Just wondering what others have used to improve the appearance of their Track. I lay my cork roadbed and sand the sides, so as to make the lines sharp. Some sanding will greatly improve the appearance. I use Arizona Rock N Gage, put full strength carpenter glue on the sides. After that sets, I regulate the ballast to the desired shape. When it's just so-so I wet the ballast with water with a drop of Dawn dish soap. The center of the track is then saturated with a 50/50 solution of carpenter's glue and water, drop of soap. Generally it dries in a day or two, then airbrush REAL thin grimy black down the center of the track. This move can also be accomplished with scraping off of a graphite pencil. It gives the appearance of a oil streak down the center of track. Use it heavier around curves to simulate curve oilers or more proper "Rail Lubricators". Now then the question. What do other modelers use?
I model an ancient small branch line during it's final years so the ties are faded and unevenly spaced, the rails are super rusty and grass grows on the spurs. I treat track like a weathered model. All my track is hand painted and some ties were removed for a somewhat rickety appearance.
Great stuff Jim! I used your removal of ties on a few sections of track too, but now I gots MW stuff sitting on it so, nobody knows "the trouble I seen" William I would like to see some images and some "splainin" of your sanding method.
On many of the local railroads in KC, cork roadbed has been used, although some have used topper tape. Rail Brown is air-brushed onto the rails over most of the road. In a few cases, a new color of Krylon paint has been used on the rails.
Keith not sure what "topper tape" is? Tom, I will get something on the sanding, but basicly I separate the cork, glue it down and then sand the beveled edge to give it a uniform profile. That gives those straight ballast lines. Jim your stuff is always great, give a little detail, paint colors and how you apply it. I have tried to paint it, with little sucess, run us through the total process. Thanks. Do you tape some of it?
Bill, I did the exact same thing for the oil streak; I've not done so yet to current layout, but on a little "test section" some time ago, I used Floquil Polly S grimy black, and was quite pleased with the results. Looking at prototype photos since then, I think I would have made it a little thinner. Best Regards,
Hey, William. It's been a while since I layed the track but I just used some craft type acrylic paints in different shades of earth colors for the ties. First I painted the rail sides with rust colored model railroad paints. I used the craft paints on the ties. I pretty much dry brushed the tie tops with the paints ranging from wood color to earth tones. I hit a few random ties with a contrasting color of earth color or gray just to give the illusion of a tired old branch in her last years. The ballast is screened material from the actual location. The fabric I use for ground cover is thick and when it's butted up to the cork/ballasted roadbed it makes the roadbed appear lower which is prototypical for the Zalma Branch. That's my track story.
I used this little amazing tool for painting the rail, I recommend using his paints for it too. Get a few extra foam, plastic wheels.
Yes, I'm going to do the oil streak on my new layout, course the curves are the heaviest black from the curve oilers. On the real railroad the grease will carry 5 miles.
