Weathering hoppers

[svedblen]

One thing that you could also do and would be very noticeable in "O" is to have the car numbers decaled onto the side frames. I have seen this on a lot of cars.

Cool idea    I did a quick search my self did not find any pictures either.

When I eventually come around and paint the SD-40 I have for this small layout, the time period will be set to the 1970's. Would car numbers on the trucks be appropriate for that time period? Did BN and ATSF do that at that time?

[ednadolski]

I'm surprised that the 0 scale wheels do not have properly modeled wheel backs.

Atlas and NWSL wheels do not, but the Protocraft wheels do:

http://protocraft.com/category.cfm?ItemID=142&Categoryid=4

(However those are P:48 gauge and AFAIK will not fit the Atlas truck. I'm not sure if the axles are long enough to mount the bearing caps, even if the sideframes were narrowed to scale width).

On a shelf layout the backs of the far wheels typically would not be very noticeable, since viewing is mostly from the side.  To further reduce attention, the wheel backs could be weathered with a darker brown/gray color.

Anyways I find my eye is drawn more to the visible side of the truck and those awesome coupler pockets rather than the wheel backs.  And when the car is moving, the rotating bearing caps also grab attention 

One thing that you could also do and would be very noticeable in "O" is to have the car numbers decaled onto the side frames.

Microscale makes some 'stencil' decals in various sizes that might work for that.  The letters/numbers would have to be applied individually, of course.

Ed

[ednadolski]

When I eventually come around and paint the SD-40 I have for this small layout, the time period will be set to the 1970's. Would car numbers on the trucks be appropriate for that time period? Did BN and ATSF do that at that time?

In these pics from that timeframe it doesn't look like it:

http://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=54604
http://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=46823

Ed

[svedblen]

Atlas and NWSL wheels do not, but the Protocraft wheels do:

I did not now that. Or rather, I failed check them out at this point   

In these pics from that timeframe it doesn't look like it [car number on trucks]:

Thanks for the info and the pics Ed!

[GaryHinshaw]

Many up-votes for this shot:

RE the wheel back profile: when BLMA came out with their N scale wheels, I recall Craig commenting on how expensive it was to have both sides machined.  I guess the manufacturer of these wheels decided they wouldn't sell enough at the higher cost.

[svedblen]

Thanks Gary.

I guess the manufacturer of these wheels decided they wouldn't sell enough at the higher cost.

A fair assumption.

[svedblen]

After having weathered the trucks of the BN hopper it was time to have a go at the car itself. Once again I started by following a tip of Jeremy St. Peter - his dry brush fading technique (http://www.theweatheringshop.com/dbrush.html). This is a way of fading the original color. You start by applying a generous coat of white oil color, and then successively remove it until just a tad remains, as shown below.





I used titanium white for the fading, since that was what I had at hand, although Jeremy says that zinc white is better since the titanium tends to give the car a blueish hue. And as you can see below he was perfectly correct (I have since bought some zinc white to use on the next car  ).

I then used some acrylics and weathering powders to add grime and rust effects. I am not all happy with the result, even if it looks better IRL than on the photos. Judge for yourself.





I added ACI labels, since that would be appropriate for my era (late 1970s). For that purpose I had bought myself a decal set (Microscales 48-650). I thought it would be cool  if at least part of the identification number coded on the label would match the actual car number, so I did some digging into ACI labels.

The first part of the bar sequence is an owner identification. I managed to find a list of such identification codes (http://eaneubauer.ipower.com/aci.pdf), prepared by Eric A. Neubauer. The list showed that a BN owned car should be coded starting with 0076. The list also shows how numbers are translated into bars. Prepared with this information I managed to actually find some plates on the decal set that started with 0076 for BN. But what I also found at that point was that the ACI plates on the decal set are all wrong! An ACI plate shall have 13 bars, including start, stop and check bars, but the Microscales plates have only 12. No big deal really (who would notice or  even care?), but when having managed to gather all this info I thought it would be even cooler to make my own labels, actually matching both the owner road and the car number in question. The result is what you see in the picture below. Believe it or not, but the bars really translate to BN 450661.

