There are a number of projects currently in the works, many of which were put on hold when the summer first began. One of these is a Kadee covered hopper car that I painted for the home road this past spring. It's been sitting in the paint shop awaiting weathering ever since. I've been studying two photos of C&O 1327 taken by Carl Geffchen in 1973. Here's a link to the photos on George Elwood's Fallen Flags website: http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/co/co-l1327akg.jpg and http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/co/co-l1327bkg.jpg. Notice the darker streaks on the sides that have been created by the rain as it washes dirt and grime down the sides. This was the look I wanted to capture on the first coat of weathering and it finally struck me as to how to go about it.
First, I mixed up a light grey color using Liquitex Ivory Black and Titanium-zinc Everwhite artist's oils with a little bit of Winsor & Newton Burnt Sienna added. I thinned this into a wash with odorless turpenoid. The photo below shows the grey color along with the three brushes I used.
Next, I took the brush on the left above and applied the wash to several panels on the side of the car. Once the wash had begun to set, I took the brush in the middle and started pulling it down the side from top to bottom. The middle brush has an extremely rough edge and this helped produce the individual streaks. I also used a block of wood held against the car side as a guide in order to get straight vertical lines. As the brush with the rough edge accumulated some of the wash, I wiped it clean on a paper towel. I was careful to keep this brush as dry as possible in order to avoid smearing the streaks. The photos below show the results.
After completing several panels, I went back and took a cosmetic sponge wet slightly with turpenoid and removed the wash from the ribs.
Next, I applied the same wash to the ends and bottom of the car using the third brush from the left in the picture above. Once the wash was on, I cleaned the brush and then went back and stippled the wash in order to remove some of color and soften the edges. The shot below shows the effect.
The photo above shows several areas where the wash could be softened up a bit more. I'll address that with the next coat of weathering. But for now, I'll spray the car with Dullcote in order to seal this layer of weathering. Once the Dullcote has dried, I'll start on the roof. More to follow on this project.
Hi Tom,
ReplyDeleteThat is a very nice looking weathering job and I look forward to the next installment to see how it turns out.
A few things which stand out to me right now. First, you are doing a very nice job of regular road weathering which can be hard to do but which is fundamental to making the railroad look "right." Second, that Kadee car is just a jewel and the weathering makes it look even better. Third, the lettering and paint scheme you chose for your RR is very prototypical and looks just as realistic on your rolling stock as it does on the motive power. Shades of the V&O but you are doing your own thing and setting some nice new standards in 2015 for those of us trying to follow. Finally, I found the detailed description of HOW you weathered the car, with photos of not only the covered hopper but also the paints being mixed and the specific brushes used, very useful. Sort of an abbreviated online RPM clinic. Please feel free to give as many details as possible in the text on the next stage. The devil is in the details and you do nice work.
Best,
Gerard
Gerard J. Fitzgerald
Charlottesville, Virginia