Repainting Centralia Shops N scale passenger cars

[nkalanaga]

I'm posting this in N Scale because I suspect that there are a lot of people, like me, who paint, but don't read the "Painting and Weathering" section.  If the moderators want to move this post, it's fine with me.

Has anyone repainted a Centralia Car Shops N scale coach?  If so, how did you do the silver window frames?  On Kato cars they're printed on the window strip, so it's no problem.  On the CCS cars, they're painted on the sides, which would require either a LOT of tedious masking, or repainting them somehow.

Here's a picture of why I need to repaint the car.  The top car is a Kato coach, painted with Floquil Big Sky Blue.
The middle car is the new Railsmith Duplex Sleeper, factory painted. The two are close enough for 1974 Amtrak service.
The bottom car is the Centralia shops coach, which looks nothing like the other two, or the GNRHS paint sample they're sitting on.  The difference is even more pronounced in person.

[mplsjct]

you could try using decals instead of painting them, MicroScale 60-1423

[Sokramiketes]

You might laugh, but the answer is Silver Sharpies.

It takes a light touch, and is a bit tedious, but you'll get in the groove once you get a feel for the best angle of attach. 

Have a toothpick nearby to handle any misses, or even to straighten up edges.  There's this period of time between like 30sec and 2 mins from application where the silver is sorta gummy and takes a good scraping treatment. 

I've even used the toothpick to narrow down wide lines, like when doing the window separation on big windows (GN Concor Domes, Santa Fe Budd Coaches, PRR P-85 Coaches, as examples). 

[nickelplate759]

You might laugh, but the answer is Silver Sharpies.

It takes a light touch, and is a bit tedious, but you'll get in the groove once you get a feel for the best angle of attach. 

Have a toothpick nearby to handle any misses, or even to straighten up edges.  There's this period of time between like 30sec and 2 mins from application where the silver is sorta gummy and takes a good scraping treatment. 

I've even used the toothpick to narrow down wide lines, like when doing the window separation on big windows (GN Concor Domes, Santa Fe Budd Coaches, PRR P-85 Coaches, as examples).

Clever!  The window frames on the Centralia cars are raised above car side, so this isn't as hard as it sounds. 
I'm gonna try it!

[peteski]

When I had to paint the window frames on Con-Cor smoothside obesrvation car, I used liquid mask for around the window openings.  That was around 30 years ago, so I don't remember if I then masked the rest of the sides with masking tape. applied tape to the inside of the car, and airbrushed silver, or did I just brush paint the silver, then pull off the masks.

[nickelplate759]

Besides impressive paint control, I realize that 30 years ago the lighting effects in @peteski 's model could not have been done with miniature LEDs.  I see a working marker light and maybe working table lamps, as well as general interior "ceiling" lights.   I'm guessing fiber optics and an actual light bulb.

[peteski]

Besides impressive paint control, I realize that 30 years ago the lighting effects in @peteski 's model could not have been done with miniature LEDs.  I see a working marker light and maybe working table lamps, as well as general interior "ceiling" lights.   I'm guessing fiber optics and an actual light bulb.

Thanks George!

You are correct Geroge.  It is part of my N&W Powhatan Arrow Con-Cor set, pulled by Bachmann Class J 611 loco. I suspect you've seen it running on the NE-NTRAK layout during the shows back in early '90s.  I believe at the time you were still living in Massachusetts and belonged to NE-NTRAK. I also entered it in the model contest at the N Scale convention in Denver (IIRC it was in 1991), and it placed 1st in its category.

You are also correct that it was all done with fiber optics and incandescent bulbs.  The 1.5V bulb and a constant lighting circuit using a tiny NiCad battery "keep-alive" was stuffed at the front of the car (kitchen area?). Windows were backed out there  The table lamp shades were turned on my lathe from milky color acrylic. The fiber optic going up to the shade is painted gold to simulate brass lamp base.  The marker fiber optic ends were tinted with transparent red paint (or was it red Sharpie?).  I also had multiple 1.2mm 1.5V bulbs installed  in the ceiling for overall illumination.

I sill have that car, but haven't ran it for years.  The battery probably leaked by now.  I should dig it out and do a retro thread about its construction.

[nkalanaga]

Peteski:  Your model may be "retro", but there's no reason the technology won't work just as well today.

Sokramiketes:  That was my first thought, and if it worked for you, it should work for me.  I wonder how Sharpies and Tamiya paint work together?

Everybody:  Thank you!

[Sokramiketes]

Here’s an example, works fine over any paint. Although I do this as the last step after semi-gloss Tamiya clear coat in most cases. The raised lip is just enough to make this work.

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And don’t forget to remove skirts and add fixed vestibule steps! 

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[nkalanaga]

That does look nice!

I hadn't noticed the fixed steps before, just assumed the photos were taken before they were raised.  But looking at a few more cars, including in-motion shots, the entire series has them, don't they?  I wonder why?  That isn't a typical GN feature.

[OldEastRR]

You might laugh, but the answer is Silver Sharpies.

Make sure you use the "Extra Fine" version. Looking online there are also "Ultra Fine" points but I don't think they're made by Sharpie. I used one on my CCS PRR P85s. Shaky hands definitely make using it harder, tho. 

[Sokramiketes]

That does look nice!

I hadn't noticed the fixed steps before, just assumed the photos were taken before they were raised.  But looking at a few more cars, including in-motion shots, the entire series has them, don't they?  I wonder why?  That isn't a typical GN feature.

It was a CNW conversion before the cars were sold off.  The Burlington and SP cars have them as well. 

[peteski]

Make sure you use the "Extra Fine" version. Looking online there are also "Ultra Fine" points but I don't think they're made by Sharpie. I used one on my CCS PRR P85s. Shaky hands definitely make using it harder, tho.

Yes, while I have not used that method, I imagine you would need a marker with a fiber tip (and use the side of the tip, not the end, to paint the frames), as opposed to the pen-style tips of the markers that are extra or ultra fine.

Actually, rereading the last few posts, I realized that the cars in question have raised frames (where my Con-Cor car has recessed frames).  In  light of this, liquid mask is not  going to work as I imagined.  If any masking is to be done, I would just cover the side either with a large piece of Tamiya masking tape, or better yet, Parafilm-M, then use a new hobby knife with a fresh blade to carefully trim the tape around the frames.  But that requires a steady hand.  Sharpie method seems much easier in this case (if not too many "oopses" are made).

[Sokramiketes]

Peteski is right, you need the Fine tip, nothing smaller, since it is the fiber tip that helps guide the marker.

https://www.amazon.com/Sharpie-Metallic-Permanent-Markers-Silver/dp/B001AZ3KHY?th=1

Yes, even the "fine" is a big honking tip.  Use a fresh one, once it's been used to write on paper it will fray the fiber tip and make things harder. 

And yes, it does work well on Concor recessed frames also.  I did my ConCor GN cars so as to better blend in with the few Kato cars added into an Empire Builder. 

Andrew Hegstad even did it on Brass Car Sides for his North Coast Limited, which don't have any thickness or window frame per se, but running the marker along the edge gave the look. 

[nkalanaga]

OK, I need a "Fine Tip Sharpie", which I can get at my "local" hobby shop, in their art section, in a couple months.  It will probably be that long before I'm over there again, due to work schedules, but this isn't a high-priority project.

And then I need to figure out how to build the steps.  Yours don't look like they just lowered the steps and left them down, and they certainly don't look like heavyweight steps.  I have some castings for those.  Is yours really just a box with steps in it, as it looks to be?