eagerly looking forward to seeing your see 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.

Today, as an opening act, I present for your viewing pleasure, the combined artwork of both my son Chris and close friend, Pat (trumpettrain) Whitehead, in the following photo taken in the Great Northeastern Railroad’s (GNR) Mt. Carroll Yard of a line of the GNR’s ever increasing roster of rolling stock. Pat gets credit for his fine weathering job on the GNR road caboose all of the way to the left in the photo and splits laudits with Chris on the GNR bobber caboose originally weathered by Pat and modified by Chris. The 2 GNR hoppers are Chris’ handywork for repainting, decaling and weathering. BRAVO and thanks to both Pat and Chris!!!!!!!

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

I have collected four of these outstanding Atlas cars, and my goal was to make sure each was weathered differently. 7098 is dusty on its lower area while 7065 wears a thin layer of smokey black grime.  7072 and 7099 are on the RIP track, but I will try to get photos some day soon.

maybe 10 years ago I thought I might enjoy weathering.  Tried it for the first time on this cheap plastic starter set flat car.  Oh well, I decided after trying that weathering is not my cup of tea.  Better left to those that can do it

- walt

@walt rapp posted:

maybe 10 years ago I thought I might enjoy weathering.  Tried it for the first time on this cheap plastic starter set flat car.  Oh well, I decided after trying that weathering is not my cup of tea.  Better left to those that can do it

- walt

Walt - to my eyes you did a good job weathering this car!  It looks like a flat car that sees or has seen decades of heavy use on a logging branch line.   Don't underestimate your talents.  Weathering model/toy trains and building is process oriented.   It evolves over time.  I encourage you to keep at it.  Remember Thomas Edison didn't invent the light bulb on his first try.  Nor was the Mona Lisa  Leonardo da Vinci's first painting.  We all have to start somewhere!  ... just my 2 cents.    

Here's a MTH Premier composite hopper I weathered back in 2017.    I first sprayed the car in Dulcote ( it was still available back then ) then applied pastel chalk by smudging some on the side of the car ... then spreading it over the surface of each paneled portion with my thumb and fingers .. then working the chalk into hard to get corners with a small dry paint brush.   I applied  gray pastel chalk to the wheels to replicate the caking of ballast dust.  After I was satisfied with the overall look, I applied a coat of Dulcote to seal the pastel chalks.

As a kid I remember often seeing loaded open hoppers loaded with coal on a B&O team track in my hometown.    For some reason I always remember the ends of these cars as being quite grime ridden.  I tried to replicate that grime here too.  

As I now look at the coal load I'm reminded to create a new homemade coal load which will enhance the car's realistic appearance.  

Walt, don't sell yourself short, that is one weathered car! I think it looks great! If you enjoyed, don't give up! If it was a chore, well I get that as well. My first attempt was a caboose (somewhere in this thread) and I felt like I was to heavy handed on the paints, etc. But it received good reviews. Probably the biggest lesson I learned is to start out light and easy. You can always go back and more.

@Randy Harrison posted:

As another week passes, I hope you were in your work rooms weathering your engines, rolling stock, buildings and scenery. Because it is time to post your results here on Weathering Wednesday’s 8-21-2024 Edition! I and the rest of the of this eminent topic’s followers are eagerly looking forward to seeing your see 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.

Today, as an opening act, I present for your viewing pleasure, the combined artwork of both my son Chris and close friend, Pat (trumpettrain) Whitehead, in the following photo taken in the Great Northeastern Railroad’s (GNR) Mt. Carroll Yard of a line of the GNR’s ever increasing roster of rolling stock. Pat gets credit for his fine weathering job on the GNR road caboose all of the way to the left in the photo and splits laudits with Chris on the GNR bobber caboose originally weathered by Pat and modified by Chris. The 2 GNR hoppers are Chris’ handywork for repainting, decaling and weathering. BRAVO and thanks to both Pat and Chris!!!!!!!

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

Randy the hoppers look good; really can’t see the cabeese.

@pennsyfan posted:

Randy the hoppers look good; really can’t see the cabeese.

@pennsyfan

Bob:

Only the end of it is in the photo. I just wanted give credit to all whose work is visible or partially visible in the photo. Below are before (my repainting result) and after photos of Pat's work.

Thanks for the weathering encouragement.  The comment about heavy on the paint was why I didn't care for my first effort.  I no longer own any rolling stock that I dare try weathering on - I sold off my 120 car collection and now only own 2 NEW Lionel by MTH tin-plate sets.

- walt

The end of August is upon us. I hope you all had time to spend in your work rooms weathering your engines, rolling stock, buildings, scenery. Because, it is time to post your results here on Weathering Wednesday’s 8-28-2024 Edition, the last edition of the month of August. I and the rest of the of this topic’s followers are eagerly looking forward to seeing your see 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.

