Roger Ball has been a model
railroader for over 30 years,
getting his start with a Lionel
set at the age of 8. Lately
Roger has developed a love
for weathering freight cars,
trying new techniques that
he has read about. The
weathered cars have a home
on his layout that he has been working on for many years.
Weathering a boxcar - 4
4: A view of the "B" end of the car. Notice the wheel
splash and that the paint on the end of the car is not as
faded as the sides.
4
making scratch lines where the door moves along the side of
the car while being opened and closed.
Darken inside the grooves on the ends. It can also be used to
create rust bleeding out from under the paint. The pencil gives
me much better control than l have with a brush. Seal the pen-
cil markings with the matte spray.
Paint the tack boards, sides and ends, with PollyScale Earth
after scratching them with the side of a razor saw to add grain.
Next add Bragdon Rust powder following the rivet lines,
around the grab irons, and ladders. The rust lines are enhanced
by adding the dark rust just below the line.
Dry-brush the couplers with PollyScale Box Car Red. After it
dries, add some medium rust weathering powder. Seal each
side and end with matte spray as soon as you finish with the
weathering powders.
Simulate wheel splash on the lower car ends by mixing a little
gray weathering powder with 70% isopropyl alcohol in a small
cup or lid. Brush this mixture on the ends and underside of the
car to create the wheel splash, then seal this with matte spray.
To finish the weathering job, over-spray the entire model with
a light coat or two of dust mixture to tie it all together. Make
sure to fade the sides more than the ends (4).
One very light application of matte medium spray and the car
is finished. It’s now ready for
the layout, showing its age
and years of service like a
badge of honor.
Splash grime up
along car ends
from wheels
Apply grime
to underbody
details and truck
sideframes
MRH-Aug 2013
