How to go about weathering a gon...

[VonRyan]

So I want to model this:

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And I already made the load (and a back-up):

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It's real steel, since I want real rust.


The question is how do I go about weathering the inside of a gon to look like that one in the proto-photo?
Some PolyScale "dirt" and some grey powder overtop of that? Add in a little Arizona Rock & Mineral Co. "Earth" pigment?
I'm try to not have to buy anything else... Hence why you see specific things mentioned... They's stuffs I already gots.

I figure this is a good way to get me into a new weathering groove since I have some rolling stock that really needs to get weathered... I might even want to attempt weathering my SW-1, or perhaps my BS-10... So I need a good springboard to get me going.

[Chris333]

What does the sign say?

[wazzou]

What does the sign say?

I think it says "Do not run this car over hump".

[Philip H]

What gon are you using?

[chicken45]

I would spray the wood gray. Remember, wood has to turn gray first and the dirt is on top of the wood.  So, spray that gray first. Don't have to be perfect on your edges. Use those oil washes I rave about. Make streaks while paint is still a little wet. Seal, repeat. Done. Add dirt and rust drybrushing.

I know you don't want to hear this, but, get an airbrush and compressor.

[Iain]

What does the sign say?

The One Ring.

[jmarley76]

I would spray the wood gray. Remember, wood has to turn gray first and the dirt is on top of the wood.  So, spray that gray first. Don't have to be perfect on your edges. Use those oil washes I rave about. Make streaks while paint is still a little wet. Seal, repeat. Done. Add dirt and rust drybrushing.

This would be it... chalks/powders might work as well.

[VonRyan]

I would spray the wood gray. Remember, wood has to turn gray first and the dirt is on top of the wood.  So, spray that gray first. Don't have to be perfect on your edges. Use those oil washes I rave about. Make streaks while paint is still a little wet. Seal, repeat. Done. Add dirt and rust drybrushing.

I know you don't want to hear this, but, get an airbrush and compressor.

Somehow I didn't realize that the floor was made of wood till right after I made the post.
That gives me ideas...

What gon are you using?

I have two options: A Micro-Trains 50' gon painted for Lehigh Valley, or an old C&A resin gon that can take an MT underframe. I need to double-check, but I think the C&A gon has wood-flooring lines.

I'm tempted to do the floor in scale 2x8 planks  and then do more weathering overtop of that for the full effect.



Also, judging by the position of the load in the photo, I am beginning to think that there were two of these rings in the same gon... Good thing I made two...

[Philip H]

I'd use the C&A gon (after putting up a post in the TRading Post selling that old stock . . . .) and I wouldn't worry about adding wood to the floor.  Careful painting - and the judicious use of washes - can get you the effect you need.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Damn, Duncansville back then was a cool scene.

[towl1996]

I would try painting the ring orange and then wiping some of it off while still wet and then adding some powders. And then I would either clip or paint those nails.     

[VonRyan]

I would try painting the ring orange and then wiping some of it off while still wet and then adding some powders. And then I would either clip or paint those nails.     

I'm not worried about the rings since they were turned from actual steel. I plan to let nature take its course with them.

The gon is where my quandary originates.

[chicken45]

I'm not worried about the rings since they were turned from actual steel. I plan to let nature take its course with them.

So, I'm not always fond of natural weathering. The reason being is scale. Steel is going to weather at a constant scale, but it will not look N scale. It will look like a 1:1 steel ring you put in a gon. Is natural always best? Well, maybe. Just my two 1943 cents.

I think by not painting that yellowish stuff on there, you miss out on a pretty sweet and unique opportunity to showcase this. Otherwise, it's a boring old steel ring with no story of this "mystery yellow schmear" on it. I mean, why half a$$ it? You turned a steel ring and have a COLOR proto photo. Make the most of it, I say!