The newest revolution in N scale: self-weathering cars from Athearn!

[GonzoCRFan]

I've been spending lots of time lately going through 2+ decades of acquisitions and Ebaying stuff that's extra or that I plain don't need. I pulled this set of tankcars that has never even been out of the box and my eye caught the rusty color, and I thought "I don't recall weathering these..."

Because I didn't.

What the    ?

Im hoping this is just a freak thing, didn't notice it on any others (and I have a LOT of Athearn tankcars), but it's unsettling to know this is possible. Anyone else ever come across this?

[ednadolski]

If you don't like 'em, you can send them to me....

Ed

[peteski]

So the steel railing wire they used rusted?  I also assume that these were originally painted or blackened - not bare steel.
Were those exposed to prolonged periods of humidity?  Not blaming you - just curious.  Phosphor Bronze wire would have been a better choice for those, but it is not quite as stiff, and more expensive than steel.  When I add railings I use PB wire. If I need steel I use stainless steel. But that's me being me. 

[Steveruger45]

If they “self weather” in scale time that’s incredible 😊

[MetroRedLine]

First it's "Primed for Grime"

Now, it's "Must for Rust."

[GonzoCRFan]

So the steel railing wire they used rusted?  I also assume that these were originally painted or blackened - not bare steel.
Were those exposed to prolonged periods of humidity?  Not blaming you - just curious.

Apartment-dweller, so climate and humidity-controlled. The photos don't show it, but there is black dust in the plastic cradles, so whatever coating flaked off and allowed the bare metal to rust. Never thought I'd feel the need to throw some dessicant packets in with my boxes, but here we are...

[nkalanaga]

Interesting.  I've been using 30 gauge soft steel wire from the hardware store for almost 50 years, 42 of those in eastern Kentucky's humidity, and have never had it rust.  Black corrosion, yes, especially while we had our wood burning stove, but no rust.  Once painted, it hasn't shown signs of corrosion, and the raw wire can easily be cleaned with sandpaper.

I have had music wire rust, but not once it's painted.  The problem there was storing it in a damp area, combined with the wood burning stove.  We had a stove pipe running up the old chimney, and when the wind was wrong, a house full of smoke wasn't unusual.  It didn't help the track any, and probably didn't do our lungs any good.  After 12 years, and my father's death, we got electric heat!  He liked the wood fire...

I wonder if there's something in your local air?  If so, you might want to get it tested, just in case it isn't good for you, either.  Or, maybe, Athearn changed their paint formula, and it reacted with the steel,