Since my son Chris has been EXTREMELY busy with his job this past week, he has had no time to spend in the Great Northeastern Railway’s shop to complete more of his weathering creations. So, I will get us started with a retrospective selection of Chris’ work.

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

I sorta made a small fib: i did try to weather one other item before I decided weathering is not for me.

- walt

@walt rapp posted:

I sorta made a small fib: i did try to weather one other item before I decided weathering is not for me.

- walt

@walt rapp

Walt:

I beg to differ with you. The piece in your above photo looks very much like a piece of machinery that has earned its keep for many productive years on construction sites. I like your weathering work! Thank you for sharing it here on this thread.

Here's a few pieces a did pre-2015.  

Western Maryland 40 ft boxcar by Weaver.  Using Testors Grimmey Black, and pastel chalks.

Here's a MTH RailKing bobber caboose.  I used Testor's Clear Coat then Testor's Black Grime to give a nod to use in the steam era.  This bobber is on my list of cars for weathering advancement.  

Quite some time after weathering the Western Maryland bobber, I weathered this B&O bobber using basically the same technique as used on the Western Maryland ... although I did use pastel chalks on this bobber in addition to the Dullcoat and Black Grime.  I think the B&O turned out better than the WM.

@Randy Harrison posted:

@walt rapp

Walt:

I beg to differ with you.

Thanks Randy.  I don't have anything more that I would dare weather.  All that I have now are 2 brand new Lionel by MTH tin-plate sets and I wouldn't dare touch those.

= walt

Spring has sprung. Fall will be falling. Christmas is coming fast and your trains are calling. So, answer their call by running to your work rooms and start weathering your engines, rolling stock, buildings, and scenery.  Because it is time to post your results here on Weathering Wednesday’s 9-4-2024 Edition, the first edition of the month of September. I and the rest of the of this topic’s followers are eagerly looking forward to seeing your see 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.

Chris has been in the Great Northeastern Railway’s (GNR) paint shop to complete another of his additions to the ever-increasing fleet of GNR rolling stock, a GNR gondola. Photos of Chris’ work are below.

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

This was a Santa Fe 0-4-0 from Lionel MPC era I did the best to match the color but is much lighter than the black green that I was hoping for. I did use powder weathering colors but after applying satin spray they got less noticeable, added a PW Bell to the boiler, added the railings, marker lights to the tender along with some real coal I broke up and glued in place, painted the fireman and engineer. Painted the inside of the boiler and added new Pennsy water decals. 1931 is used for my moms Birth date.

Hi Randy and fellow weathering lovers!   Chris did a really nice job on the gon!!  The gon's length combined with the weathering gives it a " assigned to the MOW dept. look" ... at least to me.

Here are some of my early weathering projects from back in early 2017/late 2016  when I was just gathering the courage to "de-shine "  and "dirty up" my shiny new ( and used ) freight cars.

N&W 50 ton hopper by Weaver.   I like how this one turned out.   I applied my usual technique of first spraying with Dulcote to take down the shine ... then pastel chalks worked up and down the panels with my finger/thumb and using a small paint brush to get the chalks tucked into the areas where the outside bracing and panels intersect ... used some flat grime paint for the wheels and couplers ... finishing the entire car off with another coat or two of dull coat.   I like how it turned out.  

Another Weaver 50 ton hopper ... this time Pennsy.  This one turned on okay but is a candid for a redo.

This MTH RailKing junk gon was weathered in the same manner as the hoppers above.  The junk load is a standard MTH junk load.

This Weaver Santa Fe boxcar is a bit overdone in my opinion, however, back in the 50s/60's I would see a few extremely  dirty boxcars within the consist of long freight trains.    For this car I got a little too flat black rattle spray can happy .. lol!   If I were to do it again, I would have given this car a lite weathering ... however within the context of my layout and the trains I run this car works just fine either within a train or set out on a siding.      

This B&O work caboose is one of my first ever weathering attempts which may have actually been don back in early 2015.  Again I used a coat or two of Dulcote to take down the shine ... then applied gray chalk.  For the trucks I used both rust and gray chalk ... I then sealed the entire car with Dulcote.   This car was not my best weathering attempt but one must begin somewhere ... lol!!   This car is definitely a candidate for a weathering upgrade, however until that time comes it works within the context of my layout.    

A close up of the the front part of the work caboose and the weathered gon.

@trumpettrain posted:

Hi Randy and fellow weathering lovers!   Chris did a really nice job on the gon!!  The gon's length combined with the weathering gives it a " assigned to the MOW dept. look" ... at least to me.

Here are some of my early weathering projects from back in early 2017/late 2016  when I was just gathering the courage to "de-shine "  and "dirty up" my shiny new ( and used ) freight cars.

