Weathering Atlas o Track

Have you seen the book that Dennis Brennan wrote? He used Atlas track and gave a How To, with paint, ballast, and weathering. A guide to Hi Rail Modeling or something like that. He is also a forum sponsor.

I don't know a thing about Atlas track, but if there is a good book on what you are interested doing, as Laidoffsick says, I'd encourage you to buy it. 

I was looking for a descent picture of my Atlas track, but wasn't happy with any of them.

 

I am happy with spraying the track with Rustoleum's Camo Brown.  I spray it on and then immediately wipe it off the rail tops before it dries.  I like the way it paints the sides of the rails and the ties and unifies it like real track.  Spray it outdoors if you can as it smells bad until it's dry. 

 

Art

Do you have any pics?

I used a paint pen to do the rails.

 

 

Some really good advice here already.  There are many ways to weather track!  Below is a photo of a diorama/back-drop I recently built to photograph my trains.  That's Atlas 2-rail track, but the weathering techniques used would work just the same on AtlasO 3-rail track...

What color and brand of paint pen did you use? It looks great. 

        Bano7384, like Chugman, I started by spraying everything (ties included) with RustOleum Camo Brown.  That became my base color.  After it dried, I used a Testors (formerly Floquil) "Rust" paint pen to paint the tie plates and very bottom of the rail sides.  As soon as it was applied, I dipped a small brush in thinner and went over everything I just painted to tone down the rust color as I feel too much red doesn't look realistic.  I then used a Testors "Railroad Tie Brown" (not Rail Brown) paint pen to paint the upper half of the rail sides.  Finally, I dry-brushed the tops of the ties with various acrylic washes to get the final color I wanted.  Hope this helps!

Ditto on Dennis Brennan's book. "Realistic Modeling for Toy Trains - A Hi Rail Guide". He even came to my house and signed it for me!

Also please remember that main line rails are RARELY "rusty red", especially if you are modeling the "steam era", when most freight car journals were all oil lubricated.

Rust Oleum Camo Green.  Spray a piece of track with it, and do another with Rust Oleum Camo Brown.  Wipe the top of all three rails when wet.  Use the one that looks best to you.  I use both - Camo Green on main tracks and Camo Brown on yard and spur tracks.

 

Hot Water used a color available from Menards, but there are no Menards stores within a long drive from the panhandle of Texas.  Camo Green is pretty close to his color, and he has some very realistically weathered track.

This is the work of Dennis Brennan. By far the best looking track I've seen in 3-rail.

 

 

Tom,

 

Sad to report that RustOleum has since stopped producing that "Charcoal Green" spray color that we used on all my Atlas track, plus some of my wife's metal porch tables. Thus, you are down to using only the colors you mentioned.

Pat was that photo taken from his book?

Yes, the title of the book is realistic modeling in toy trains: a hi-rail guide

 

Norm Charbonneau also used great looking Atlas track on his former layout (OGR run 262)

Gargraves trackage by Dennis Brennan

 

As good looking as the Atlas !!!