[ednadolski]

Impressive improvement!   Did you use the traditional oils or the water-mixables?

I don't use Jeremy's fade for N scale, but it does work well for HO and larger.  The zinc white is more transparent than the titanium white, so IMHO it's easier to use for a fade.   I found that the white paint will accumulate in recessed areas but it is not too hard to remove the excess.   Oil paints are generally forgiving since they take longer to set up and can even be removed if you wish (however darker colors can stain or discolor a lightly-colored car).

If you want to go the 'extra mile', one common thing on these kind of hoppers is the 'wheel spit' that accumulates on the ends and bottom bays.  For something like that I will stipple on several layers of a thinned grime made from black/white/raw umber/raw sienna.  It's important to build up in layers and follow the "spray lines" that would come from the wheels in order to achieve a convincing effect.  Prototype pics of a similar car are very helpful.  And unlike N or HO, with O scale you have plenty of room to work a brush into the end cages on a hopper like this. 

Ed

[svedblen]

Impressive improvement!   Did you use the traditional oils or the water-mixables?

Thanks Ed!
Actually I first tried an acrylic artist paint, but that did not work at all. It set up way too fast, so I went for a traditional oil paint. As you say, its longer working time is crucial for this application. The zinc white I have waiting in line is water-mixable, but I have not tested that one yet.

If you want to go the 'extra mile', one common thing on these kind of hoppers is the 'wheel spit' that accumulates on the ends and bottom bays.

Thanks for the tip. An extra touch that definitely seems worth trying.

[ednadolski]

An extra touch that definitely seems worth trying.

Nice, looking forward to seeing it     I found a couple of pics that might come in handy:

http://www.railcarphotos.com/pix/36/BN%20456030_Sinking%20Springs%20PA_Collin%20Reinhart_2008-04-12_36105.jpg
http://www.railcarphotos.com/pix/26/BN%20455762_Everett,%20Bay%20Side%20Yard%20WA_Ian%20Clasper_2007-10-08_26133.jpg
http://www.railcarphotos.com/pix/54/BN%20455759_Colton%20CA_David%20Anderson_2008-07-01_54076.jpg


Ed

[svedblen]

As suggested by Ed, I added rusting caused by wheel spit to the ends and the bays of the BN hopper. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Jbub]

Yeah, that doesn't look real at all! 

Seriously though AWESOME job!

Jbub

[ednadolski]

Yes, that came out great!       The tonal variations and transitions are really well done!

Putting on my  I can't resist making a couple of "finishing touch" mentions:  First, just a bit more rust/grime on the lower horizontal cage bar and pin lifter bracket, as these still look a bit "clean".   Second, I'd add a some mud/earth spatter on the ends and bottom bays near the wheels.  Basically some grey-brown paint mixed to a thin wash with wet water, and then 'flicked' onto the car by running a finger over a stiff-bristled toothbrush (varying the distance varies the effect).  Don't overdo, and 2-3 layers with with a couple of different tones will give it a lot of depth.  It's a really nice effect that is hard to do convincingly in smaller scales but looks great in 1:48.  As it is subtle it gives the eye an additional focal element after initially looking over the car.

(even tho I'm currently heads-down driving myself crazy with my feeble Tehachapi backdrop painting efforts, you've made me want to drag out & get busy with soem of my O-scale stuff)

Ed

Edit: Link to pic showing the spatter on the pilot:  https://i.imgur.com/JH6f9ED.jpg   (The rust patches on the bottom edge are some small dabs of burnt umber acrylic paint)

[svedblen]

Jbub and Ed, thanks! ...and you up-voters too

Ed, the suits you     But seriously, that is a great idea which I must try. I guess the toothbrush flicking requires some practising before being applied to the actual car.

[ednadolski]

Ed, the suits you 

Best compliment I've had in a long while! 

Yes, a bit of practice is always good.   It's a relatively easy technique to control so I think you'll be pleased with the results.

Ed