Whether to Weather (or, is everthing in life dirty & worn?)

Gentlemen,

    Although I have the utmost respect for the man's talent, when he weathers his Trains, I am not a realism runner, I want my toy Trains to age O-Natural!

PCRR/Dave

The Lionel Gun Metal Gray 263E built in the early 1900's and run every year is all the aging I want to see on my Toy Trains, each to his own.  

Pine Creek Railroad posted:

Gentlemen,..., I am not a realism runner, I want my toy Trains to age O-Natural!

PCRR/Dave

The Lionel Gun Metal Gray 263E built in the early 1900's and run every year is all the aging I want to see on my Toy Trains, each to his own.  

Ah man, I'm with you in that regard, PCRR Dave. Here are two beauties I'd never even try to have with any sort of weathering, not even the "O-Natural...aging" you mentioned. I'm just too chicken to even try. However, having these ladle and bottle-cars and their diesel weathered, no problem.

FrankM

Before the coming of the diseasel, when steam ruled, freight cars were heavily weathered. This is a Kodachrome taken by jack Delano in 1943 (search on Shorpy.com for more). See the contrast between a freshly painted car and cars long in service.

Weathered, but not bedraggled, as Penn Central circa 1970....

Good reply, Rex Desilets! Best example of the variety I ever saw ! Even the appearance of the ground/ballasting is instructive! Cool. Plenty to learn here!

Thanx!

FrankM.

Here is a case where I wanted to try weathering and with the encouragement from SIRT, I went ahead with it, BUT I liked the repaint like new.  Problem solved as I did a repaint of two cheap Lionel Valcun switchers and kept one for the out of the paint shop look.  I'm happy both ways.

Dennis