WEATHERING DIESELS

Awesome write up! Going to have to give weathering a whirl.

Took a trip down to the local hobbytown and picked up some floquil railroad bottles and an airbrush. Decided to try it on a dummy mth SD60. I have weathering powders ordered, but here is my first attempt only shot with the airbrush. Would love some comments/criticism, mainly used roof brown and some black.

 

 

 

What???? You mean that your local hobby shop actually had/has Floquil paint IN STOCK?????

 

What a find that must have been, especially since Floquil paints are pretty much GONE!

I couldn't believe it when I saw them, every color imaginable.

That really looks good. Put it on some track and take some pics. Looks great right there. 

Appreciate it! Ill get some track out tomorrow.

 

Until then, added a litte rust to the trucks and a few other places. Tried not to over do it but I'm sure opinions will vary (now that its dry it is much more subtle, took the picture 10-15min after spraying):

 

 

This whole weathering thing is addicting! I don't know if I have the courage to hit any of my powered legacy locos yet though.

 

Regardless, thanks LOS for the motivation to try my hand at it at all!

throwing in my two cents:

 I prefer to do weathering with water based acrylics, you gave a lot of control, if you make a mistake  it is easily corrected when still fresh with a wet cloth and a little dawn. and once it is dry all can easily be removed with ammonia and a water rinse.. add to that the absolute flat quality of most crafts colors and you have a really fool proof system.   the pigment is fine enough that a little distilled water added and well mixed makes a great medium for use in aitbrush as well

I like the look, good job.  As for the Floquil....you better run back immediately and buy it all...

I am really impressed by the weathering talent here.....some day I will take the plunge and of course probably plunge right off the second floor once I see how terrible my effort will look!!

 

Alan

Thanks! Went back last night actually haha

 

Here are some pictures of it on track with a hopper I also weathered. Shot them both with grime this morning:

 

Very, very nice!

 

Now the next step would be fixed pilots and scale size couplers?

You fellas are trying to shove me farther and farther down this rabbit hole known as 3RS 

 

Appreciate the compliment!

The ONLY way to go, unless you have the room for a nice large 2-Rail layout (which I did NOT).

Surefire, I like the finished product. Your first post had 1 color, an overall fade/dusting of the engine, and looked good but kinda boring. Now it looks like you've added 2 more colors to highlight some details....great job! 1 last detail I might do to it, is add some fuel spillage around the filler on the tank. Use a straight black and then seal it with a gloss finish. It will really stand out on that dusty tank...just my thought. 

 

Stock up on that Floquil....it will last for years if you haven't opened it. I can still find it out here in CA, but the selection is thinning. I recently opened a bottle I bought 11 years ago and it was like new. Once that is gone, you can find Scalecoat paints rather easily.

 

That's also great that you just drive down to the LHS, buy some supplies, and dive right in. It is very addicting, especially when you sit there and compare your weathered models to the 1 you just took out of the box.

Oh geez, the talent here is amazing! One of my own pictures to share with y'all. It is  a Lionel NYC 2 bay hopper that I weathered using chalks. (Please excuse the bad photo.)

LOS, thats an excellent suggestion on the fuel spillage, never would have thought of that.

 

Shot a TMCC Dash 8 I had at the house, before and after:

Nice work...the weathering always make the details just "pop".  I like it.

Surefire looks good. I told ya it's addicting , and doesn't take that much time.

 

Some fuel spillage

I pretty much use the exact same items with exception to my Iwata airbrush.  I've also started to use Sophisticated finishes Rusting solution on some items.   I'm highly influenced by Rich Batista and Dennis Brennan's technique. Weathering The trains and scenery has added so much more enjoyment to my model railroading. I'll keep practicing and learning. Great post LOS!!! 

 

 

These are really looking great guys....you are tempting me...

 

Alan

You should dive in, Alan!  I finally got the nerve to try it--mostly on non-powered units so far.  It's been a blast and I've learned a lot in a very short time.  Wish I took the plunge sooner!

All these examples look awesome!! I really like that NS switcher and Conrail SD40-- very cool!!