N&W 50 ton hopper by Weaver.   I like how this one turned out.   I applied my usual technique of first spraying with Dulcote to take down the shine ... then pastel chalks worked up and down the panels with my finger/thumb and using a small paint brush to get the chalks tucked into the areas where the outside bracing and panels intersect ... used some flat grime paint for the wheels and couplers ... finishing the entire car off with another coat or two of dull coat.   I like how it turned out.  

Another Weaver 50 ton hopper ... this time Pennsy.  This one turned on okay but is a candid for a redo.

This MTH RailKing junk gon was weathered in the same manner as the hoppers above.  The junk load is a standard MTH junk load.

This Weaver Santa Fe boxcar is a bit overdone in my opinion, however, back in the 50s/60's I would see a few extremely  dirty boxcars within the consist of long freight trains.    For this car I got a little too flat black rattle spray can happy .. lol!   If I were to do it again, I would have given this car a lite weathering ... however within the context of my layout and the trains I run this car works just fine either within a train or set out on a siding.      

This B&O work caboose is one of my first ever weathering attempts which may have actually been don back in early 2015.  Again I used a coat or two of Dulcote to take down the shine ... then applied gray chalk.  For the trucks I used both rust and gray chalk ... I then sealed the entire car with Dulcote.   This car was not my best weathering attempt but one must begin somewhere ... lol!!   This car is definitely a candidate for a weathering upgrade, however until that time comes it works within the context of my layout.    

A close up of the the front part of the work caboose and the weathered gon.

They all look good to me Pat. IMO, how can you go wrong with a weathering job whether it’s good, bad or ugly?

Gene

Here’s a couple of buildings I lightly weathered back in the winter of 21-22 when I started my original layout.

Gene

I don't weather many of my cars, usually limiting it to ones with rather boring stock paint schemes, or any Lionel cars molded in their way-too-bright yellow.  Dark cars seem more difficult to get right.  I use a combination of flat black and rust red spray cans, and Testors acrylics.  I find first spraying paint lightly overall and then gently wiping with paint thinner takes away gloss and gives softer color gradients between struts etc allowing the rust and grime to remain in the nooks and crannies.  Have to be careful as the paint thinner will sometimes erase printing and graphics.  I'll then dry brush acrylic into corners and areas that typically get more activity like levers and locks and swipe from top to bottom to mimic how rust and dirt tend to wash downwards on the cars.  Randomly tapping a dry brush with various colors of rust gives the area between the struts a little character. It's not as fancy as air brushing and the results aren't up to the standards of say Norm's Trains, but they look good at normal distances and add some variety to the consist.

Missed last week, but making up for it!

Great weathering work everyone!

Here is my contribution. These are cars I modified and weathered for my 19th century collection…

A MTH factory painted reefer, I detailed and weathered…

A MTH boxcar I repainted, detailed and weathered…

A Industrial Rail ore car. Modified, painted and weathered. This is a fictional car, loosely based on the CRRofNJ ore cars used in the iron mine regions of Northern New Jersey…

Tom

@walt rapp posted:

maybe 10 years ago I thought I might enjoy weathering.  Tried it for the first time on this cheap plastic starter set flat car.  Oh well, I decided after trying that weathering is not my cup of tea.  Better left to those that can do it

- walt

Nah - I've seen - and done - worse. In fact, that el cheapo car looks like crap, which is exactly what you want, is it not? Looks like you're natural who just needs practice.

Some "O" guys buy low-end, grab-bag $1 car HO rolling stock to practice techniques before they attack the grown-up scale's cars. Then you could probably sell the weathered HO items for $2 each at a train show.....

HO - the Practice Scale.

Walt - I did the exact same thing to the exact same car.  Needed some logs to go behind my Shay.  Car was free, sticks and grime were free....

To everyone that posted on yesterday's

Weathering Wednesday - 9/4/2024 Edition

I say a big BRAVO to all of you for your artistry and informative descriptions of your methods and materials used. I was busy yesterday with doctor's appointments and paying respects to a friend's mother who had recently passed away, so I did not have time until today to thank you all for your participation and support of our thread.

Today, I don’t start this thread with a “cutesy” opening. This is a very significant day of the year of the year in American history, the anniversary of the day of the infamous terrorist attacks of 9-11-2001. So, take the time to remember those who lost their lives as a result of the 9-11 attacks, the heroics of the passengers that sacrificed their lives by taking down a plane in a field in Pennsylvania that was headed for the White House, and the bravery of the first responders that answered the call of duty and worked tirelessly for many days. Also, remember the resiliency of America as it recovered from the tragedy, returned to its former self and remains steadfast against terror to this day.

