Painting rails

This topic was touched on in another thread, but in an attempt not to hijack that thread I am starting this one.

If this topic has been beat to death before I apologize up front for starting it over. If there are archived threads please point me to them.

I have a couple questions on painting rails.

1. What color do you use?
2. What do you use? I mean do you use
   1. paint sticks
   2. brushes
   3. airbrush
   4. etc
3. Do you paint just the side of the rail seen
4. What other info can you provide?

Thanks

Gary

 

In HO I've had very good luck using large spray cans of any near-rust, flat brown paint. One thing I did to prep the 3 ft. lengths of flex-track was to take a Q-tip soaked in Wahl's hair clipper oil and apply to the top of the rail. So far this has worked for codes 100, 83, and 70. Not only does the oil make cleaning rail tops easier, it also seems to help electrical conductivity.

I do both sides of the rail but since I place the rail on newspaper on my back patio and spray from above, this is no big deal.

 

Check this thread. There should be lots more; I am still looking.

Another on weathering.

 

A lot depends on the type of rail I'm working with. If I'm working with a more generic brand that has oversize spike details I go with a darker color to downplay the fact that things are oversize. In this situation I spray the track (rail and ties) Floquil Grimy Black (rattle can) followed by a light dusting of Floquil Roof Brown. Immediately afterward I wipe the paint off the railheads with a soft block of wood moistened with mineral spirits.

If I'm working with more detailed rail such as Micro Engineering I'll go with a lighter color to bring out the finer details. In this case I use Floquil Rail Brown applied with an airbrush.

You can see some examples of both in the progress photos section of my site.
Lance
www.lancemindheim.com

 

I use Floquil Enamel Marker (Rail Brown) on the outer edge of the rails, and always wipe off the top of the rails prior to moving on to another section.

 

I use a small artist's brush and either Floquil "Rust", or Poly Scale "Roof" Brown and "Railroad Tie" Brown. I do it after the ballast has been laid and glued so that some of the paint bleeds down during the painting process and covers the ties, plates, spike heads, and the bit of ballast nearest the rail foot, thus contributing to the 'used' look of real track.

 

I paint my tracks with airbrush a brown color. Perhaps sometimes with a few drops black. I paint them with a low angle, this I paint mainly the rail sides.

Occasionally I paint a few ties another - grey - color. When the track is ballasted, I airbrush the track with thinned buff and in the middle a glossy black streak.

Wolfgang

 

If it's fresh trackage that I've just installed, I use an airbrush with ModelFlex Rail Brown, and then go back with hits of Roof Brown here and there.

If it's track that's been installed and the area has been sceniced (as there is in a few areas at the Lake County Model Railroad Club), I used the Floquil Rail Brown pens, then go back with a Bright Boy after it's had some time to cure, to cleanthe top of the rails. I don't wait until it's completely dry. I find it's too tough to clean off.

 

I'm in H0.
I use a long 'rigger' style brush for the job - size 2 or thereabouts - which I run along the sides. If the brush is in good condition it lies nice and snug to the rail. If I'm feeling lazy I'll use a bigger brush and slap it all over the rails.
I use acrylics, and I like mixes of red oxide, black, raw umber and some white. With those colours I can get anything from a pale dusty look to full-on rust.
To remove excess I push the edge of a piece of hardboard along the rail head when it's almost dry. I agree with Matt J that it's easier to remove if you don't wait too long.

Mike

 

I do the rattle-can bit before ballasting and after I've sealed off the surrounding scenery (if any) with newspaper: Floquil Grimy Black, then go back with a light dusting of Boxcar Red and then, at a different angle to catch the tops of the ties-- Roof Brown. I do it in about three foot increments, then immediately wipe the top of the rails clean with a rag soaked in alcohol. Then a brite boy after everything's dry to catch what the alcohol might have missed. I mask my turnout points, and generally touch them up with one of the Floquil pens where needed.

I generally do only the portion of the rail that can be seen from the outside.

One thing about painting the rails, if you use Code 100 for your main line as I do, it DOES tend to make the rail actually look smaller and of a more 'prototypical' height.

Tom