Surefire, very nice first attempt and see you are very comfortable with your new found talent. Some engines in a freight will have heavy and others light weathering so one can go many ways with his work. The eye will not be that critical as they pass by and you can enjoy the realistic look of the job you have done as you run them. I am not into throwing an engine into the fray up front so i have purchesed several $10 covered Weaver hoppers to practice on before I go after a $200+ engine. You are very brave and you did very well.  

 

Phill

 Wow. I like the look of all the diesels posted. Weathering makes them.

I wonder if there's a way to emulate the effects of the sun on the paint. Warbonnet pics I've seen and the real ones out in the AZ desert looked very rough. That sun is so hot out west that it thins down and then weather peels the paint off.

 Up here, there's a lot more rust effects. Maybe not big rust spots, but at least that runoff bringing the staining down. More of a grimy winter blasting the crap out of them!

 Anyways, my point would be that engines can have all types of weathering dependant on your RR's age (era) and where in the country it's located. I'm now second guessing my decision not to weather!!

 Surefire's Amtrak post and LOS's warbonnet's posts of the before and after, really takes the toys to the next level to me. It illustrates why we should weather. WOW!

Joe, I have simulated the faded & peeling paint look similar to what you are referring to by using an "Air Eraser" (mini-sand blaster) a few times. I use baking soda in it, and with some practice you can get the right look. It's an adjustment of air pressure, and distance between the model and the tip of the gun. It gives a really nice look, and quick to do....but it's also easy to go to far to quick. The "Air Eraser" is also a great tool for stripping paint, decals, lettering etc etc. 

 

Air Eraser from Harbor Freight...$30 You can get a name brand version for $150. The one I have works just fine for stripping and weathering with baking soda.

 

 

This is what I used to create my B unit for the E-6LA.

 

All the lettering and stripes were stripped off, even from the delicate doors, without harming any of the fine details such as rivet heads.

 

 How cool is that!

Maybe I can finally get that Patriot's logo off my steamer????

Joe I'd gladly remove a Patriots logo for FREE...and pay the shipping!  

I realize they're not diesels, but just addin' my 2 cents.  Used a little of everything.  Powder, dry brush, acrylics and oils.

Artie F, Very nice work on those cars. Thanks for posting them

Again thanks for the compliments guys!

 

Artie, those hoppers look excellent, that rust is absolutely convincing. 

 

I've taken a bit of a new approach to my weathering. While I love the complete "road worn/worked engine, I found myself also still enjoying the shiny new expensive toy I had in front of me. To that end, I believe I've found a bit of a compromise. New diesels that I am getting (and old ones) will receive the blackened grilles/top of the unit, and light weathering on the trucks but not much more. I also "dust" the loco with black or brown in places. This keeps them looking "new" but more realistic than out of the box in my mind. I know, go big or go home, but I think this method makes it easier on my soul to hit these 400-500 dollar locomotives I still plan to go whole hog on any rolling stock I do. Here is a new SP legacy dummy unit I finished today:

LOS, Tell me about your new compressor. I am looking for a quieter and smaller one myself. Thanks, Malcolm

 

 

Heavily weathered end of track bumper for an old abandoned mill siding. Normally I would go a lot lighter, but this project called for some heavier weathering. 

 

 

AIRBRUSH COMPRESSOR ... that's mine, and the website it came from. I've bought from them several times and never had any issues with any of their stuff. I love this compressor, it's super quiet, auto shut off, obviously has the tank, and comes with the regulator and moisture trap. I had a Badger one years ago, although it didn't have a tank, had a basic motor, and cost twice as much as this unit.

 

I usually spray between 15-20 psi, so with the tank, the motor doesn't run very much. I like having the tank because there is constant, consistent pressure at all times. Only weighing about 10+ pounds, its very portable, and has a handy foldable handle.

 

Their site has several models, and I chose the middle of the road. I'm not a professional, nor do I use it everyday, but it's more than enough for what I do. I would highly recommend it.       

We need more contributions here  If it's weathered...post it! Doesn't have to be just diesels....steam, cars, track side equipment... throw it in here with your style and technique.  

Here is a few , rust buckets

A couple of Atlas SW9's.  Testors Engine Black.  Dull Coat.   Grimmy Black dusting with an air brush.

 

Addicting is SOOOOOOOO true!

 

 

 

Thanks,

- Mario.

Here are a couple pics of an OMI SD60f in CN livery- these are not mine, but really am impressed with the weathering done on these locos--