Weathering steam power.

[3rdrail]

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been experimenting with A.I.M. Powders for weathering cars and locomotives. Here's what my two Pennsylvania H3b Consolidations look like now:



Look like well-worn old hogs that haven't seen the inside of a backshop for a while, no?

[Ed Kapuscinski]

PRRetty good, but I don't know about the rust on the smokeboxes.

Also, have you thought about trying to blacken the tires & rods? Those are my bigges complaints with that older MDC stuff.

[tom mann]

I agree with Ed on the smokebox rust.  I think that the constant covering with ash and the frequent steam engine maintenance would have minimized any rust.

They do look good and I'm amazed that powders would leave a nice grayish matte finish like that (considering you started with shiny black).

Phil Brooks once wrote a nice piece on weathering steam on this very forum, a post now losts to the mists of time.

[3rdrail]

As to the rust on the smokebox, I was working from photos of PRR steam power in the new PRRT&HS book showing steam in the 1950's. I also recall some power that had not seen paint or graphite in a long time with rust showing on the areas of the smokebox subject to hot exhaust gases from the flues.  Although, all in all, looking at both books and my own photos, I am surprised at the number of shiny steam locomotives the PRR had in the mid-1950's! Looks like they saw paint much more often than Diesels.

The rods and wheel rims have been covered with Neolube. Where things are shiny again is where it has worn off from running. Each locomotive put in at least 5 hours in Dothan last month and occasional trips upstairs since then. Damn, I go up to work on the layout and end up running trains.  :-[

[hegstad1]

Nice job 3rdrail,

I think the rust on the smokebox is appropriate.  I was just looking at some Northern Pacific steam pictures from the late fifities that looked just terrible.  They were some mikes that were pulled out of storage for one last run so hadn't seen maintainence in quite some time and were very rusty from just sitting around.  The smokeboxes in particular were very bad and had that orange color that looked amost gaudy.

I need to pick up one of these units to do an NP F-1.  Luckily the latese run has blackened wheels and rods.

Andrew

[John]

Here are some links on weathering steamers that I found interesting

http://www.trainsahead.com/weathering_steam_locomotives.htm

http://www.nashvillentrak.org/Files/steamweathering.pdf

[central.vermont]

Whilst on the topic of steam and weathering, what should the base
color of the engine be?? Engine Black, Weathered Black or Grimmy Black??

Is there a best choice or is this a preference of the painter. I especially
like the color black that Bachmann is doing on there steamers. What
color is this? It seams to be a dark gray. Need to now because I think I
may be painting a brass steamer soon.

Thanks, Jon

[hegstad1]

Whilst on the topic of steam and weathering, what should the base
color of the engine be?? Engine Black, Weathered Black or Grimmy Black??

Is there a best choice or is this a preference of the painter. I especially
like the color black that Bachmann is doing on there steamers. What
color is this? It seams to be a dark gray. Need to now because I think I
may be painting a brass steamer soon.

Thanks, Jon

I tend towards Floquil grimey black for a base coat of a well used but maintained locomotive.  If it is fresh out of the shops then I use engine black.  The grimey black is nice because the details stand out better. 

Andrew

[3rdrail]

Mine are Scalecoat II PRR Dark Green Locomotive Enamel or Brunswick Green, natch!  ;D ;D ;D

For non-PRR steam I use Floquil Grimy Black. Used to use Pactra Panzer Gray, but you can't get that anymore. 

[central.vermont]

Thanks guy's, I was leaning towards Grimey Black but
did'nt want to influence the results!

Jon

[Mark5]

Looks pretty good but I agree the rust is a bit overboard.

[central.vermont]

3rdrail,

Thanks for my answer to the color. I think yours look good, could'nt
much better myself. One thing I do see is I think you could put some
rust on that front coupler!  ;D

Jon