For quite some time it has been bothering me looking at the engine terminal and seeing clean track. Engine yard tracks are always filled with grease and oil from leaking locomotives. Today I decided to have a go at weathering the engine yard tracks to make them look like they have had numerous engines leaking oil and grease on them. It was quite an easy excercise and didnt take longer than 30 minutes. First I fired up the compressor and selected Modelflex weather black and supergloss black. I sprayed the centre of tracks with supergloss black but not continuously. I sprayed the gloss in patches to replicate grease patches. I then sprayed with weathered black along the length of the tracks. Here is the result although the photo doesnt really do it justice, the effect looks great in person. After painting be sure to clean the track of paint. In this final photo you can see the black pools of grease in front of those locos, I guess most of it comes from those poorly service UP and SP locomotives
Paul: You did a great job of weathering those yard tracks. Using the airbrush inside must have been an adventure. Stay cool and run steam....
Bob, Actually it was very easy, I just kept the airbrush low bentween the rails and away i went, even though some did go onto the outside of the rails it still looks realistic.
Paul, The effect looks very real! Using some testors gloss black in small drops could really heighten the greasy mess in spots too. On a side note, your service platforms are much too clean....
Looks nice, Paul. It is just the first step as you will begin to notice it in other places, too. Then, on and on. If you try the glossy black, I would practice first. Make a small one, too.
Ok guys you have given me a project for this afternoon lol, I will weather the platform althuogh it does have some chalks, will get to compressor and airbrush out again hmmm whos going to help me clean up for the second time today
I have just finished weathering the terminal with weathered black, the first pic is before and the next two are after. I also took Hemi suggestion and used a dropper with supergloss black and pooled it in areas, the following two pics show the final result.
Looks great! Those pools of 'grease' look real, and it seems they would work for a flange greaser, as well. Now then, the engines are much too clean.... I better shaddup, before someone whacks me with a 2x4....
Weathering definately pays dividends, a very good little project with great results, especially since full commentary on "how to" was included. Although for an SP track, I suppose a spray can of flat black would also work? Hemi, it'd be an N scale 2x4, so no worries!
Pretty dirty, but if you want you could add more goo on the ground. Engine continuously leak sand, and it accumulates in white piles on either side of the rails. Also, there are puddles of oil between the rails, which you can simulate with drops of watered down black paint. Everyting is then oversprayed with dust. Engine terminals are pretty gross! http://www.drgw.net/rgn/news-photos/drgw-5407-denver_co-%5B27-may-2001%5D-n00-800x600.jpg
Paul that looks really cool. I had the same problem with the engine servicing area in Centralia. Here is a pic of it so far, but I"m still not too pleased with it yet.
Close up of oil in and around track at a terminal: [ September 28, 2005, 12:31 PM: Message edited by: Grey One ]
Thanks for the comments guys, Grey great pic since it has a MOPAC in it. I will need more details for the yard including people etc and bits and pieces but by weathering the track and adding oil its lifted the whole scene and made it look more realistic. [ September 28, 2005, 05:54 PM: Message edited by: Colonel ]
