Roco DR Kohlenstaubwagen
Weathering
The 'bette noire' of modelling but it need not be if
you read these words. You can still have realistic, accurate models without
ruining their value by having 'removable' weathering, all the old fears of
destroying your 'investment' are over.
Does anyone remember Hubert Carr's weathering powders? OK, no one.
That's the problem when using exotic brand name products from small companies.
That's why I chose not to use branded products for this job, instead I used
ordinary children's powder paint from an art shop. They are really
cheap whereas branded products cost a great deal more. Only four basic
colours: black, white, yellow, burnt sienna are used to make rust, brake dust,
smoke, dirt and coal slurry. I used lots of colour photos of the prototype as a
guide-we just don't remember what real railways looked like, do we? The other
factor is colour distance perception, I try to let down the colours by using
powders which "kill" the intensity.
Wagons and coaches
Before I use the powders, I always repaint the roofs to match their
construction, most roofs were canvas covered with tar/pitch and these tend to
fade very quickly to a dull grey. When really the roof is really dry, use a
broad 1/4" stiff hogshair and stipple the powder along the peak, blend
across the roof, dust off the excess. Use a similar technique along the lower
part of the sides of the model but remove the excess by brushing or rubbing it
off.
Finally, brush neat burnt sienna into the underframe, lots of lovely brake dust
and rust. The hopper wagons were completed in exactly the same method but a ring
of yellow/white limestone mix was rubbed along the tops of the hoppers and
around the discharge doors.
The
Roco DB van was given a control coat of dilute matt black acrylic paint
using a 15mm flat sable brush, once dry a further wash of dilute matt earth on
the underframe and lower body sides, allow the paint to wash into all the
crevices. The washes kill the sharpness of the lettering, so use a Q-Tipp to
clean off the paint wash on the areas around the lettering. Unlike powders, this
process is not reversible but is capable of very subtle weathering effects and
was used on the Roco Coaldust wagon and Gmm55 van.
Locos
Big breath of courage, you about to weather a model costing about the same as a
decent lunch at The Ritz. You have a choice, either read the excellent article in
the Steam Locomotives-Projects and Ideas-Kalmbach by John Pryke or use powders. I also use India
Ink (black and brown) on the chassis plus Casey's Brass Blackener on the motion
(the latter is available from any good firearms dealer).
Buildings
For stucco and fachwerk buildings, build and spray the shell in matt white
enamel, then finish off the construction of the building. Then wash the sides
with repeated thin washes of water colours, I have used raw umber but
some areas are less/more red or yellow, study at the prototype. The
"wash" is just that and the nice thing about washes is they are
unpredictable and therefore natural, just have some tissues handy to wipe off
the mess.
In conclusion
OK, so it won't stick I hear you say. Well, if you rub it well into all the
nooks and crannies it will stay, what is better is that it drops off all round
the layout and that spreads the weathering without any effort. If it becomes too
clean re-apply.
These methods are cheap and user friendly, they won't ruin your investment and
you are doing something unique. It won't suit everyone but it sure beats factory
finishes and powders are real dirt.
Visit this site
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Rich Divizio's Model Trains
Weathered
Roco DB Van
Brawa and Fleischmann O-wagons
