Follow along as associate editor Cody Grivno uses an airbrush to weather the track on the Model Railroader staff’s Winter Hill Quarry Branch. Cody will show you his easy technique for weathering the rails and ties of model railroad track. You’ll also learn how to use a microbrush to paint the rails around turnouts.
Building HO scale Winter Hill quarry branch part 6
By Angela Cotey | January 19, 2013
| Last updated on November 23, 2020
Learn how to weather model railroad track with an airbrush
Hi Cody, I'm enjoying all the videos in this series and like the part on how to protect and paint the turnouts, the touch-up part especially. Simple enough! I clean my rails afterwards, too, but also immediately wipe with a cloth while the paint is still wet. I pull it taut so only my finger tip hits the uppermost top of the rail. It seems I avoid the extensive cleaning necessary later. I have never tried first applying oil as another viewer mentions. I avoid using an abrasive block as much as possible. Any thoughts or suggestions?
good work Cody the rails are painted and ballasted all thats left is structures which will come in the next video.
Good job Cody
Great answer to my question of how to weather track: Air brush works, but the Floquil marker can too. Thanks.
I have tried Floquil paint markers and while they do work fairly well they really dont work well inthe tight inside/lower web of the rail. A small paint brush/detail brush by microbrush works well.
great info. Am trying to get back into the hobby.
Perfect lession, I have nothing else to say, end of story.
If you take a SMALL amount of oil… just enough to wet the tip of your finger, and lightly apply to just the top part of the rail you're about to paint, the paint on the top of the rail will easily flake off when you clean. I've done multiple layouts this way and never had a problem.
Is there somewhere that I can find out about the markers you mentioned. I could not hear well enough to catch the brand name.
I second the comment about seeing how you airbrushed from the far side of the rail, maybe an upcoming video?
Cody, can you tell us a little more about the airbrush and how much pressure it is set to?
Good video.
Great job! Thanks for the tips. Could the camera back out and show how you managed to get the back side of the rails from out in the aisle?
Hello Cody, I have used those rail and tie markers on my ntrak layout and I find them too big. Used a small brush for the web of the rail. With the small size of an ntrak layout, it wasn't worth dragging out all that air brushing equipment and do the cleaning up afterwards. Thanks for the show!
Hans-Peter
Thanks Cody, very much like the technique I use. I use a very fine sandpaper, 1000 grit or better, to remove the paint from railheads. It does a super fast job, just be light with it and don't over work any one spot. I've tried oiling the railhead to prevent the paint from sticking, turned into a real mess. No matter how careful you are, the oil will migrate down the sides, and is near impossible to remove once you've messed up. I like to add rust, and gray on random ties, with a fine brush after the brown has dried. Almost dry brushing with it, gives a more random and more realistic look. Thanks again Cody, another great video on the basics!
I want to echo the question from Jaddie Dodd, what is the part we are trying to avoid painting, when doing the touch-up with microbrush? I understand the points and inside rail sides at the points end should be clear if this is a power-routing turnout. But what should be unpainted on the other strip (at other end of the switchpoint rails from the points)?
Also I want to say thanks for this video, it's really helpful in getting me thinking about order of steps to "finish the rails" for more realistic layout!
Ive used the markers an they are good as I can't use my spray
gun indoors I take my work out to my carport but you can't take train woek out there.
Like the beard Cody! By the way what airbrush/ compresser setup does MR use and what would you recomend for the at home modeler?
I noticed that too about not using the face mask. It probably would have been difficult to listen to Cody, maybe you need a moderator and a person doing the task. Also I recommend that when you do some detail work or you highlight a product, then show that in a closeup small screen for a little bit of time.
Removing paint from the top of the rails can be accomplished after 30 minutes dry time–it comes off easier then than the next day. Nice segment.
It's also nice to hit the rails at an angle with rust to make them stand out from the ties & i think, give it a more realistic look. I also highlight some ties to show the various ages.
Hi Cody, I don't know whether I am dumb or lazy, but I weather my track prior to laying. I airbrush the number of lengths I think I will use for the section of the layout I am preparing, clean the top of the rail. Any missed spots (which I always find, no matter how may time I inspect the track [usually when I photo and review my work]), I touch up with the track markers. I do the same for the points.
Cody, after you paint the rails can you take the alchohal and clean the top of them instead of using the eraser? Would that work faster or ruin what you just painted?
I use a method to clean the rail suggested in an MR article way back. Use a steel rule edge to scrape the paint off the rail head just after it goes tacky. The end of the rule fits nicely across both rails. Then use my track cleaning block afterwards. This saves my block from clogging up with paint residue and then lasts longer.
I model the Pennsy's heavy duty mainlines and I find that the dominant rail color is closer to ruddy brown and that stains the ballast as well. So to get this effect I lay my rail and ballast it first, mask the switch points and than use a rattle can of Rustoleum ruddy brown primer to color both rail and ballast. On the actual right-of-way, rust from the rails gets on everything, even station platforms. To see what I'm talking about refer to Pages 46-47 of the latest issue of Classic Trains.
I noticed you did not tape the frog. Reason being???