I now step down from my soap box and get to the business at hand, Weathering Wednesday. I hope that you all have had time to spend in your work rooms to weather more of your engines, rolling stock, buildings, scenery. Because it is time to post your results here on Weathering Wednesday’s 9-11-2024 Edition. I and the rest of the of this topic’s followers are eagerly looking forward to seeing your see 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.

This week’s kick-off star is once again, Ms. Zora Maya Keith, my friend and twice-a-week layout companion and helper. Here is another, lightly weathered tank car that she accomplished with a dry brush technique.

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

Notice the natural patina on this crossbuck.

Some light Western weathering projects using Vallejo washes and dry brushed highlights…

Tom

Here is a Menards gas station that I changed to Sinclair and added a weathered door.

@Dave Ripp. posted:

Here is a Menards gas station that I changed to Sinclair and added a weathered door.

Hi Dave, just curious did you add the door and then weather it; or did you weather the existing door. When I looked online, the only Menards station I found that looked similar to yours was the one that copied Woodland Scenics station that had the outdoor lift.  Either way nice job.

Bob, thank you, I removed the yard on the side on the building stock station. I cut strips of wood for a frame and copied a door off google images. The door is what my dad would have called good from far but far from good. I do now have a door to fit the opening and will use the same image on it. I removed most of the signs and changed the pumps which were key chains and the perfect size. On a side note, it could have been a Woodland Scenic unit, but I bought it at Menards and can't remember.

@Dave Ripp. posted:

Bob, thank you, I removed the yard on the side on the building stock station. I cut strips of wood for a frame and copied a door off google images. The door is what my dad would have called good from far but far from good. I do now have a door to fit the opening and will use the same image on it. I removed most of the signs and changed the pumps which were key chains and the perfect size. On a side note, it could have been a Woodland Scenic unit, but I bought it at Menards and can't remember.

Dave, thanks for the additional pictures; it’s a really nice project.

After completing my Bar Mills kit Bull’s Salvage. I got it placed and started working on the scene itself. I started out rusting out two older vehicles. My layout is based around 1950 so I didn’t want anything to new. I used a different approach on these. I blasted the paint with an air eraser using a mild grit. Faded the paint and dulled any chrome. Also gives it a little tooth for the weathering to adhere to.  Then used tube acrylics and stipled  in some rust colored chalk. It’s a start and like any junk yard. It will grow over time.

My kit bashed park buildings shown here at the suggestion of Randy Harrison.

https://ogrforum.com/topic/726...4#185846712043337074

A bit of history; the balsa wood is from the 1950s. My cousin had an HO layout and the bundle of balsa was in his stock. When my Dad helped dispose of his layout he kept the wood. At some point I acquired the bundle.
In the early 1980s my friend asked me to build a trolley track from his main level which was 40 ft long to a new second level at one end. The main level terminal was already in place. I asked what was the destination going to be. He said made up something. I proceeded to make the park buildings out of that balsa. I made the trolley station, a restroom and a burger stand. I named the burger stand Belle’s Burgers after my wife Isabel; and the whole park after our little guy that passed away a few years earlier. I used best guess overall measurements and then converted to 1/4 scale. I stained the balsa having no idea how quickly it would soak up the stain. I used black sandpaper to simulate roofing paper. The burger stand was unique because there was a limited amount of ribbed pieces available. When my friend passed away in 1999 I asked if I could have the buildings. They were in storage for about 15 years. The trolley station roof warped a little. It’s on the per verbal list.

@pennsyfan posted:

My kit bashed park buildings shown here at the suggestion of Randy Harrison.

https://ogrforum.com/topic/726...4#185846712043337074

A bit of history; the balsa wood is from the 1950s. My cousin had an HO layout and the bundle of balsa was in his stock. When my Dad helped dispose of his layout he kept the wood. At some point I acquired the bundle.
In the early 1980s my friend asked me to build a trolley track from his main level which was 40 ft long to a new second level at one end. The main level terminal was already in place. I asked what was the destination going to be. He said made up something. I proceeded to make the park buildings out of that balsa. I made the trolley station, a restroom and a burger stand. I named the burger stand Belle’s Burgers after my wife Isabel; and the whole park after our little guy that passed away a few years earlier. I used best guess overall measurements and then converted to 1/4 scale. I stained the balsa having no idea how quickly it would soak up the stain. I used black sandpaper to simulate roofing paper. The burger stand was unique because there was a limited amount of ribbed pieces available. When my friend passed away in 1999 I asked if I could have the buildings. They were in storage for about 15 years. The trolley station roof warped a little. It’s on the per verbal list.

@pennsyfan

Bob:

Your scratch-built structures fit in perfectly with Craig Park and are a welcome addition to our Weathering Wednesday thread! Your story behind the naming of your structures is also quite touching and heart-warming. Thank you for this submission.