Best Color for Wheels?

[Maletrain]

I am putting this under "Products" because I am really thinking of it as discussing a better product that I want.

While replacing wheel sets for a menagerie of old-stock freight cars, I am considering what color is most appropriate.  They come in "black" and "brown", the latter being somewhat like a rust color, but pretty light and shiny for a freight car wheel.

Looking at old color photos of real cars is somewhat of a problem, because the wheels are pretty much in the shadows, so color is not very apparent.  I get the impression that the color is determined by a mixture of grease, rust and dirt.  And, perhaps that mixture is different in different eras, as roller bearings replaced friction bearings.  And, the dirt color probably differs from region to region as well as material carried (e.g., coal vs cement).  But, from what I can see of cars that are in active service, light brown rust does not seem any more representative than black for the wheel color.

So, I am wondering if there is any consensus on what is an appropriate wheel color for a properly weathered freight car, and whether making plastic wheels in a similar color is a viable product for some manufacturer like MTL or Atlas.

Starting with something like "burnt umber" wheels seems like it would be make things both easier to accept before weathering as well as easier to weather in detail for specific cars, since a reasonable base color would already be there.

Thoughts?

[Chris333]

I used 50/50 rust and grimey black.

[Maletrain]

I used 50/50 rust and grimey black.

I think that is pretty close to what I see.  But, that is paint.  I am not clear on how to translate that to plastic color for wheels that could be cast to a more realistic color than black or brown.

[Chris333]

I don't use plastic wheels because the treads aren't metal.

[tom mann]

 Yes the problem with molding plastic wheels in any color is that you’ll never get the wheel face and the tread both in the correct color.  You almost would want the wheel molded in silver and then use a rust or grime colored paint on the face and flange.  But that wheel would look ridiculous for those who didn’t want to take the time to do the painting.

 Metal wheels really are the answer for this problem.  If you don’t want to paint them, the darkening agent is good enough and the wheel tread will polish with time.

[Maletrain]

Yeah, I get it that the real treads will usually be bright metal.  But, the model wheels will also be obviously too wide, especially if they have bright treads.

And, then there is the debate over what rolls best.  I am still waiting to do my own testing on that when I get my rig built and a place to work on models.  I have some Fox Valley metal wheels that are clearly better rolling than the wheels I replaced, but apparently not as good as some MTL plastic wheels in MTL trucks.  There seems to be a lot of variability in rolling qualities associated with the trucks as well as the wheels.  (Yes, I know about getting the right axle length.) So, I am currently evaluating options to get free-rolling cars that I can use to build long trains that my locos can actually pull.  But, many people have already decided to go with plastic wheels, so what I am suggesting is that there is probably a better color than either black or light brown for those.

[mu26aeh]

I've been using my Woodland Scenics track paint pen to do wheel faces.

[Cajonpassfan]

Rustoleum Cammo Brown goes a long way on metal wheelsets...
Otto K

[nkalanaga]

It depends on the era. and to a certain extent on the car.  A coal hopper would tend to have darker wheels than a cement hopper.  And friction bearing trucks always leaked a little oil, keeping the wheels oily, and helping dirt stick.  Roller bearings shouldn't leak, so the wheels have little grease and oil, showing mostly rust and blown dirt.  Wheels today aren't the same color as wheels in the 1940s, even if they're made of the same steel.