I'm painting and weathering some concor/rivarossi heavyweights and was wondering what a prototypical color would be for the roof, the stock black color is too glossy and thin in some areas.
I think it may vary depending on road. If my memory serves, I have seen some silver, and white as well.
The colors are flat black or dark pullman green. Some experiments... tried latex roofing compounds, in hopes of stopping the leaks. Thus, the white or silver coatings. Most of the time they were tarred and feathered....well....I think you know better. Grin! No feathers but lot's of tar. Still, wouldn't that be a neat idea for a yard siding next to a parking lot. What a sight? I told those darn bar room dancers to stay off the roof. No dancing or stripping for the railroad boys on a freshly tarred roof...you'd think they'd catch on. Now the MOW crew is going to have to pluck that car. The girls must have thought it was mud wrestling? Naw! It must be cabin fever. Time to get off the hill and do some rail fanning. Ahh...wait... now there's an idea for a side show complete with...well you know. I think ...I'm going to enjoy... scenery projects, after all. Chuckles in Big Bear, Ca.
For the black roofs, you may need an additional shot of dullcoat; they are/were truly dead flat black. They could also use a light dusting of road dust, spray or chalk. The car sides could be immaculate, but the black roofs always seem(ed) to have a somewhat dirty appearance.
Floquil weathered black sounds good. I used Floquil engine black topped with Model Master semi-gloss lacquer, weathered with cigar ashes mixed with stale beer for my Harriman roofs. Weathered black would have saved a few steps. Ben
D&RGW roofs were painted aluminum, very different from silver and now banned by the EPA, but most coaches were sealed with roofing tar.
Now there is a new one!!!:tb-biggrin: Beer usually doesn't stick around long enough to get stale around my house though:tb-cool:
Speaking of smokers, did most rairoads convert their smokers to just plain combines following WWII since most trains were full smoking after this. I had read somewhere that prior to WWII many smokers were combines placed ahead of a diner. As far as ashes, I have used ashes from my BBQ charcoal grill as weathering, it works pretty good after a covering of dulcoat.
