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Weathering Tips

I have collected a number of model railroad weathering techniques for various sources and am sharing them here. Do you have weathering tips or techniques you would like to share with Model Train Tips readers? You can send them in using the form on the Contact page.

Airbrushing Tips to Weather Your Model Railroad

September 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Badger Air Brush Kit

Weathering with an air brush is easy to do and gives excellent results. Start with darker colors and add lighter colors on top. Line up all your cars, structures and loco’s and treat them assembly line style, then change colors and do it again and again. Remember, weathering is a matter of degree and most rolling stock is fairly clean. The disadvantage of weathering with paint is that it is pretty permanent when you are done. Mac McCalla shared this tip for airbrushing: I have been weathering with an airbrush for many years and have done many clinics for Badger Airbrush and at … [Read more...]

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Painting and Weathering Using Common Household Items

September 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Details

Always on the lookout for cost effective ways to enhance their model railroad layouts, modelers continue to come up with unique methods for weathering. Painting Here’s a tip where Palmer Schatell describes one way he paints some components of his layout: When airbrushing HO [cars & engines], with a little hand molding, the soft cardboard rolls that toilet paper comes on fits into the cars and locomotive bodies and provides a way of holding these objects. I used the cap from a spray can fastened to the center of an inexpensive Lazy Susan to allow me to turn the bodies without having … [Read more...]

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Model Railroad Weathering with Eye Shadow and Chalk

September 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
180 Color Eye Shadow Kit

Model railroaders are continually coming up with creative and unique methods for giving their model railroad layouts a realistic weathered look. Here are a couple of tips for using eye shadow and pastel chalk. Eye Shadow Aaron Savoian shared this tip about using eye shadow for an interesting weathering technique for your model railroad: I have found that women’s eye shadow works well when wanting to blend colors on plaster castings. The eye shadow doesn’t need to be sprayed to adhere to the plaster and is easy to work with (no messy dust). I usually apply a slate colored eye shadow … [Read more...]

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Weathering Roads, Paint and Rust on Your Model Railroad Layout

September 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Weathering Roads

Peter Plantec shared this tip about weathering roads, paint and rust on your model railroad layout: There are several brands of alcohol based asphalt patch material used to mend roofs and gutters. I found that I could dilute and pour it in a form made of strip wood to make a road bed. Before it completely hardens you can rub in some talc and cut in cracks and divisions. You can even carve scale bricks as the underlying old road bed. The surface looks remarkably real. Also, I almost never paint anything. I gesso it and then add layers of alcohol stain (used for shoes.) I usually … [Read more...]

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Extreme Weathering for Your Model Railroad Cars

August 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Weathered Boxcar

Pepper Kay shared this tip about extreme weathering for your model railroad rolling stock: Weather as you normally would your next box car, tank, hopper, etc. then, spray two coats of Dullcote on your finished car. When that has dried thoroughly, use your pump sprayer filled with 93% rubbing alcohol and give a good, wet coat to your finished car. The alcohol reacts with the Dullcote and makes the most faded, weathered finish you’ve ever seen. Careful, don’t do but just a few cars as the effect goes a long way. -Pepper Kay Note: I have not tried this tip yet but I would … [Read more...]

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Realistic Weathering for Roofs on Your Model Railroad Layout

August 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Weathered Metal Roof

Bob and Nick Lloyd wrote in and shared this tip for realistic weathering of the roofs of buildings on their layout. Okay, so my Dad and I are starting to build a platform for our HO scale trains. We are starting off with a platform upstairs, but after the holidays we are moving it down to our basement where we are going to build a permanent one. Recently we have been going through the process of taking all of our old plastic buildings and making them look more realistic by dulling them and putting on new roofs. Yesterday my dad decided to wrap the roof of our mill in tin foil and soak … [Read more...]

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Weathering Your Model Trains and Scenery

March 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Weathered Boxcar

By Dan B Morgan Why should you weather your model trains and scenery? Whether you are just getting started with model trains, or you have been enjoying this hobby for a long time, there are many different things that you can do to make your model train layout look more realistic. You may have already spent a lot of time making sure that your models are to scale, but if you want your model railroad to look real, you have to avoid it looking too new! Having objects in your train set look too shiny or too new can be quite distracting. This is why you need to think about how to weather … [Read more...]

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Wondering Whether To Weather Your Model Railroad Trains?

October 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment
weathered-boxcar-588x400

By Timothy McCarthy First of all, some of you may be reading this wondering what weathering model railroad trains is, so I'll start with an explanation. Weathering is basically the process of making something look old and used and is a technique applied to model railways to make them look more realistic. In the real world, nothing stays shiny and new for long. Trains will pick up dust and dirt as they travel around, paint will get scratched, metalwork rusts over time and so many model train builders will want to recreate these looks on their models. Of course, this isn't for … [Read more...]

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